taxonomites | xvii [ visual ] / [ location: hyperion hotel ].

Good at talking about his feelings, Angel is not. He's bad with words as it is and that, coupled with his penchant for bottling, means that talking isn't so much not good as it's non-existent. He's more of a man of action and boy do his actions give away hints towards all that he's keeping inside under lock and key. Especially to those who know him well. There are three things Angel does when stress is starting to get the better of him: cook, tai-chi and draw. The former seems to be the most preferred, as people get free food out of it and the man's a damn good cook for someone who doesn't have the taste buds for the things he knows how to make. Right now, however, he's indulging the latter.

Angel sits on one of the red couches in the lobby of the hotel which, while still sporting signs of the damage he and Spike did to it during their duet earlier that month (namely the body-shaped holes through two walls as the desk wreckage had been cleaned up and cleared out), is actually pretty spotless. This may or may not be due to a certain brunette Slayer having not been around lately to trash it. His feet are propped up and there's a sketch book on his lap and a pencil in his hand.

He's good. He's really good, as is shown by the dragon he's currently sketching as he alternates between moving the pencil against the page and blending lines together with his thumb and fingers that are already covered in graphite in a telltale sign that he's been at this for a while now.

Several things are eating away at him and this is his way of trying to ignore that gnawing and focus on something else.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Having Faith show up at the hotel isn't all that surprising. That room's all hers and Angel already told her that she's free to come and go as she pleases, but the vampire's so lost in his delineations that he while he feels that familiar skin crawling sensation that screams Slayer at him, he doesn't completely register it or that 'dumbass' directed at him and it's not until she drops the duffel bag does Angel snap out of it. He jumps (accompanied with a less than manly sounding yelp that he will vehemently deny later) and the sketchbook and pencil immediately fall to the floor.

"Faith. Hi. ...what?"

Despite her worry-- and the awkward feeling of knowing Wes is around and having no freaking clue just how to handle that mess of screwed up issues-- she can't help but laugh at the yelp.

"Wicked manly there, big guy." Faith grins, hair brushing her back as she shakes her head. (Jesus, she needs to get that shit cut.) "You want a minute to calm down, or can we go?"

And by 'go' she means the euphemistic 'come on, kick my ass it'll make you feel better'. Like therapy, only with more bruising.

Angel just glowers at her in response to her pointing out his rather girly yelp. For someone who was so full of grace when he was fighting or pulling off inhuman feats, he sure was awkward as all sin when he wanted to be. (Or didn't want, as was the case, here.) That glare is exchanged in favor of confusion once she asks if they can go - not entirely missing her point, as this is Faith and he can guess at her meaning and understand that the Wes factor must be making for a lot of discomfort with even being in the hotel, if only just by the door.

"Go? Go where?" He asks, for clarification's sake.

"Dude, did you wake up retarded today or something?" ...Nice show of political correctness, Faith. Really, charming. "You're sitting around moping like a little girl. So we're gonna throw down and I can kick your ass until you man up and deal with it."

One day, Angel was surprised to learn that when Faith said 'you're a mentally handicapped girl-child, I'm going to kick your ass' what she really meant was 'I love you.'

"We're not going to do this," he says, despite the fact that he gets up from the couch and walks towards the door. This is due mainly to the Wesley factor, or so he tells himself.

Truth is, Angel's craving a fight. He's restless and just itching for a confrontation, but Taxon can't provide him with one. There's no patrolling to be done, no demons terrorizing the city, low vampires trying to get a good meal, nothing. But, there is Faith. Who is offering. And she can take him, he can take her. No holding back. They'll be bloodied and bruised by the end, but they can take it - supernatural healing has it's perks.

xvii [ visual ] / [ location: hyperion hotel ].

[ location: hyperion hotel ]

[ location: hyperion hotel ]

[ location: hyperion hotel ]

[ location: hyperion hotel ]

[ location: hyperion hotel ] oh my god where were these notifs.