The City Inbox

[inlovewithmycar]

⛧A.J. CROWLEY⛧ "This is Crowley. I'm not in. You know what to do, so do it with style. Chow."

code by MANUAL

Comments

call;

[benedicus]

( incoming call: aziraphale. )

[inlovewithmycar]

[Crowley swipes the answer button, putting the phone to his ear, grinning.]

Angel! What can I do for you...?

[benedicus]

Hello.

( a little stilted, a bit formal. )

Well, you see, there's a small matter that I wanted to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?

[inlovewithmycar]

For you? I got two.

Something the matter?

...Well, being kidnapped to another world.

call; tail end of july

[benedicus]

( incoming call: aziraphale !! )

[inlovewithmycar]

[Immediate answer; the only time he's ever let Aziraphale go to voicemail is if he's literally in the midst of something Downstairs (no longer a problem) or that one time on the eve of Armageddon.

Here? It's always first ring.]

Angel. How you doing?

[benedicus]

Well—

( a pause.

then that pause continues on for a little too long. aziraphale finds himself struggling to get the words out, to give voice to what he needs to say.

what he ends up saying instead is: )

Come home.

[inlovewithmycar]

[A familiar click of his fingers and suddenly there is muffled cursing coming from the phone and the narrow storage closet where they keep their cleaning supplies.

Crowley ends the call, manages to disentangle himself from the mop, and stagger out into their condo.]

Aziraphale? I'm here, what's wrong? Where are you?

un: hidden | text

[matermali]

[ One unsuspecting evening, this Shakespearean insight is dropped: ]

hes herjds
g

[inlovewithmycar]

Is this something I should be concerned about or did you do what the kids these days call a butt-dial?

[matermali]

[ The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Possibly because of their terrible life choices. Please try again later. ]

[matermali]

[ The response comes later the next morning, after she's had a chuckle on figuring out what 'butt-dial' means. ]

My apologies, that message was indeed mistakenly sent. Terribly clumsy of me.

[inlovewithmycar]

Right, if you say so. You sure you're alright?

backdated! end of sept./beginning of oct.

[matermali]

[ Vanessa has made a guess that receiving a gift in person might be awkward for Crowley, so instead it will be left for him on the doorstep. It's a basket with a decent bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and next to it is an adorably menacing duck plushie.

The folded note has delicate handwriting: ]

Mr. Crowley,

Can you believe that I have discovered some wine that does not sour the tongue? You are one of the few who may appreciate it.

Your friend,
Vanessa Ives

Post Script: I happened to discover this charming fellow and suspect he needs a home. I move about too much to reasonably keep him. Perhaps you could take him off my hands?

[inlovewithmycar]

[Shortly after Crowley receives the gift, Vanessa will get a number of photos messaged to her of the duck plush on various adventures in casa de gayngel. One photo has it perched on a shelf reading a handwritten collection of Shakespeare's sonnets (it's clearly Crowley's handwriting given it looks like chickenscratch), another of it going for a ride on the the record player, and a third of it sitting atop a fruit bowl stacked with blood oranges, pomegranates, apples and pears (Crowley thinks he's hilarious) while a pair of plump and sturdy looking forearms knead dough in the background. This last one has a caption at the bottom that simply reads 'he's helping angel in the kitchen'.]

Love the duck! He's presently got a place of honour on the top bookshelf in our study, right between the works of Shelley and Wilde.

And you know me, always down for wine.

Serious talk though; I know why you feel the need to stay on the move, but if you ever need a safe place to rest, the doors of #7 Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis Lane will always open to you - Aziraphale and I made sure of it.

feelings and emotions ! for her (and me)

[matermali]

I never expected he would settle in so quickly, but it goes so far to show how easy it is to enjoy oneself in the home that you two have created. I am so glad you all are getting on so well.

Your offer is more touching than any words can express, but I will at least attempt a modicum of gratitude by saying thank you, and I shall endeavor not to abuse the privilege overmuch.

I will also say that I look forward to trying a sample of whatever it is that Mr. Fell seems to have been recently baking.

text.

[chaossealer]

Hello

ah this works! This is Usagi from earlier!!

Thanks Mr. Crowley! ٩(ˊᗜˋ )و

[inlovewithmycar]

Heigh-ho, Usagi

Good to see you've got the hang of the phone. Hope you're settling in well?

[chaossealer]

Yes! It's been good so far! I've gotten around to the mall, and found myself an ice cream place!

I might even go shopping for house decorations soon! I'm very excited—got to make the most of it, right?

[inlovewithmycar]

Mind the mall. Especially the mannequins. Bad news, those things.

My partner and I just put the finishing touches on our own home decor not-so-long-ago. Any themes or colours you're fond of? We can always pop by with a housewarming gift.

{ christmas morning-ish

[matermali]

[ Next to a medium-sized (quite exotic) potted plant on the front steps is a stack of boxes, all aptly labeled for the both of them. For Crowley, there is a pair of sunglasses similar in style to what he already wears, with a note underneath that says 'Just in case.' There is also a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a box that holds a 'vintage' mini record player, along with a hand-written note: ]

Dear Mr. Crowley,

I am not certain if you would ever think to celebrate Christmas, but I hope you accept these gifts with my affection and love. I would not be even near so well as I am without your company and your care.

I hope that you can find some proper songs to play, as I'm still uncertain as to how it works. Did Robert Ingersoll not have something to say on music?

Sincerely,
Vanessa Ives

[voice + action] un: Serenity [backdated to Dec 25]

[chaossealer]

[ The voice message starts with a bit of a ruffling sound and then a party popper on her end. Seems like she's gotten better at voice messages. ]

Hi Mr. Crowley! Merry Christmas! I hope you're having a great holiday! It's approaching the end of the year soon, so I'm also wishing you a happy new year, too! Hopefully, you've gotten a lot of presents? Wishing you all the best!

[ And it ends successfully, without any problems.

Maybe on the day of Christmas or whenever there will be a card with two boxes of chocolates addressed to Crowley since Usagi remembered from a past exchange that he lived with his partner. There may or may not be a few bunnies drawn on the front of the card. And maybe cute Santa bunny wrapping paper. ]

un: hidden | text

[matermali]

Do you know of a band named The Beatles?

I was told that someone who enjoys Queen might take to their music.

[inlovewithmycar]

[Crowley sniggers to himself. Asking if he knows who the Beatles are is a bit like asking if he knows about this obscure composer called Beethoven.]

I know of them a bit, sure. The White Album is probably their definitive work, but I'm more partial to Yellow Submarine myself.

If you're looking to start getting into rock music, you could do a lot worse.

[matermali]

Are they of a similar sound, then?

What music would you say is good for dancing?