chasingangela | Veronica and Angela at the Perk, Thursday a.m.

Angela ordered a chai latte and sat at a table by the window, waiting for Veronica Mars. Her emotions are mixed; gratitude that Veronica solved the case, revulsion at the idea of the tape, and concern for herself and her friends until Angelus could be stopped.

She folds and unfolds her napkin, fidgeting to use up some of her excess energy.

Veronica walks in to the Perk and is glad to see Angela already there. She's still freaked out by the anonymous flower delivery last night. She didn't say anything to Piper last night, but thinks she needs to let someone know what's going on, since she barely got any sleep worrying about it. She orders a cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso and joins Angela.

"Hey," she says, sitting down.

Angela smiles, but her eyes are worried. "Hey," she says. "How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," she says. "I got a lecture from Bristow yesterday about risking my life. And I think he's going to call my dad, which will be swell." After a moment of hesitation, she lowers her voice and confides, "And I got a flower delivered anonymously yesterday. The card said 'flame rose'. I think Belthazor sent it to try to scare me."

Angela shudders as she sips her drink. "I had to deal with Bristow once. Scary man. The only reason we didn't get experimented on with gremlin spit is that Dr. House was nice for once, and that was just about a prank. I can't imagine what he'd do if someone seriously made him angry, so I'm sorry you're dealing with that."

"And god, anonymous flowers. That was all the card said?" Her expression is thoughtful as she tries to put some scrap of a positive spin on it. "Maybe it was a thank you? How would Belthazor know about you helping us, anyhow?"

"I'm not sure if I'm more afraid of Bristow or my dad," Veronica admits. "But I knew the risks I was taking when I agreed to look into it." She sighs. "Given the fact that Logan hung those flyers all over the school, I'd be more surprised if Belthazor didn't know I was involved." She takes a deep breath and adds, "And I kind of freaked out in detention last month when he threw a fireball, which is why I think the message might be a threat."

Angela looks absolutely miserable at this. "I hate to say this? But I think you might be right." She drums her fingers on the table. "I want to trust Cole -- Belthazor -- because I trust Phoebe, and she knows him better than anyone, as far as I can tell. But .... he strikes me as being as dangerous as Angelus when he wants to be. Could you go home for a couple days, or what are you going to do?"

Veronica sighs. "I'm hoping my dad won't pull me from school all together," she says. "But I'm not the type to run and hide. I'm just going to watch my back."

"Good idea," Angela says. She touches her necklace, pulling it out of her shirt to show Veronica the cross. "Also? If you have a cross necklace, bring it by Phale's bookstore. He .... this is going to sound crazy, but he's really powerful, spiritually, and if he wants, he can bless a cross so that Angelus can't go near it. Which means he can't come near *me.* Not that it would work on Belthazor or Jonathan Crane, I don't think, but .... it's a start."

She swallows. "A psychic read my aura a few days ago and he saw my friends in danger from Angelus. I have no idea if he was right, but we all need to be careful whatever happens."

Veronica leans close to examine Angela's necklace. "I think I have a costume jewelry necklace with a cross on it," she says thoughtfully. "Do you think that would work?"

She looks as if she's considering something. "He's still on the island," she says with conviction. "I know him. He didn't run. He's hiding somewhere. You're right about us all being careful."

"You think he'd stay on the island?" Angela says, leaning her face on one hand. "I mean, I would think he would have been on the first plane to Australia or Thailand or something. The island is too small to hide in for long."

She clutches at her necklace. "If you're right ... I'm glad I have this. And I'm not sure about costume jewelry. Ask Mr. Phale. I think it being a cross is more important than what it's made of, though."

"If he's not on the island, he isn't far," she says. "The fact that Logan is trying to trash my reputation and someone is sending me possibly threatening flowers makes me think that he's nearby, pulling the strings still." She looks at Angela holding her necklace. "I think I'll head to Mr. Phale's shop before my night class tonight."

"Good idea," Angela says, her lips tight. Then, as though actively trying to push that subject to the side: "How did you find the recording, anyhow? Marty didn't tell me."

Veronica looks uncomfortable. "I… well… it was kind of random, actually," she says unconvincingly. "I decided to check out the alley for clues and I found it. Then I remembered Marty saying he had lost his… so I took a chance."

Angela can tell Veronica isn't saying something, but she decides not to ask about it. She already knows more than enough about the investigation.

She gives Veronica a genuine smile. "Whatever made you do that, it was the right chance to take," she says. "Spidey sense, maybe?"

Veronica chuckles. "Yeah, maybe," she says. She checks her watch. "I need to get back up to campus for class. You want to walk together?"

"Sure," Angela says. "I haven't been to journalism yet this week, so I should probably show."

She grabs her bag from under the table and turns to face Veronica, placing one hand on the other girl's arm. "Seriously, let me know if Marty or I can do anything for you."

Veronica smiles. She isn't used to having this kind of support. Her friends in Fandom are way different than her friends back home in Neptune. Well, some of them anyway. "Thanks, Angela. That means more than I can say."

"It's less than you did for us," Angela says, a little embarrassed by her emotion. "So. Class now?"

“Yeah, let’s go see what tortures the professor has in store for us today.”