i don't even know what's real // audrey

Books. That was something he was familiar with these days. Heaven had endless amounts of information; though not the same as books were in human spaces, the browsing system was rather similar. Diana had pointed to a section of books and he had followed, his own intrigue found in the eyes browsing up and down, reading the titles. Local histories, native american legends, folklore and ghost stories, 1920s in Chicago...there seemed to be plenty of history books of all sorts and genres, despite being categorized in some way. He glanced at the paper Diana had given him, only to find that they were numbered.

Numbers...ah! There, numbers by a barcode. There was a system wasn't there...he looked at the numbers on the shelves as well. That was easy enough. It seemed humans had their own way of working things out quickly. At least they didn't have to read all of the books to find out what they were looking for.

Minutes later, he had grabbed the books. One about ley lines and ancient native trade routes, a book about lost treasures hidden by spaniards during the Age of Exploration, one on desolate places around the world, and one on forgotten cultures and a book called 'Chariot of the Gods.' Some strange theory people had about something, apparently.

"Here," he put the books on the table," haven't looked through them yet but there's promise...I think. They don't seem too difficult, we can each take one or two and look over it until the library closes," he offered, "personally I think the lost treasures and this–" he pointed at the last book, "looks closer to what we're looking for."

The last book hadn't been on the list but he had spotted it on a 'return' pile, with the words 'unsolved mysteries' on top and he had immediately taken it. It seemed like what they were looking for; after all, wasn't all of this just one big unsolved mystery?

The books were intriguing to say the least, but frankly, Theo wasn't certain whether they were true or not. Some of it all sounded like the ramblings of a madman, while other parts had enough data and history to back it up. Humans were strange sometimes; he always assumed books in a place like this would have had some sort of...criteria, to be considered as non-fiction. Perhaps he was wrong.

The whole day had been spent to read through the books, and he almost didn't notice how quickly the day passed until Diana was at his table once again. He looked up, almost as if being pulled out of a daze, and he immediately looked back to his finished books pile.

"Right," he cleared his throat, "well...there wasn't a lot of information and to be honest, some of it seemed more like a story than truth...but I found some interesting story about an old effigy nearby, apparently it's some structure from an archeological dig right outside the city."

He slid the book towards her. "There's also some cliffs with apparently...old writings written on them. They might be a clue; we could always find some tourist center and ask about it. What did you find? Anything to do with supernatural energy in the area?"

(I love it HAHA)

He snorted, for the first time sounding rather amused. "Possessed toaster...I doubt that's what we're looking for." He sighed. It wasn't much of a lead, but hey, interesting ruins were better than nothing, right? He nodded. Whatever they were looking for, if there weren't any leads there, they could always check the museums too.

Closing the book, he followed Diana out.

The room they were staying in was...small, but he could manage. Two beds at least, so that wasn't awkward at all. He started to organize his own things, already putting water in the kettle for a cup of tea as he went through the details of the day in his own head.

He only looked up when she asked for the date. January third. They had left after the New Year crowds so yes, of course. However, he was surprised at the way she had immediately fled the room. Still sitting on the chair by the window, he blinked, wondering what all of that was about. Should he follow? Did she want to be alone?

Then again, he didn't exactly trust her to be on her own, and she better not get drunk off her ass and hungover for the next day; she was the one driving, after all. He could teleport, but she couldn't, and well, teleporting wasn't exactly pleasant for humans.

With a sigh, he grabbed the key card and left the room, following after the young woman.

While there was part of him that definitely disapproved of her antics, he wasn't a completely unempathetic creature. He had seen the way she reacted to the date. There must be something that was bothering her about this specific date and time. He sat across from her as she spoke. He knew she didn't need a babysitter, but it felt wrong to just let her be.

They were partners on this mission, and that meant he had to make sure she was okay. He grasped the menu as she spoke. "I don't drink much," he admitted, "but I guess you'd probably know a good drink for me to try."

She didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it just yet, and Theo was patient if anything. He had all of eternity, after all, to figure it all out. He looked over to Diana, looking just a tad sheepish.

"I'm not here to lecture you, but drinking alone can't be all that fun, right?" he murmured, "seems better to have company, even if I'm probably not the kind of company you seek."

He had tried the wine earlier; it was pleasant, almost familiar, though Theo couldn't quite tell why that was. He wasn't sure about the other options she provided; they all sounded so complicated, and well, the only one he could really remember was the gin and tonic, and so that was what he ordered.

It was surprisingly not bad at all. A little fruity, a little like soda, and with a strange, herbal combination...he could get used to this, at least. He simply sipped at his drink from the little straw it had, listening to Diana speak intently, as she began to relax. Was this just her being less jumpy or the alcohol? He knew humans had reactions to it–apparently, they lose their inhibitions after drinking–but since he didn't feel any of that, he couldn't quite understand what drunkenness was.

"Oh, no worries," he spoke, dismissing her previous actions, "is there a reason why the date made you leave? I presumed you might have forgotten something, but is it important? I'm not quite sure about human holidays still...so I might've missed it."

He frowned, for once, looking almost sympathetic. "I'm sorry about that," he replied, shifting his weight in the seat he was sitting in, "but I'm sure that's not true. I might not know your mother, but from what I've heard...well, most of those who pass through this life and to the other, many only wish the ones left behind are well. I'm sure she'd want you to..." Move on? Was that too blunt?

It was both a blessing and a curse to not have a single memory of his own life back when he was human; on one hand, he couldn't remember the tragedies of living, but...in a way, he couldn't quite empathize either. No one would trust the advice from someone who didn't feel the loss of death; he certainly wouldn't have.

He looked at his glass, already half empty. "To tell you the truth, most angels probably do feel things...the more you live among the people, the more you learn how they work, and some probably feel just as human as you do, but I suppose I'm not the same way. Some angels have memories of the lives they once led other than the deaths they faced...others...well, we don't exactly know who we were when we lived."

She didn't seem like the poster child of 'giving up' to him, at least not yet. She was still fighting for her dignity and for the good of everyone. Still, he listened to her words. In a way, it sounded like a good deal, one in which he had only things to gain. It was true, he wasn't fond of her little alcohol problem and she was right; he had plenty to learn about being human these days.

"That...sounds like a good deal," he nodded, before clinking his glass to hers, "I hope you're up for that job; I'm truly quite helpless when it comes to humans and their dealings...but if you wish, I can keep you accountable with your drinking." He gave her a sheepish smile.