Single post in Angel of the Shadows

Angel and Jenny spent the ride in silence. Well, not really. Jenny attempted to speak but was met with Angel's continued silence. Until she had a chance to truly calm down and take in everything that happened over the last few days, she'd continue to have anxiety attacks. And the last thing she wanted was for Jenny to see her at her worst. After what had to be the longest car ride ever, they arrived at the station. The sight of motorcycles outside made Angel question why Jenny had left hers at the Poke Center. Angel guessed that Jenny must have wanted to be the one to take her in. She probably had to, though, to prove that she could mete out the same justice to close friends as she could a stranger. But to pass her off to someone else to deal with? Maybe she was way more torn up about the situation than Angel could see. It took about fifteen minutes for her fingerprints and face shot to be taken and her belongings inventoried and set aside. Then, oddly enough, they placed her in one of several empty holding cells. Where were the people from the Poke Center? Not that she cared. She preferred solitude, and since Jenny was likely the one to have requested solitary, she appreciated the continued gestures to her mental well-being. The cell itself didn't have bars. Instead, it was made of two pieces of plexiglass. Three if you counted the door. A rectangular slot in the middle of the door was tall and wide enough for practically anyone to place their hands side by side. Once inside, she slid her hands through. When the officer removed her cuffs, she looked at where she would stay until she was fully processed. There were no other furnishings besides a cot beneath a window across from the door. She went to that cot, knelt, and took in the view. Angel couldn't see much of the city, but she'd never much found cityscapes beautiful. The ocean drew her attention, and she couldn't help but stare at it. Though she couldn't swim, she closed her eyes and imagined herself in the water. Pelipper and Wingull squawked above her, the wind blew in her face, and the scent of salt filled her nose. Eventually, the idea of freedom became too much for her, and she sat on the cot properly. Angel turned her attention to the floor, but after a little while, that bored her. She was one of those people who always needed something to do, or else she went insane. So, she leaned against the wall and tilted her head back to look at the designs on the ceiling. Out of nowhere, she began to tap her head against the wall. Thirty seconds later, her head started to hurt, but she found herself suddenly overcome by a masochistic urge, so she continued to bang her head. Just about the time she'd given herself a decent-sized headache, the officer from earlier returned. He paused at the door, held up another pair of handcuffs, and then beckoned her to him. Angel shook as she got to her feet, crossed the distance, and put her hands through to be cuffed again. She swayed the moment they clicked into place and took several steps back. He said something, most likely a question about whether she was okay. She looked at him, only to frown when she saw him and his twin. "It's...so hot," was all she managed to say before she passed out. When she awoke, it was semi-darkness. The first thing she noticed, aside from the fact that she was in an actual cell now, was that she was not cuffed. The next thing she noticed was a white bracelet on her left wrist. Angel turned it over to see the Poké Center emblem. Well. At least she knew they had taken care of her. "Hey!" A voice called out from the cell across from her. She ignored the call and the taps of fingernails against the bars. When that failed to get her attention, the person whistled, dog-called, and made other sounds to get her to respond. Finally, she decided it would be easier to go with it and lifted her head. "Ah! There you are!" He exclaimed when he saw that he finally had her attention. He paused and tilted his head. "Are you okay? You don't look so good." Though she didn't want to talk now, he sounded genuinely concerned, so she figured she owed him a response. "I'm fine." "Of course you are. That's why you look like you haven't slept in days." He leaned against his bars and stretched his hand as far through as he could. "My name is Faolan. I'm in for catching a poacher in a net trap. Apparently, it's okay for them to do it to Pokémon but not for us to do it back. How about you? What are you in for?" For a long while, she just stared at his hand. When it didn't seem he would give up, she scooted forward, stuck her hand between the bars, and shook his hand. "Alexandria Flamel. Someone framed me for the destruction of The Swanna." "Oh," was all Faolan said as he withdrew his hand. "I'm going to count that as good news. That duckling was so unbelievably ugly." It took a little for Angel to get the reference, but when she did, she burst into. Between gasps, she responded as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you for that. I've had a rough last few days." "Have you hit rock bottom yet?" She frowned, confused. "I guess you could say that." "That's good, then. It means things can only get better from here on out." Angel shrugged and turned away from him. "It's kind of you to say that, but you have no clue what I've been through." "Enlighten me, then." "Why?" Angel turned to face him again. "So, you can judge me like everyone else for my mistakes?" His face softened. "You're right. I don't know what you've been through. But I know that no matter what you think now, not everyone is out to get you." "Fine. You wanna know what's been going on? I only have a few friends. One of them was Maya, the Captain of The Swanna. I've been told she passed in the fire. My second friend, Ally, was in a relationship with Maya and blames me for what happened. My final friend is Officer Jenny, who turned on me when she discovered..." Angel trailed off. Faolan gestured for her to continue, but she wasn't certain she should. Then again, he might understand based on why he was in jail. Still, she felt the tears well in her eyes before she continued. "That I am—was—a member of Team Rocket." The silence that followed her revelation made her certain that she had been judged and found wanting by Faolan. When he finally spoke, though, it wasn't what she expected. "I, too, have done questionable things. So, what if you joined Team Rocket? Both joining and leaving, you must have had good reason to do so. What you did in the past shouldn't matter. What you do with the life you've been given determines who you are." Again, silence fell. Angel had thought his previous speech was unexpected. But she was blown away by Faolan's next words. "Oh. And just so you know. We're friends now. So, nyuh!" She couldn't help but giggle when he stuck his tongue out at her.