Wild Angels (Angelo)

Espe was working the street. She didn't want to, but it had been 2 days since she'd had a meal and she desperately needed food. She hated having to resort to picking pockets and she hated how good she was at it.
Scanning the crowds for prospective hits her demeanor was that of a careless child enjoying the shopping opportunity.
Picking a person Espe watched the shops around her and brushed the heavy set middle aged lady who was trying to corral her rambunctious son. Espe took a few coins quickly, she always tried to not take all their coins it made her feel a little better about the necessity.
Pocketing the coins and moving down the street Espe was about to duck into an alcove and decide if she had enough for food when a big hand clamped down on her shoulder. She whipped around and gasped at who she saw.

It had been a week since he'd returned to Earth and Angelo still hadn't gotten used to not having the weight of his wings dragging at his back, but he'd get there. He was walking around The Golden Archway, partly for the balance practice, partly because they needed some rare potions ingredients, and partly because, if he was being honest with himself, he found most of the reactions from the people who'd known he was dead to be hilarious.

Angelo wasn't looking for anyone in particular, just letting his eyes scan the crowds for familiar faces, when his gaze landed on something he'd never expected to see in a million years- Esperanza Valdez, daughter of Lugarmago's dead Headmistress, was picking pockets in the streets.

He'd met Isa in Heaven, talked to her for a bit before she left him to mope, and he let her go enjoy Paradise. Seeing Espe again was a shock; he hadn't expected that the girl would fall so low. He followed her as she left, dropping a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Espe?" he asked, wonderingly. "Chica, what are you doing? Where are your guardians?"

Espe's whole world just came to a screeching halt. Like she honestly felt her brain stop, an flood with fragmented images of the boy-man-angel in front of her. Angelo something inside her whispered. Memories crashed into her, as a little girl Angelo takin her flying-flying?! Being sung to sleep. And just following him around. All of these world changing realizations just happened in a second or two.

"Angelo?" she wondered aloud, then the emptiness she felt when he stopped visiting her in her dreams came back and she filled with anger.
"What're you doing here? You abandoned me!" She stepped away from him and dashed the tears from her eyes. Face to face with her last protector, the little part of Espe that made her cold, that helped her survive took over. Her coolness and sarcasm at the forefront of her mind.
"After you left me, I found ways to take care of myself!" She said strongly, but the effort was ruined wen her stomach growled. Glaring angrily at the ground Espe tried to control her hunger, then looking back up at Angelo with a hint of her old self showing in the slight pleading, Espe told him, "I'm going to get food, you're welcome to join me,"
As much as she wanted to act like se didn't need Angelo after he left, the fact is, it crushed her. If Angelo stayed Espe hoped some things about life could go back to the happy memories se just received. She could tell immediately that Angelo an her are close and Espe hasn't been able to just relax like she used to since the attack. Wishing to go back to her childhood self where life was simple Espe prayed that Angelo would stick around. After all, being practically abandoned by Heaven once is hard enough, to get a taste of her old life only to have it snatched away again would ruin her.

Angelo's stomach dropped, faced with the childish, but righteous anger. He crouched down, squatting so their faces were level and he wasn't towering over her. "Chiquita," he said gently, "I died. I didn't leave you on purpose. I didn't leave anyone here on purpose and I worked hard to get back. I would never abandon you, not on purpose."

Angelo had to hide a grin as Espe's stomach betrayed her. "Yes, and it sounds like you're doing a fine job." He stood up again, offering her his hand. "I would love to join you, and it's my treat." He wondered if he should tell her about seeing her mother in Heaven, but decided she had probably already gotten over it and didn't need him to re-open wounds.

Espe looked at him somewhat confused, and tearful.
"But you're my angel, you cant die!" She looked at him, seeing the truth in his eyes. She flung herself around his neck, "thank you for coming back," Espe stepped back, "Why did the messages stop?" Te girl asked, falling back to the times when Angelo always knew what she was talking about. No matter how bad she was at explaining it.

Espe stubbornly looks at him.
"I am! Laila and I have made things work, it's been 2 and a half years, and I'm still ok!" Espe maintained she was fine even when she wasn't.

Espe took his hand and let him lead her to where try would eat.
"Sooo... What're doing here? Are you just flying in for the day?" Espe remembered the majestic wings she used to love to rub her face along, and hold on to. They were so beautiful and soft, just amazing. And flying with Angelo was always the best treat she could have as a child.

Angelo, though startled, hugged Espe back, fighting to stay balanced. "I was mortal too, chiquita. Mortal bodies die and I just went... home." He didn't want to call it that, not when the true attachment he felt was here, but Espe was young still, and she didn't really understand. "Im glad too," he told her smiling, but a second later, the smile faded to confusion. "What messages?" he asked.

Shaking his head, Angelo let Espe believe that she could handle herself. At the mention of his old Headmistress' pet tiger, however, he glanced around. "Where is Laila, anyway? She'd kind of stand out here."

A sad smile slipped onto Angelo's face. "No chiquita, I'm afraid I won't be doing much flying anymore. I had to give up my wings to come back. I had to choose one world or the other, so I had to leave behind my wings. I just came in to shop." They reached a small restaurant and ordered food.

"I was mortal too, chiquita. Mortal bodies die and I just went... home."

"...but you were my angel..." She said softly and buried her head in the joint of his shoulder and neck. Just letting herself soak in the whole, right here feeling of him. There wasn't much else Espe could say about it, Angelo was, and always will be her angel. She could just feel it.

"What messages?" he asked

Espe un-hid her face and looked up into Angelo's.
"For the first couple years after Laila and I ran away, if I was feeling bad, which was pretty often, I would dream about you. Some I think were memories, of you holding me, or flying with me, or singing to me. But other times, it was just you, talking to me. Telling me it'll be alright. You would say exactly what I was scared of or worried about at the time and you would make it go away. Sometimes you would sing me to a deeper sleep, other times, you would tell silly jokes to get me to smile," Espe gave her dimpled grin, the one she remembered Angelo always trying to coax out of her, "But you were there when I needed you, watching over me, making sure everything would turn out ok. That's why I knew that I could do whatever I wanted, because you were there to protect me," She looks into his face, trying to see what he's thinking, tears filling her eyes again she continued, "Then one day, you just...stopped. There were no more dreams, or conversations" burying her face in his shirt she continued, "I-I couldn't f-find y-you any mo-more" almost trying to crawl inside Angelo, Espe tried to get as close to him as possible, seeping up the fact that he was here, alive. Real

"Where is Laila, anyway? She'd kind of stand out here."

Espe shrugged, "She goes off sometimes. I don't know where, but I always know she'll be back. It's like I can just tell. I don't know why, or how, but she's doing something important." Espe really didn't know how to explain it, and all the emotional turmoil is starting to make her tired, and feel a little sick. Like when you cry for too long. You skin feels gunky and your eyes hurt, and your throat huts, and its mostly just not fun.

"No chiquita, I'm afraid I won't be doing much flying anymore. I had to give up my wings to come back. I had to choose one world or the other, so I had to leave behind my wings. I just came in to shop."

"Oh," Espe looks down sadly, but wanting to reassure Angelo, "It's ok, you're wings were fun, but you're better. I'm glad you came back," Espe squeezed his hand three times, hoping he remembered their old ritual. She just followed where he was going, easily and happily falling back to the idea that Angelo knows what he's doing. Angelo has always been aloud to take care of her, and his rules she actually followed. Just not having to constantly check around her and think through possible scenarios is nice, Espe realized. She hugged his side content to just let him be Angelo.

"I know, niña, I know. But sometimes I have to follow the rules like everyone else and the rules are that if you die, you go to Heaven." Or Hell, Angelo added mentally, but he wasn't going to open that particular can of worms with the young girl. The fight over where he went when he died was intense, and he had been passive during it, uncaring when he was separated from his love.

Angelo stared at Espe, wide eyed. "I- I did talk to you sometimes, in Heaven. I'd check on you every so often when I thought you were getting restless. But... the only angel who should have been able to send you dreams would be your guardian angel and I couldn't- I mean, that should've been- It's not possible!" He was half demon and demons didn't guard, they destroyed.

Smiling at the young girl, Angelo nodded at her description of Laila. It sounded like her mother's pet had transferred the familiar's bond to Espe, which made sense. He laughed as Espe started their still-familiar handshake and completed it, feeling his hands flutter through the moves effortlessly. "I'm glad I came back too. It's nice to be back." A thought struck him. "Espe, do you have anywhere to sleep tonight? Because I have a little bit of extra room in my apartment and... I may not be able to house you always, because I'm not in any position to be raising a kid. But you can always come to me for food or a place to sleep." He'd budget her into his small salary, not only because he felt guilty for leaving her, but because she was like his little sister.

"I know, niña, I know. But sometimes I have to follow the rules like everyone else and the rules are that if you die, you go to Heaven."

"But we didn't used to have to!" Espe said, remembering all the times Angelo would sneak out to the lake with her, or spend his afternoon flying with her. How she would follow him to his classes, or sit in on her Mama's class. That was against the rules, those rules never applied to Espe and Angelo, they were special, he was her Angel, and she was the babe of the entire school.

"I- I did talk to you sometimes, in Heaven. I'd check on you every so often when I thought you were getting restless. But... the only angel who should have been able to send you dreams would be your guardian angel and I couldn't- I mean, that should've been- It's not possible!"

Espe giggled at his confused look. It was simple to her.
"You're my angel, that's what Mama would always say. Remember?" Espe looked at him, "She would say, 'You can go, but only with Angelo. He is your watcher, your protector. Remember that Hija. And I would say, 'Si Mama, always'." Espe nodded solemnly.

"Espe, do you have anywhere to sleep tonight? Because I have a little bit of extra room in my apartment and... I may not be able to house you always, because I'm not in any position to be raising a kid. But you can always come to me for food or a place to sleep."

Espe looked up at him, "Like a sleepover?" She thought about it, and she would love to go to Angelo's, but she couldn't stay long, she had to keep searching, she had to get to Spain.
"Ok, but I can't stay too long," Espe said, semi oblivious to most of what he said. It was like she was falling back to the child around him, that didn't have to be forever on guard, forever scouting danger. She could day dream, and look around, and not worry. At least for one night.
"I have to get to Spain before the winter solstice," Espe had read about the Winter Solstice being the strongest Magical day to track people, and Espe wanted to see if between her magic and Laila's nose, they would finally be able to pick up her mothers trail.

Angelo smiled. "Some rules, even I can't break, chica. Although from the looks of things, I can sure as he-heck bend them." Really, now that he thought about it, was there ever a time in his life where the rules had completely, irrevocably applied to him? He'd always been able to steer things his own way.

Blinking, Angelo stared at Espe. "Your mama would say that?" he asked the small child. He'd always known that Headmistress Valdez knew more about him than she let on, but this? This was a whole new level of wisdom from a woman who was, after all, dead. "Well... I guess it could be true. Your mama was always a smart one." If it is true, Espe's got the most dysfunctional guardian angel in existence, he thought to himself with an inner smirk.

"Yes, like a sleepover. Pretty much whenever you want. If you need to sleep somewhere, you can always come to me or contact me and I'll come get you." He smiled. "We can have a secret knock and everything." He cocked his head to the side. "The Winter Solstice? O...kaaaay..." Angelo decided not to pry, letting Espe tell him in her own time. While his instinct was to keep her close and not let her wander around by herself, he'd been pretty much independent at her age, so it wasn't fair for him to tell her no.

"Some rules, even I can't break, chica. Although from the looks of things, I can sure as he-heck bend them."
Espe pouted, "Well I think you should be able to! You're special, rules shouldn't apply to you!" Espe kept pouting, hoping whoever say Angelo had to follow rules would change their mind. It used to work real well when she was 6.

"Your mama would say that?" "Well... I guess it could be true. Your mama was always a smart one."

"Si! Mama es muuuuy inteligente" Espe said, "She knows lots and lots and lots. She even had this book in her office that she wouldn't let anyone look at, but it would talk to her, and tell her things. Things like the future, and events that were happening all over the world! It was cool. I was hiding one night when it said something kinda spooky," Espe shivered in memory, "It said 'The conflicted ones have great purpose, let them near the light child and all will be well. They are the keys to each others survival. Together, they will bring peace to many,'" Espe said mimicking a raspy old voice. Like the one she heard when she was little. "I didn't know what it meant, but it scared me, and Mama seemed a little different that night. She didn't even get mad at me for hiding, she just said everything was going to be ok," Espe thought for a minute, "That was before you came to the school, I was only... uhh, little," she wasn't about to figure out how old she was when it happened, that was just too much effort.
Espe felt something niggling in the back of her mind after remembering the words from all those years ago, but she was so tired of always having to be clever and three steps ahead of everyone else, she just lost herself in the child-like version she could be around Angelo. It was a relief. So determined she would think about it when she was in Spain, but enjoy her freedom wholly for now.

"Yes, like a sleepover. Pretty much whenever you want. If you need to sleep somewhere, you can always come to me or contact me and I'll come get you." He smiled. "We can have a secret knock and everything." He cocked his head to the side. "The Winter Solstice? O...kaaaay..."

She stomped her foot, "Yes the winter solstice! I read about it in a book!" he was making fun of her, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. They used to tease and tickle each other, and she loved that, but there was nothing for her to tease him back about... So she stuck her tongue out at him, a reasonable response.
"We'll be like Spies! That'll be so much fun!! What will the knock be? Do you like your house? What's it like? I've never lived in a house before," Espe thought about all the places she's been, "I lived at the school, and then...nowhere."