Dinner Conversation, Part 1
Oct. 19th, 2007 08:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prodigalwatcherIt wasn't the trendiest or highest-profile eatery in Los Angeles, but that was most of the point. Wesley had chosen the restaurant more for the ability to hold a meeting where topics that no one outside of their peculiar community would be prepared to overhear. That, and the fact that Dominick's quietly boasted quite a fine wine list. Wesley nodded to Bernard, the maitre d' and slipped the older man the promised hundred dollar note. Bernard was perhaps in his late sixties, and had no doubt stood his station since Dominick's played host to Los Angeles underworld luminaries of a much more organised crime sense of the world. Certainly the private back dining room into which Bernard ushered Wesley was a holdover from those days.
The lighting was low, but sufficient to keep the atmosphere from entering gloom. Wesley ran his hand over the rich woods and leather backs of the chairs and table and wondered what nefarious men and privacy-seeking Hollywood golden age celebrities had taken refuge in this room. He hoped whatever ghosts might still linger in this space would look kindly on his intentions. Taking a seat with an unobstructed view of the door, Wesley ordered a scotch, neat, and awaited the first of his invited soon-to-be teammates.
Gwen followed the directions Wesley had given to the restaurant, still not quite sure if she was making the right decision. She didn't play well with others and tilting at windmills really wasn't her thing. But the idea had intrigued her from the beginning when Wesley sent the email. So here she was, being a smart ass, dressed in a gypsy skirt and a red peasant blouse.
She paused just inside the entryway to Dominick's, giving Wesley's name to Bernard with a wink. He held out his arm, for her to take, and escorted her back toward the private dining room that Wesley had reserved. Gwen did what she always did best and flirted with Bernard, listening to his tales of the old days as they walked back.
Her hazel gaze met Wesley's, a slight quirk to her lips, as she slowly released Bernard's arm and turned to give him a wink. "Thank you, Bernard. I can't wait to hear the rest of that story." Bernard pulled out a chair for her next to Wesley, and after Gwen settled, he leaned in to whisper in her ear. That brought a laugh to her lips and she turned her head to look at Bernard over her shoulder. "Thank you."
She turned her attention to Wesley as Bernard left to move back to his station at the front. "Gypsy reporting."
Wesley stood as Gwen entered the room on Bernard's arm, smiling amusedly as he watched the older man chatting with her. He could only imagine what stories the older gentleman was regaling Gwen with, but they were certainly going to be fascinating. As the maitre d' made his exit, Wesley took advantage of Gwen's being the first arrival by leaning in and planting a quick kiss on the woman's cheek. "Well remembered," Wesley noted, gesturing at her choice in attire. "It even took me a moment to recall, but you do make a very fetching young Gypsy lass."
He settled back into his own seat. "I see you've become acquainted with Bernard's charm. I understand he used to do very well with some very famous starlets, once upon a time."
Gwen leaned into the kiss on her cheek, eyes twinkled. "I couldn't resist, and I've always identified with gypsies. The free spirit, the thief, and the flipping off authority. I thought it fit me pretty well." She glanced back to where Bernard stood and nodded her head at Wesley's comment about his charm. Gwen could easily picture the older gentleman as a seducer of women back in the day. "I can see Bernard being a ladies' man with the starlets. He's very charming, and only tried to look down my top a couple of times."
She turned her attention back to Wesley. "Did you know that Frank Sinatra had been here? That's what he was telling me about." Her lips quirked into a grin, "Makes you wonder what happened back here in the private room doesn't it?"
By the time Cordelia and Lindsey arrived, neither of them were in a particularly good mood. Her original plan to tell him about the dinner and use Gwen's attendance as a lure hadn't worked out so well. Seeing his friend apparently wasn't enough incentive once he knew the dinner was being hosted by Wesley. So she'd had to revert to an age-old women's tactic: she simply told him he was going, and left it at that. Being a smart man, he knew better than to argue. He did, however, bitch and complain during the drive to the restaurant, which had soured her mood considerably by the time they arrived.
When they were greeted by Bernard at the door, Cordelia managed a bright smile and requested Wesley's table, shot Lindsey a warning look to be good (or as good as he could manage, given the circumstances), and followed the man back to the private room.
Lindsey, however, really had no attention at playing nice, and he showed that in his scowl back at Cordelia's look. Yes, seeing Gwen was nice. He didn't get to see his "triplet" that often, and it was the first time that he would see her with Wesley in public. That was sure to lead to some nice snarky remarks that he would be able to dish out at Gwen expense (of course taking a few of his own in the crossfire).
No, it was the fact he was being made to socialize with Wesley. Where Lindsey didn't have many friends, Cordelia had many. Most of which at one point have tried to kill him... or Lindsey has been responsible for pain and suffering in their lives. It wasn't something that you could forget, sit back with a few beers and laugh about. While the couple had worked long and hard to get past their own histories to make their relationship work, Lindsey was pretty sure the same tactics would not yield the same results with Wesley, or anyone else in the little Angel clique.
Which is why Lindsey couldn't help but glare at Wesley as they approached. Since it was all his fault for hosting this party. Yes, better to blame Wesley than be mad at Cordelia. After all, he had to go home with her.
Cordelia wouldn't have been surprised if he'd been mad at her for it. She almost expected it, the way she'd dragged him there. But she also knew he wouldn't stay mad for long, and figured getting him out of the house and potentially into doing something good would be worth an argument or two in the long run. So she just rolled her eyes at his annoyance and turned her smile - more genuine now - to Wesley as they entered the room.
"Hey, Wes," she greeted, leaving Lindsey's side to walk around the table and hug her friend. "Thanks for the invite."
As she pulled back, she turned her attention to Gwen, smirking a bit as she took in the other woman's clothing. "Gwen. Interesting outfit. Is there a costume party later I don't know about?"
Though Logan didn't mind being fashionably late to social events--particularly family gatherings--he usually preferred to be right on time, or early, when it was business. Given that, he was annoyed with himself as he entered Dominick's a few minutes later than he would have liked. He'd left Seattle at ungodly o'clock, arrived in L.A. in the early afternoon, and had checked in to one of the hotels Wesley had recommended. After that--and this was the part that irritated him--a nap that was supposed to have been an hour turned into a few (possibly several) more than that. And of course he'd planned to shower and change his clothes before dinner, so, by the time he'd left the hotel, he was already behind schedule.
At least Wesley had given him good directions to the restaurant. Otherwise, he'd have been screwed.
The older maitre d' gave Logan a pleasant smile and a 'good evening, sir' when he approached, and he couldn't help smiling back, leaving his annoyance at the door. The restaurant seemed nice--kind of old-fashioned, but elegant--and he was looking forward to this meeting. Sort of. In an apprehensive way.
He gave the maitre d', Bernard, Wesley's name and followed him to a private dining room in the back. Logan noticed with appreciation that, when they neared the table where Wesley, two women, and a man were gathered, Bernard very discreetly slid one of the chairs aside and placed it as an extra at a nearby table, leaving space at Wesley's table for his wheelchair. "Thank you," Logan said, as Bernard passed by on his way back to the front of the restaurant.
"Wesley, hi." He smiled. "Thanks again for inviting me." He didn't apologize for being late--maybe he wasn't, after all. It looked like the dark-haired woman and the guy had just arrived, too.
With the arrival of the gentleman in the wheelchair, Lindsey's eyebrows rose slightly. He had been led to believe that this was going to just be a dinner between two sets of friends... a double date if you will. But with the arrival of a stranger that Cordelia hadn't mentioned...
"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, his gaze fixing on Wesley.
He'd been just about to speculate on the topic Gwen introduced, but Wesley was interrupted by Cordelia and Lindsey's arrival. While the hug and greeting from his old friend was warm and appreciative, there wasn't even a hand proferred on Lindsey's part. "I wasn't about to even consider doing this without you," he told Cordy. "Lindsey," he said in greeting. Wesley was hoping to avoid any outright altercations tonight, but the other man's demeanour indicated that would not be an easy task.
Wesley then shook Logan's hand as his newest friend arrived and took his place at the table. "Logan, thank you for making the trip." He pointed out the rest of the invitees. "Logan Cale, this is Cordelia Chase, a very dear friend. Her boyfriend, Lindsey McDonald. And this is Gwen Raiden. Everyone, may I introduce Logan Cale, with whom I've recently been consulting on a few matters."
Taking his seat, he acknowledged Lindsey's pointed question with a nod. "Right to the matter at hand it is, then." He took a deep breath, and looked at all of the guests in turn. "As I said in my e-mail, there is every indication that Los Angeles is experiencing a dramatic increase in supernatural phenomena and demon-related crime. Whatever slight pause we might have been enjoying in these past few years is well and truly over. With Angel currently-- and yes, temporarily, I'm aware-- understandably concerned with other matters, it must fall to others to fill the void."
"My proposal is simply this: a new agency. One with the same aims and ideals as Angel Investigations, but armed and sharpened by the experiences we've all shared since those days. Not to mention," Wesley continued, glancing at both Gwen and Logan, "new blood. I need to know who's in."
Gwen bit back the smart ass comment she was going to make to Cordelia's question. It would have been fun to watch Lindsey's eye twitch at the thought of 'dress-up' with Wesley, but she knew this wasn't the time to push that button. Gwen would wait until later. Her smirk had turned into a curious expression when the new person arrived. As Wesley introduced him as Logan Cale, she gave him a friendly smile. So that was the face to go with the journal name. "It's nice to finally meet you face to face, Logan."
Her head whipped around to Lindsey when he asked his boxers in a bunch question. Gwen had assumed Cordelia had told him what the meeting was about before she dragged his ass there. That his ass was dragged wasn't in doubt and she quirked her eyebrow upward at her 'triplet'. Before she could make a smart ass comment, however, Wesley explained the true reason they were gathered.
As Gwen looked around the table at Cordelia, Lindsey, Logan and Wesley, she was reminded of the first time she'd worked with a team. It hadn't turned out too bad, and she'd made a good friend in Nic. Maybe this would be the same thing. Gwen shrugged her shoulders, "I always like to try things at least once." She smirked at Lindsey and nodded. "Count me in."
"Me too," Cordelia added quickly, not needing the hard sell like some of the others might. "I've been feeling kind of restless lately, like I need to get back out there and do something, you know? And it'll be good to have some more people around to help with the visions."
She glanced over at Logan, silently assessing. She wasn't sure how much help a guy in a wheelchair could be, but she trusted Wesley's judgment, and if he'd invited him along, there must be something about him that would be an asset to them. Maybe he was really good with research, or some kind of demon expert or something... Luckily, she'd learned a bit of tact over the years and kept her opinions to herself for the time being.
"What about you?" she asked then, turning her attention to Lindsey. He was going to be the hardest to convince, and it wasn't going to help that she'd tricked him somewhat to get him here. She hadn't lied, just left out the part about the agency. "And don't just say no because you don't like Wesley."
Lindsey leaned back in his chair, watching everyone. "What do I think? I think you're all crazy." He shook his head. "Demon activity isn't increasing... it's getting bolder. Angel was a big bad in the area. Now that he's gone all domestic, the demons are noticing. They know he's not here to keep on them, so they are acting out. They're trying to make a point, and I don't see a single immortal sitting here who can take the kind of damage that they can dish out. The reason you were strong before was because Angel, and for a time Spike, took all the damage. You guys took a few licks, yeah... You try to go out there after them now the same way you did before, you'll all be dead in a week. They know who you are, and they will not hesitate to kill you just to say that they took out one of Angel's flunkies."
He shook his head. "I just got my life back. I ain't sticking my neck on the line for anyone again except me and my own. Last time I did that, I got two bullet wounds in my chest courtesy of your boss."
Though Logan was used to getting all sorts of unwelcome looks from people since he'd landed in the chair, the raised eyebrows and the hostile-sounding 'What the hell is going on here?' from the guy he didn't know threw him. It didn't help that he'd been wondering what the hell he was supposed to do about demon-fighting himself. He hadn't expected to be welcomed with open arms, or anything, but jeez.
He shook Wesley's proffered hand firmly and tried to look more enthusiastic than he felt at the prospect of getting through this dinner. He nodded at the others when Wesley introduced them. Cordelia was the gorgeous dark-haired one, Lindsey the guy with the skeptical eyebrows, and...Gwen? Freaks R' Us Gwen? She was gorgeous, too. (What was with all the super powered women being so attractive?) Returning her friendly smile, at least, came easily. "You, too," he said. "I had no idea you'd be here."
He listened as Wesley outlined his plan, then waited for the others to reply. He was the newest of the new blood, obviously the only one here who didn't know the others, and acutely conscious of it. He was conscious, too, of Cordelia's 'what, him?' glance, but tried not to let it get to him. He was more interested in what she said, anyway--visions? Her boyfriend was equally interesting, despite the fact that Logan's hackles were still up where he was concerned. Lindsey seemed to know what he was talking about, even if, yeah, he kinda seemed like a dick, with the 'look out for number one' attitude that drove Logan nuts.
Maybe it was that attitude (it reminded him of Max at her most frustrating) that made Logan raise his eyebrows at Lindsey. "I don't know who or what Angel is, or Spike, or what the methods of Angel Investigations were, but it sounds like--if we do this, and if you're right--we'll have to be different," he said levelly. "But that's no excuse for not doing it. By being alive, by knowing about this crazy supernatural shit, we're involved. And getting shot, much as it sucks, doesn't mean you quit. You just get smarter."
He looked at Wesley, and his tone was friendlier as he continued. "That said, I don't want to sign up until I know a little more about how this is gonna work. Like I said before, I don't know what Angel Investigations did, so..."
Cordelia glared at Lindsey, but kept quiet while Logan talked, letting him have his say before she responded to her boyfriend's outburst. She knew he was going to resist the idea at first, but to tell them all they'd be dead in a week? That was uncalled for, as for as she was concerned.
"We have done this without Angel before, you know," she pointed out to him. "And we managed not to die then. In fact, we solved quite a few cases just fine all on our own, without Angel around to take all the hits. Don't act like we're all a bunch of helpless, naive children. We don't need Angel to be strong, we just need each other. And we'd be even stronger if you'd help."
She then turned back to Logan, to answer his question. "Angel is a vampire. With a soul. We've been helping him keep the demons in L.A. from getting too out of hand, but he moved to the East Coast a few months ago, so the company's been kind of on hiatus. Basically how it works is, people that are having problems with things the police can't handle - supernatural stuff, if you want to call it that - come to us to help them. We research what's causing their problems, and if we can, we take care of it. Kill the demon, exorcise the spirit, whatever it is. I guess you could say we're private investigators, just with a different twist than usual. Sometimes we find out about bigger things going on, things we aren't specifically hired for, and we try to take care of those as well, though most of the time those are pro bono." She made a face. She wasn't a fan of pro bono. "Usually some kind of attempted apocalypse. Those are always popular among the evil set."
Gwen was surprised that Cordelia hadn't ripped Lindsey a new one for calling her a flunky. She would love to be a fly on the wall on their drive home from the meeting. Maybe she'd order Lindsey a fortifying drink before he left. Her eyes twinkled with her inner thoughts when she turned toward Logan. "Or if you weren't part of Angel's flunkies, but observers, they tilt at windmills." She adjusted the gypsy skirt, her lips twitching.
"I'm a survivor, always have been and I always will be. I've always liked the saying after me you come first. I share that with Lindsey." She shrugged her shoulders, "but I also know that anyone that has survived a few apocalypses will last more than a week. It wasn't just Angel. When I was going after the Axis, it wasn't Angel that kicked my ass, well he did but that was later, it was Fred. If Fred hadn't restored the electricity, I would have got away with the Axis a lot sooner than I did. When I needed help in a job, I asked Gunn. His quick thinking helped it be a success. Everyone had their strength in the Don Quixote gang, and Angel did have an ability to move into the darker side of things as a vampire. His reputation as Angelus helped a lot, but I have a feeling Electrogirl and Lawyerman could probably walk just as dark."
Wesley had known not to expect a sudden outburst of raised hands and well-wishing and choruses of "hear, hear" in response to his proposal. Although everyone-- everyone he'd e-mailed directly, at least-- had given him a preliminary positive reaction, there was a great deal of difference between that and sitting down at a table with the group and accepting a stint in the fight against the world's darkest forces. It had surprised him that Gwen's acceptance had come first, but then he'd spent the better part of the recent weeks being surprised by the woman. As was inevitable, it was Lindsey's voice that sounded the resistance and refusals, loud and clear. Rather than rebut the man directly, something Wesley had already learned was not necessarily the most potentially successful gambit, he sat back and observed, once it seemed others would be making their own case for the agency.
Every word that came from the people around the table informed him of much: their opinions and feelings, their perspectives on the whole question at hand. Wesley allowed himself a smile as he listened to Cordelia give her own unique description of Angel Investigations. Finally, there was a moment for him to come forward.
"Thank you-- all of you--" Wesley clarified, looking pointedly at Lindsey, "for your thoughts. It is especially important in this early stage for us all to know where each of the others stands. The primary question at hand, it seems, is how would this new agency operate? We are, admittedly, short of one or two important elements that in the past have been important to the dynamic. I believe we can do better than make do." Wesley looked at each of them in turn. "Logan, you're familiar with the world of information and electronics in a way we are not, and have never been. You have the ability to be sets of eyes and ears and a great source of information for the team's operations. Gwen, you have expertise in extralegal activities and your contacts in both the worlds above-board and below will be invaluable, as will your abilities. Cordelia, your visions were always at the core of what we did, and can be again. Besides, I cannot pictures this endeavour without you in the mix." He paused. "And Lindsey, besides the obvious advantages of having an in-house legal expert as well as a solid fighter... I would be counting on you to be a voice of sufficient dissension to keep us honest."
"If I recall correctly, didn't Wesley end up shot and in a wheelchair during your little stint on your own after Angel fired you?" He looked at Cordelia. Yes, there was going to be a very fun conversation on the drive home, that was for certain.
Lindsey though did sit back and listen, because that was what he did, just with a permenant scowl on his face. The thing that was bothering him the most was that it seemed he was the one that wasn't invited by this "e-mail" that Wesley sent around, and that sat wrong with him. If Wesley wanted him to be a part of this little group he was trying to form, he could have just been man enough to e-mail Lindsey himself, or have mentioned it at the bar the other day after his gig. But no, Cordelia tricked him into coming along. Which was why he didn't feel like playing nice.
However, at the mention of Wesley wanting him to be the voice of sufficient dissension to keep them honest, he just snorted and slid back further into his chair. "You actually want ME to keep YOU honest?" He scoffed, letting his head tilt to the side as he locked a skeptical gaze on Wesley.
Wesley's face remained as serious and calm a veneer as he could manage. Under the table, though, he could feel his hands flexing into fists and releasing. It helped keep the annoyance and anger from coming to the surface-- or at least, he hoped it would. For the moment, it had been working. He fixed a cool gaze at Lindsey's disbelieving expression.
"I did quite a bit of thinking after your name was thrown in the hat for this endeavour," Wesley said. "It wasn't easy conceiving of your place in all this at first. That is, until I recalled how the team has always been most effective when there has been at least one member who, though committed to the idea, isn't impressed or taken with the idea of being heroic. Someone needs to remind us if there are too many assumptions being made, or if perspectives are being lost in the service of our concept of the greater good. Angel had Cordelia, then Spike. We would have you."
Oh great, so I'm Spike now? Lindsey thought. "Well, it's nice to know you have a whole little place set up for me in your group already. Of course, I ain't all that happy that I was volunteered for this, especially without my permission or even being told about it until now," he stated, his eyes glaring at Cordelia a moment before going back to Wesley.
He leaned forward on the table. "You expect me to put my neck on the line for you when none of you can even be honest with me about this? What reason do I have to even trust you?"
Lindsey was pretty close to just leaving the table and going home at this point. He'd deal with Cordelia's fury there if needed.
"I didn't volunteer you for anything," Cordelia snapped at him, finally losing some of her temper. She'd been trying to stay calm, for the sake of the other people in the room, but Lindsey always did have a way of pushing her temper over the edge. "And I didn't tell you why we were coming tonight because I knew you'd have a fit and refuse to go, just because Wesley was involved. Excuse me if I thought maybe once you got here and heard his idea, you might be able to be an adult about it! I wasn't trying to trick you into doing it, I just wanted you to sit down and listen to him. It's a good plan, and I thought if you could get past your stupid prejudices, you would be an asset to the team."
She glared at him for a heartbeat before adding, "Instead you're just being an ass."
Lindsey just stared at her a moment, his jaw working as he held back his anger. He closed his eyes, then scoffed and pushed his chair back, standing up. "Excuse me," he stated, then turned and walked out of the restaurant.
As Logan listened to Cordelia and Gwen's explanations about Angel Investigations, he nodded, eyebrows slightly raised. It sounded pretty much like what he'd thought Wesley's demon hunting entailed, though he was surprised to hear that there was such a thing as a good vampire and also that they charged people for their services. Surprised, too, that he wasn't more shocked to hear about attempted apocalypses. Maybe he'd be talking about demons and ghosts without batting an eyelash sooner than he'd thought. "Thanks," he said, to both of them, after Gwen finished.
He listened intently to Wesley, too, though he had to admit to himself that he liked the little speech more for what it told him about the others than for what Wesley said about him. Eyes and ears. Again. Looked like Eyes Only's job description wouldn't be changing much. And it wasn't like he'd expected Wesley to hand him a gun and tell him to kick some supernatural ass, but even so, being the sidekick running comm still chafed, a little. Especially when the other guy in the group was, apparently, a 'skilled fighter,' Logan knew Wesley was, and he had a feeling that both of the women could do their share of ass-kicking, too. Great. But even if he wanted to bring up his issues with being totally dismissed when it came to fighting (which he was pretty sure he didn't), now was obviously not the time. He just hoped what he was thinking wasn't too apparent on his face.
He didn't have much time to worry, though. Not with the ensuing tense conversation between Lindsey, Wesley, and Cordelia. While they were talking, Logan kept his mouth shut, though he did, at one point, glance at Gwen and quirk an eyebrow up slightly.
When Lindsey walked out, though, and it didn't look like Cordelia was likely to follow him, Logan realized that maybe it was time for him to stop keeping quiet. Partly because this was something he could do, someplace tonight where maybe he'd be helpful (he had a feeling he hadn't been, before, when he'd snapped at Lindsey), and partly because, well, it'd be awkward as hell to stay in here while Wesley and Cordelia and Gwen talked about this guy they knew and he didn't.
Logan looked over at Wesley and cleared his throat as he released the brakes on his chair. "Uh, why don't I…" he nodded towards the door as he pushed back from the table. "Be back in a few. I hope." He smiled a little. "And I'm in, by the way."
With that, he followed Lindsey out of the restaurant.
TO BE CONTINUED...
The lighting was low, but sufficient to keep the atmosphere from entering gloom. Wesley ran his hand over the rich woods and leather backs of the chairs and table and wondered what nefarious men and privacy-seeking Hollywood golden age celebrities had taken refuge in this room. He hoped whatever ghosts might still linger in this space would look kindly on his intentions. Taking a seat with an unobstructed view of the door, Wesley ordered a scotch, neat, and awaited the first of his invited soon-to-be teammates.
Gwen followed the directions Wesley had given to the restaurant, still not quite sure if she was making the right decision. She didn't play well with others and tilting at windmills really wasn't her thing. But the idea had intrigued her from the beginning when Wesley sent the email. So here she was, being a smart ass, dressed in a gypsy skirt and a red peasant blouse.
She paused just inside the entryway to Dominick's, giving Wesley's name to Bernard with a wink. He held out his arm, for her to take, and escorted her back toward the private dining room that Wesley had reserved. Gwen did what she always did best and flirted with Bernard, listening to his tales of the old days as they walked back.
Her hazel gaze met Wesley's, a slight quirk to her lips, as she slowly released Bernard's arm and turned to give him a wink. "Thank you, Bernard. I can't wait to hear the rest of that story." Bernard pulled out a chair for her next to Wesley, and after Gwen settled, he leaned in to whisper in her ear. That brought a laugh to her lips and she turned her head to look at Bernard over her shoulder. "Thank you."
She turned her attention to Wesley as Bernard left to move back to his station at the front. "Gypsy reporting."
Wesley stood as Gwen entered the room on Bernard's arm, smiling amusedly as he watched the older man chatting with her. He could only imagine what stories the older gentleman was regaling Gwen with, but they were certainly going to be fascinating. As the maitre d' made his exit, Wesley took advantage of Gwen's being the first arrival by leaning in and planting a quick kiss on the woman's cheek. "Well remembered," Wesley noted, gesturing at her choice in attire. "It even took me a moment to recall, but you do make a very fetching young Gypsy lass."
He settled back into his own seat. "I see you've become acquainted with Bernard's charm. I understand he used to do very well with some very famous starlets, once upon a time."
Gwen leaned into the kiss on her cheek, eyes twinkled. "I couldn't resist, and I've always identified with gypsies. The free spirit, the thief, and the flipping off authority. I thought it fit me pretty well." She glanced back to where Bernard stood and nodded her head at Wesley's comment about his charm. Gwen could easily picture the older gentleman as a seducer of women back in the day. "I can see Bernard being a ladies' man with the starlets. He's very charming, and only tried to look down my top a couple of times."
She turned her attention back to Wesley. "Did you know that Frank Sinatra had been here? That's what he was telling me about." Her lips quirked into a grin, "Makes you wonder what happened back here in the private room doesn't it?"
By the time Cordelia and Lindsey arrived, neither of them were in a particularly good mood. Her original plan to tell him about the dinner and use Gwen's attendance as a lure hadn't worked out so well. Seeing his friend apparently wasn't enough incentive once he knew the dinner was being hosted by Wesley. So she'd had to revert to an age-old women's tactic: she simply told him he was going, and left it at that. Being a smart man, he knew better than to argue. He did, however, bitch and complain during the drive to the restaurant, which had soured her mood considerably by the time they arrived.
When they were greeted by Bernard at the door, Cordelia managed a bright smile and requested Wesley's table, shot Lindsey a warning look to be good (or as good as he could manage, given the circumstances), and followed the man back to the private room.
Lindsey, however, really had no attention at playing nice, and he showed that in his scowl back at Cordelia's look. Yes, seeing Gwen was nice. He didn't get to see his "triplet" that often, and it was the first time that he would see her with Wesley in public. That was sure to lead to some nice snarky remarks that he would be able to dish out at Gwen expense (of course taking a few of his own in the crossfire).
No, it was the fact he was being made to socialize with Wesley. Where Lindsey didn't have many friends, Cordelia had many. Most of which at one point have tried to kill him... or Lindsey has been responsible for pain and suffering in their lives. It wasn't something that you could forget, sit back with a few beers and laugh about. While the couple had worked long and hard to get past their own histories to make their relationship work, Lindsey was pretty sure the same tactics would not yield the same results with Wesley, or anyone else in the little Angel clique.
Which is why Lindsey couldn't help but glare at Wesley as they approached. Since it was all his fault for hosting this party. Yes, better to blame Wesley than be mad at Cordelia. After all, he had to go home with her.
Cordelia wouldn't have been surprised if he'd been mad at her for it. She almost expected it, the way she'd dragged him there. But she also knew he wouldn't stay mad for long, and figured getting him out of the house and potentially into doing something good would be worth an argument or two in the long run. So she just rolled her eyes at his annoyance and turned her smile - more genuine now - to Wesley as they entered the room.
"Hey, Wes," she greeted, leaving Lindsey's side to walk around the table and hug her friend. "Thanks for the invite."
As she pulled back, she turned her attention to Gwen, smirking a bit as she took in the other woman's clothing. "Gwen. Interesting outfit. Is there a costume party later I don't know about?"
Though Logan didn't mind being fashionably late to social events--particularly family gatherings--he usually preferred to be right on time, or early, when it was business. Given that, he was annoyed with himself as he entered Dominick's a few minutes later than he would have liked. He'd left Seattle at ungodly o'clock, arrived in L.A. in the early afternoon, and had checked in to one of the hotels Wesley had recommended. After that--and this was the part that irritated him--a nap that was supposed to have been an hour turned into a few (possibly several) more than that. And of course he'd planned to shower and change his clothes before dinner, so, by the time he'd left the hotel, he was already behind schedule.
At least Wesley had given him good directions to the restaurant. Otherwise, he'd have been screwed.
The older maitre d' gave Logan a pleasant smile and a 'good evening, sir' when he approached, and he couldn't help smiling back, leaving his annoyance at the door. The restaurant seemed nice--kind of old-fashioned, but elegant--and he was looking forward to this meeting. Sort of. In an apprehensive way.
He gave the maitre d', Bernard, Wesley's name and followed him to a private dining room in the back. Logan noticed with appreciation that, when they neared the table where Wesley, two women, and a man were gathered, Bernard very discreetly slid one of the chairs aside and placed it as an extra at a nearby table, leaving space at Wesley's table for his wheelchair. "Thank you," Logan said, as Bernard passed by on his way back to the front of the restaurant.
"Wesley, hi." He smiled. "Thanks again for inviting me." He didn't apologize for being late--maybe he wasn't, after all. It looked like the dark-haired woman and the guy had just arrived, too.
With the arrival of the gentleman in the wheelchair, Lindsey's eyebrows rose slightly. He had been led to believe that this was going to just be a dinner between two sets of friends... a double date if you will. But with the arrival of a stranger that Cordelia hadn't mentioned...
"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, his gaze fixing on Wesley.
He'd been just about to speculate on the topic Gwen introduced, but Wesley was interrupted by Cordelia and Lindsey's arrival. While the hug and greeting from his old friend was warm and appreciative, there wasn't even a hand proferred on Lindsey's part. "I wasn't about to even consider doing this without you," he told Cordy. "Lindsey," he said in greeting. Wesley was hoping to avoid any outright altercations tonight, but the other man's demeanour indicated that would not be an easy task.
Wesley then shook Logan's hand as his newest friend arrived and took his place at the table. "Logan, thank you for making the trip." He pointed out the rest of the invitees. "Logan Cale, this is Cordelia Chase, a very dear friend. Her boyfriend, Lindsey McDonald. And this is Gwen Raiden. Everyone, may I introduce Logan Cale, with whom I've recently been consulting on a few matters."
Taking his seat, he acknowledged Lindsey's pointed question with a nod. "Right to the matter at hand it is, then." He took a deep breath, and looked at all of the guests in turn. "As I said in my e-mail, there is every indication that Los Angeles is experiencing a dramatic increase in supernatural phenomena and demon-related crime. Whatever slight pause we might have been enjoying in these past few years is well and truly over. With Angel currently-- and yes, temporarily, I'm aware-- understandably concerned with other matters, it must fall to others to fill the void."
"My proposal is simply this: a new agency. One with the same aims and ideals as Angel Investigations, but armed and sharpened by the experiences we've all shared since those days. Not to mention," Wesley continued, glancing at both Gwen and Logan, "new blood. I need to know who's in."
Gwen bit back the smart ass comment she was going to make to Cordelia's question. It would have been fun to watch Lindsey's eye twitch at the thought of 'dress-up' with Wesley, but she knew this wasn't the time to push that button. Gwen would wait until later. Her smirk had turned into a curious expression when the new person arrived. As Wesley introduced him as Logan Cale, she gave him a friendly smile. So that was the face to go with the journal name. "It's nice to finally meet you face to face, Logan."
Her head whipped around to Lindsey when he asked his boxers in a bunch question. Gwen had assumed Cordelia had told him what the meeting was about before she dragged his ass there. That his ass was dragged wasn't in doubt and she quirked her eyebrow upward at her 'triplet'. Before she could make a smart ass comment, however, Wesley explained the true reason they were gathered.
As Gwen looked around the table at Cordelia, Lindsey, Logan and Wesley, she was reminded of the first time she'd worked with a team. It hadn't turned out too bad, and she'd made a good friend in Nic. Maybe this would be the same thing. Gwen shrugged her shoulders, "I always like to try things at least once." She smirked at Lindsey and nodded. "Count me in."
"Me too," Cordelia added quickly, not needing the hard sell like some of the others might. "I've been feeling kind of restless lately, like I need to get back out there and do something, you know? And it'll be good to have some more people around to help with the visions."
She glanced over at Logan, silently assessing. She wasn't sure how much help a guy in a wheelchair could be, but she trusted Wesley's judgment, and if he'd invited him along, there must be something about him that would be an asset to them. Maybe he was really good with research, or some kind of demon expert or something... Luckily, she'd learned a bit of tact over the years and kept her opinions to herself for the time being.
"What about you?" she asked then, turning her attention to Lindsey. He was going to be the hardest to convince, and it wasn't going to help that she'd tricked him somewhat to get him here. She hadn't lied, just left out the part about the agency. "And don't just say no because you don't like Wesley."
Lindsey leaned back in his chair, watching everyone. "What do I think? I think you're all crazy." He shook his head. "Demon activity isn't increasing... it's getting bolder. Angel was a big bad in the area. Now that he's gone all domestic, the demons are noticing. They know he's not here to keep on them, so they are acting out. They're trying to make a point, and I don't see a single immortal sitting here who can take the kind of damage that they can dish out. The reason you were strong before was because Angel, and for a time Spike, took all the damage. You guys took a few licks, yeah... You try to go out there after them now the same way you did before, you'll all be dead in a week. They know who you are, and they will not hesitate to kill you just to say that they took out one of Angel's flunkies."
He shook his head. "I just got my life back. I ain't sticking my neck on the line for anyone again except me and my own. Last time I did that, I got two bullet wounds in my chest courtesy of your boss."
Though Logan was used to getting all sorts of unwelcome looks from people since he'd landed in the chair, the raised eyebrows and the hostile-sounding 'What the hell is going on here?' from the guy he didn't know threw him. It didn't help that he'd been wondering what the hell he was supposed to do about demon-fighting himself. He hadn't expected to be welcomed with open arms, or anything, but jeez.
He shook Wesley's proffered hand firmly and tried to look more enthusiastic than he felt at the prospect of getting through this dinner. He nodded at the others when Wesley introduced them. Cordelia was the gorgeous dark-haired one, Lindsey the guy with the skeptical eyebrows, and...Gwen? Freaks R' Us Gwen? She was gorgeous, too. (What was with all the super powered women being so attractive?) Returning her friendly smile, at least, came easily. "You, too," he said. "I had no idea you'd be here."
He listened as Wesley outlined his plan, then waited for the others to reply. He was the newest of the new blood, obviously the only one here who didn't know the others, and acutely conscious of it. He was conscious, too, of Cordelia's 'what, him?' glance, but tried not to let it get to him. He was more interested in what she said, anyway--visions? Her boyfriend was equally interesting, despite the fact that Logan's hackles were still up where he was concerned. Lindsey seemed to know what he was talking about, even if, yeah, he kinda seemed like a dick, with the 'look out for number one' attitude that drove Logan nuts.
Maybe it was that attitude (it reminded him of Max at her most frustrating) that made Logan raise his eyebrows at Lindsey. "I don't know who or what Angel is, or Spike, or what the methods of Angel Investigations were, but it sounds like--if we do this, and if you're right--we'll have to be different," he said levelly. "But that's no excuse for not doing it. By being alive, by knowing about this crazy supernatural shit, we're involved. And getting shot, much as it sucks, doesn't mean you quit. You just get smarter."
He looked at Wesley, and his tone was friendlier as he continued. "That said, I don't want to sign up until I know a little more about how this is gonna work. Like I said before, I don't know what Angel Investigations did, so..."
Cordelia glared at Lindsey, but kept quiet while Logan talked, letting him have his say before she responded to her boyfriend's outburst. She knew he was going to resist the idea at first, but to tell them all they'd be dead in a week? That was uncalled for, as for as she was concerned.
"We have done this without Angel before, you know," she pointed out to him. "And we managed not to die then. In fact, we solved quite a few cases just fine all on our own, without Angel around to take all the hits. Don't act like we're all a bunch of helpless, naive children. We don't need Angel to be strong, we just need each other. And we'd be even stronger if you'd help."
She then turned back to Logan, to answer his question. "Angel is a vampire. With a soul. We've been helping him keep the demons in L.A. from getting too out of hand, but he moved to the East Coast a few months ago, so the company's been kind of on hiatus. Basically how it works is, people that are having problems with things the police can't handle - supernatural stuff, if you want to call it that - come to us to help them. We research what's causing their problems, and if we can, we take care of it. Kill the demon, exorcise the spirit, whatever it is. I guess you could say we're private investigators, just with a different twist than usual. Sometimes we find out about bigger things going on, things we aren't specifically hired for, and we try to take care of those as well, though most of the time those are pro bono." She made a face. She wasn't a fan of pro bono. "Usually some kind of attempted apocalypse. Those are always popular among the evil set."
Gwen was surprised that Cordelia hadn't ripped Lindsey a new one for calling her a flunky. She would love to be a fly on the wall on their drive home from the meeting. Maybe she'd order Lindsey a fortifying drink before he left. Her eyes twinkled with her inner thoughts when she turned toward Logan. "Or if you weren't part of Angel's flunkies, but observers, they tilt at windmills." She adjusted the gypsy skirt, her lips twitching.
"I'm a survivor, always have been and I always will be. I've always liked the saying after me you come first. I share that with Lindsey." She shrugged her shoulders, "but I also know that anyone that has survived a few apocalypses will last more than a week. It wasn't just Angel. When I was going after the Axis, it wasn't Angel that kicked my ass, well he did but that was later, it was Fred. If Fred hadn't restored the electricity, I would have got away with the Axis a lot sooner than I did. When I needed help in a job, I asked Gunn. His quick thinking helped it be a success. Everyone had their strength in the Don Quixote gang, and Angel did have an ability to move into the darker side of things as a vampire. His reputation as Angelus helped a lot, but I have a feeling Electrogirl and Lawyerman could probably walk just as dark."
Wesley had known not to expect a sudden outburst of raised hands and well-wishing and choruses of "hear, hear" in response to his proposal. Although everyone-- everyone he'd e-mailed directly, at least-- had given him a preliminary positive reaction, there was a great deal of difference between that and sitting down at a table with the group and accepting a stint in the fight against the world's darkest forces. It had surprised him that Gwen's acceptance had come first, but then he'd spent the better part of the recent weeks being surprised by the woman. As was inevitable, it was Lindsey's voice that sounded the resistance and refusals, loud and clear. Rather than rebut the man directly, something Wesley had already learned was not necessarily the most potentially successful gambit, he sat back and observed, once it seemed others would be making their own case for the agency.
Every word that came from the people around the table informed him of much: their opinions and feelings, their perspectives on the whole question at hand. Wesley allowed himself a smile as he listened to Cordelia give her own unique description of Angel Investigations. Finally, there was a moment for him to come forward.
"Thank you-- all of you--" Wesley clarified, looking pointedly at Lindsey, "for your thoughts. It is especially important in this early stage for us all to know where each of the others stands. The primary question at hand, it seems, is how would this new agency operate? We are, admittedly, short of one or two important elements that in the past have been important to the dynamic. I believe we can do better than make do." Wesley looked at each of them in turn. "Logan, you're familiar with the world of information and electronics in a way we are not, and have never been. You have the ability to be sets of eyes and ears and a great source of information for the team's operations. Gwen, you have expertise in extralegal activities and your contacts in both the worlds above-board and below will be invaluable, as will your abilities. Cordelia, your visions were always at the core of what we did, and can be again. Besides, I cannot pictures this endeavour without you in the mix." He paused. "And Lindsey, besides the obvious advantages of having an in-house legal expert as well as a solid fighter... I would be counting on you to be a voice of sufficient dissension to keep us honest."
"If I recall correctly, didn't Wesley end up shot and in a wheelchair during your little stint on your own after Angel fired you?" He looked at Cordelia. Yes, there was going to be a very fun conversation on the drive home, that was for certain.
Lindsey though did sit back and listen, because that was what he did, just with a permenant scowl on his face. The thing that was bothering him the most was that it seemed he was the one that wasn't invited by this "e-mail" that Wesley sent around, and that sat wrong with him. If Wesley wanted him to be a part of this little group he was trying to form, he could have just been man enough to e-mail Lindsey himself, or have mentioned it at the bar the other day after his gig. But no, Cordelia tricked him into coming along. Which was why he didn't feel like playing nice.
However, at the mention of Wesley wanting him to be the voice of sufficient dissension to keep them honest, he just snorted and slid back further into his chair. "You actually want ME to keep YOU honest?" He scoffed, letting his head tilt to the side as he locked a skeptical gaze on Wesley.
Wesley's face remained as serious and calm a veneer as he could manage. Under the table, though, he could feel his hands flexing into fists and releasing. It helped keep the annoyance and anger from coming to the surface-- or at least, he hoped it would. For the moment, it had been working. He fixed a cool gaze at Lindsey's disbelieving expression.
"I did quite a bit of thinking after your name was thrown in the hat for this endeavour," Wesley said. "It wasn't easy conceiving of your place in all this at first. That is, until I recalled how the team has always been most effective when there has been at least one member who, though committed to the idea, isn't impressed or taken with the idea of being heroic. Someone needs to remind us if there are too many assumptions being made, or if perspectives are being lost in the service of our concept of the greater good. Angel had Cordelia, then Spike. We would have you."
Oh great, so I'm Spike now? Lindsey thought. "Well, it's nice to know you have a whole little place set up for me in your group already. Of course, I ain't all that happy that I was volunteered for this, especially without my permission or even being told about it until now," he stated, his eyes glaring at Cordelia a moment before going back to Wesley.
He leaned forward on the table. "You expect me to put my neck on the line for you when none of you can even be honest with me about this? What reason do I have to even trust you?"
Lindsey was pretty close to just leaving the table and going home at this point. He'd deal with Cordelia's fury there if needed.
"I didn't volunteer you for anything," Cordelia snapped at him, finally losing some of her temper. She'd been trying to stay calm, for the sake of the other people in the room, but Lindsey always did have a way of pushing her temper over the edge. "And I didn't tell you why we were coming tonight because I knew you'd have a fit and refuse to go, just because Wesley was involved. Excuse me if I thought maybe once you got here and heard his idea, you might be able to be an adult about it! I wasn't trying to trick you into doing it, I just wanted you to sit down and listen to him. It's a good plan, and I thought if you could get past your stupid prejudices, you would be an asset to the team."
She glared at him for a heartbeat before adding, "Instead you're just being an ass."
Lindsey just stared at her a moment, his jaw working as he held back his anger. He closed his eyes, then scoffed and pushed his chair back, standing up. "Excuse me," he stated, then turned and walked out of the restaurant.
As Logan listened to Cordelia and Gwen's explanations about Angel Investigations, he nodded, eyebrows slightly raised. It sounded pretty much like what he'd thought Wesley's demon hunting entailed, though he was surprised to hear that there was such a thing as a good vampire and also that they charged people for their services. Surprised, too, that he wasn't more shocked to hear about attempted apocalypses. Maybe he'd be talking about demons and ghosts without batting an eyelash sooner than he'd thought. "Thanks," he said, to both of them, after Gwen finished.
He listened intently to Wesley, too, though he had to admit to himself that he liked the little speech more for what it told him about the others than for what Wesley said about him. Eyes and ears. Again. Looked like Eyes Only's job description wouldn't be changing much. And it wasn't like he'd expected Wesley to hand him a gun and tell him to kick some supernatural ass, but even so, being the sidekick running comm still chafed, a little. Especially when the other guy in the group was, apparently, a 'skilled fighter,' Logan knew Wesley was, and he had a feeling that both of the women could do their share of ass-kicking, too. Great. But even if he wanted to bring up his issues with being totally dismissed when it came to fighting (which he was pretty sure he didn't), now was obviously not the time. He just hoped what he was thinking wasn't too apparent on his face.
He didn't have much time to worry, though. Not with the ensuing tense conversation between Lindsey, Wesley, and Cordelia. While they were talking, Logan kept his mouth shut, though he did, at one point, glance at Gwen and quirk an eyebrow up slightly.
When Lindsey walked out, though, and it didn't look like Cordelia was likely to follow him, Logan realized that maybe it was time for him to stop keeping quiet. Partly because this was something he could do, someplace tonight where maybe he'd be helpful (he had a feeling he hadn't been, before, when he'd snapped at Lindsey), and partly because, well, it'd be awkward as hell to stay in here while Wesley and Cordelia and Gwen talked about this guy they knew and he didn't.
Logan looked over at Wesley and cleared his throat as he released the brakes on his chair. "Uh, why don't I…" he nodded towards the door as he pushed back from the table. "Be back in a few. I hope." He smiled a little. "And I'm in, by the way."
With that, he followed Lindsey out of the restaurant.
TO BE CONTINUED...
