Like a Bird, Do What It Please [Angie!]

[Moriel Sarid]

It had been far too long since Moriel had seen his daughter, his little light in the world. Angela had always had him wrapped around her finger in one way or another. Ever since she was a child, her infectious joy and optimism managed to cheer him no matter the circumstances. And now she was coming home.

They used to come down here, to the rocky shoreline at the foot of the lighthouse. When she was a child, Moriel had watched with pride and adoration as she played in the tide pools, rushing about and rescuing starfish and sea slugs that had been stranded by the tide. He knew she would come here first. It had always been their favorite place.

As he looked over the rocks, a glimmer of pink at the edge of a nearby pool caught his eye. The angel leaned down and picked it up, a small butterfly shell, iridescent in the afternoon sun.

"Baba! Baba!" Angela cried, rushing across the stones to him. She opened her hands and revealed two tiny shells, joined together at the tips. "They look like a butterfly!" she told him.
Moriel crouched down in front of her to take a look, his wings dipping in the cool waters of the tide pools. "Bu bir özel kabuk," he murmured to her. "Dilek tut ve dizene at. Dileğini gerçek olacak."
A grin spread across her face and she raced back to the shore. She shut her eyes for a moment in concentration, and flung the shell into the waves. Angela looked over her shoulder at her father and grinned. "Don't you want to know what I wished for?" she asked.
Moriel smiled and shook his head. "Bana söylesen, gerçek olmayacak."

The memory still dancing behind his closed eyes, Moriel thought to himself, I hope she stays this time. He threw the shell to the waters and waited.


Notes: "This is a special shell." "Make a wish and throw it into the ocean. Your wish will come true." "If you tell me, it won't come true."


outfit!

[Angela Lucretia Sarid]

Angela sighed as she felt the ocean air whip around her body, lifting her hair and bringing a soft smile to her face. She'd loved the harbor as a little girl. It was where the lighthouse was. Her home. The home that she hadn't seen in years. It was still her home though, right? She hoped so. After wandering around Europe for so long, she hadn't really had anywhere to call home, unless cheaply rented apartments and old motels counted as a home.

She'd missed Carford. She really had. It was where she'd grown up, for crying out loud. It was just something about living so close to the sea, to a beach, to a harbor that gave Angie a sense of freedom and exhilaration. She'd had that for a while, but it'd taken a while for er to figure out. Living in Sweden, Italy, France - there was a lot of freedom in those places, but not as much as the one place that Angie could really truly call her home.

Now, she was walking along the rocky coastline, her shoes in one hand, the other stretched out over the ocean, balancing her so that she wouldn't fall in. It wasn't like she had a problem with getting wet, of course. It was just the fact that she was kind of worried about the sharp rocks. She could hurt herself, if she was't careful. But she knew what she was doing. She'd be fine. She'd done this a million times before.

She wondered for a moment, rather foolishly, if there were still shells here. But then, of course, this was a coast. There would be shells. Just like the ones she used to find all those years ago, when she was a little girl. Like the ones she used to wish on. And then, her mind switched to the wishes. Had any of hem come true? Would any of them come true?

The thoughts left her mind, though, when she saw her father, sat by a small pool. He held a small shell in his hand; it actually looked like the ones she used to find when she came down here to play as a child. She watched as he flung it into the water, with closed eyes. She grinned. He'd just made a wish. Angela knew it.

She slowly wandered over, still smiling. "Willing to tell me what you wished for?" she asked him. "Actually, it won't come true if you tell me, will it?"

[Moriel Sarid]

Her voice, it was as bright as ever. Moriel looked up at his daughter and smiled. "No," he agreed. "Perhaps not." He stood and wrapped his arms around her at once, pulled her into a tight hug. "Evine hoş geldin, çocuğum." And this was her home, where he felt she belonged. Though Mori would never try to tie down her wandering spirit, a rather selfish part of him had always wanted to keep her here with him. "Seni özledim. Nasılsın?"

Moriel pulled back, holding her at arms length so he could get a good look at her. She had truly grown into the most beautiful young woman. She looked well, healthy, if a bit skinny - nothing home-cooked meals couldn't fix. "Hâlâ ayakkabılar korkuyorsun, görüyorum," he joked, nodding at the shoes in her hand, teasing her. He touched her face, turning it so he could inspect. Something was different...oh! "Ama senin burun halkası yok! Mutluyum. Beğenmedim." His lips twisted into a wry smile and he laughed.



Notes:"Welcome home, my child." "I missed you. How are you?" "You're still afraid of shoes, I see." "But you don't have your nose ring! I'm glad. I didn't like it."

[Angela Lucretia Sarid]

Angela let a grin spread across her features at her father's response, and a little laugh escape her lips. "You're right, perhaps not," she continued. "Best keep it under wraps then, hmm?" Sometimes, wishes were the best secrets to be kept. Although she was curious about what he'd wished for, she didn't really want to chance it not coming true. That would hardly be kind of her, and would hardly make him happy. So she wouldn't make him tell her. For fairness' sake.

She closed her eyes as she felt his arms slip around her and pull her close, and suddenly she felt like a little girl again, cuddling with her father because she'd hurt herself or she was sad, or merely because she loved him and because she could. She smiled as those memories overtook her, and as she heard the words, the muttered, Turkish words. "I missed you too, Baba," she murmured back, letting her own arms fold around him. "I'm just amazing. Yourself?

She snickered lightly at his next comment. Not that she was afraid of shoes, per se, but she didn't really like them that much. They were just uncomfortable, most of the time. "Guess I could be," she teased him airily. "I'm getting better, though! At least I actually have shoes with me today." Normally, if she was coming here, she would have just left them back at the lighthouse.

Ah, yes, the nose ring. That nose ring. She didn't know. She'd liked it at the time, thought it was a good idea, but... it didn't work out, in the end. It was kind of irritating that she had something going through her nose. She'd spent all her time just looking at it. It was bloody distracting. And, hey, if her dad didn't like it, what was the point in keeping it anyways? It wasn't exactly making him happy.

I guess that it's a good thing it's gone, then," she agreed. "I didn't like it much, either. It was really irritating. Like having some kind of bug on your face. She shuddered slightly. Not pleasant. But she shrugged it off. "So, how quiet have things been around this place since I was last here?

[Moriel Sarid]

Seeing Angela's smile reminded him so strongly of her mother that his heart gave a little twinge. Mori's daughter had always taken after him more - his eyes, his jawline, even his nose. But that smile, that was Mary's. Her beautiful spirit was all her own, though. Mary had been caring and happy, but neither of them had ever been so joyful as Angela, and they had both been homebodies when their daughter needed to fly free.

"Çok iyiyim, fistiğim. Hep iyiyim," he told her, smiling. He placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her along the coastline. The breezes were getting colder and he kept the collar of his coat up around his neck. He chuckled at her explanations.

"Quiet? Me?" Moriel laughed. "Evet, Baban sıkıcı. Ama şimdi kiracın var. Bir adam adısı Dane. Bir erydi ve ayarlar sa benimle kalkıyor. Ona beğeneceksin." He thought about Dane, about the thoughts he'd been having lately. Perhaps having Angela around to distract him, to create some space would help. "Ya sen? Hangi maceraların vardı?"


Notes: "I'm very good, my peanut. I'm always good." "Yes. Your father is boring. But I have a tenant now. A man named Dane. He was a soldier and is staying with me while he adjusts. You'll like him." "And you? What adventures have you had?"

[Angela Lucretia Sarid]

Well, it was nice to hear that he was well. In any case, Angela was relieved - Mary's death and her leaving Carford again must have been a lot for him to deal with in one go. But, so he said, he was always good. She trusted him. She wouldn't push it any further. She liked to think that the two of them were close enough for her to be able to tell when he was lying, anyway. He didn't lie, though. "That's good to hear," she said, giving him a warm smile.

She fell into step beside him as he placed a careful hand on her shoulder, guiding her along a coast that she'd walked a million times before. She didn't mind, though. It actually felt kind of nice. For the past few years, she'd been as free as the wind, without any guidance whatsoever. So to have that stability was... odd, to say the least... but it was a nice change.

Quiet? Moriel? ...She could have chosen her words better, she guessed. She laughed along with him, and listened to him speak about what had happened whilst she was gone. Ooh. A roomie. Dane? She'd never heard that name before, but it was interesting, and sounded pretty cool. And Mori had said she'd like him, so... who was she to have bad preconceptions based on a name? "Sure I will." she agreed, with a slight nod. He'd left the army, right? That was a good start. Army, fighting, war - not great. But he'd left. So they'd get on just fine.

Pfft. Angie didn't have enough fingers to count the adventures she'd had, let alone enough time to tell her father about them. But he'd asked. She couldn't really not give him an answer. So she merely gave a vague wave of her hand. "You name it," she said, "I've probably done it." She had done a lot - interior design, fashion design, music, painting - the list continued.

[Moriel Sarid]

As the smell of salt and brine swept past them, Moriel closed his eyes and slowed to a stop, allowing himself to just feel. Some things never changed, like the scent and sting of ocean air. "How long will you stay this time?" he asked after a moment's soft silence. "Bir hafta? Bir ay? Daha zaman?" His eyes open and he looked upon his daughter's face. Despite having so many loves, so many children, so much family, he really had spent a large portion of his own existence in solitude. It wasn't her fault by any means. He chose that for himself. Perhaps it was time to open up again, find something new now that he'd properly processed Mary's death.

Which brought him back to Dane. His lips drew into a thin line of contemplation and Moriel looked down at the rocks beneath their feet. "Küçük problemim var, inaniyorum," he admitted. "Sana o getirmem nefret ediyorum ama... Şey, çok insanlar hayattamda değil. Senin can arı ve sana canımla güveniyorum."

He turned and looked up at the lighthouse, where he knew Dane was hiding away, healing and hurting in silence he couldn't stop. "İnaniyorum... Birise karşı hislerim var. Ne yapmalıyacağımı bilmiyorum."



Notes: "A week? A month? Longer?" "I have a little problem, I think." "I hate bringing it to you, but... Well, I don't have many people in my life. Your soul is pure and I trust you with mine." "I think...I have feelings for somebody. I don't know what to do."

[Angela Lucretia Sarid]

How long would she be staying this time? ...Hmm. Hopefully a while, if she could get a job and her own place. But that was the thing. She rarely found a job that she liked enough to keep, and even then she'd probably end up getting fired in the end. But he couldn't really jump from place to place for a job. That would really suck; long journeys to work, and/or having to leave Carford. No fun. Especially when you'd only just arrived again.

She wasn't going to make this entirely obvious, though. She gave a playful, teasing sort of smile. "Hmm... I suppose you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" she chuckled, turning back outward and facing the wind, letting it whip her hair up around her head in a dark cloud. He'd stopped by now, so she took the opportunity to sit for a moment, feeling the rocks beneath her and the saltwater seeping through her jeans. Meh, it was only a little water. It'd dry.

She lifted her head up on mention of a problem that he had Well. So much for the 'always good' thing that he'd said earlier. Problems were never good. Well, okay, maybe they were in some circumstances. Like... you could learn from the way you dealt with them, she supposed. But still. They weren't pleasant things to deal with.

She merely shook her head when he mentioned how he hated bringing it to her, as if to say "It's fine." before patting a few rocks next to her, a motion for him to sit if he wanted. The rocks, although still slightly damp. were dryer than the ones Angie were sitting on. He looked like he could use the stability.

He felt like he had feelings for someone. And didn't know what to do. Of course, Angela had never been in that situation before, but... she thought she knew something that might help. It would either help or end in disaster. A gamble that she was willing to take.

"Well," she began, looking over at the waves and taking a deep breath of the sea air, "When I was little, Baba, you used to tell me to be honest, remember?" She remembered. That was the first lesson that a parent would drum into their child; honesty is the best policy. It wasn't a policy they always followed, but still. "So I think you should be honest with them. Think back. How did you tell mum you had feelings for her?" Yeah, this was the bit that could get a little touchy. But... maybe it would also help? She hoped it would.

[Moriel Sarid]

Her answer was better than saying just a few weeks, Mori supposed. If it was indefinite, they could both keep finding reasons for her to stay. Over the years, he had become an expert at delaying his daughter's departures. "Şey, her zaman burada bekleyeceksin, biliyoruz. Buradasın bayılıyorum, fistiğim," he assured her with a warm smile.

Sitting in the spot Angela had offered, he looked up at the sky thoughtfully. They hadn't had any real sun in quite some time. He wished he were a weather manipulator, could just blow all of these clouds away with a thought. Things were so complicated, the angel wasn't quite sure how to tackle it.

He switched to English partially so his daughter could understand more easily. It had been a while since she had heard Turkish, he figured. "I don't know if honesty would be good in this instance. I have kept silent so far to avoid any...complications." He switched to Turkish again so he could avoid the giveaway of 'he' versus 'she.' It wasn't that he was ashamed to be attracted to a man, but he didn't feel like being too specific just yet. "O beni yardıma sordu. Bozmak istemiyorum. Endişeleniyorum... 'Moriel sadece beni yardım etti çünkü o bana çekici etti,' o sanacak mısın?"

It was clear that Angela was wary bringing up her mother. It was still a sensitive topic for all of them, even after so many years. He laughed and recalled the whole incident, switching to English for clarity. "I didn't. Your mother...she walked up to me one day and told me, 'You're taking me to dinner tonight. Pick me up at eight!'" A wide, eye-crinkling grin spread over his face.


Notes: "Well, you're always welcome here, you know. I love when you're here." "He/she asked me for help. I don't want to corrupt that. I worry... will he/she think 'Moriel only helped me me because he was attracted to me'?"