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The clinic wasn't especially hidden within the city, but it was elusive enough that someone would have to be introduced to see where the front door was. The average person wouldn't even want to be see in that part of the city anyway. It was always in the shadows of the skyscrapers and cold enough during the day that people would want to lift the collars up on their coats and scurry away. The clinic was just huddled among a small, dilapidated strip mall abandoned a good few years ago, but it was perfect for Angela, who ran her clinic for special kinds of characters.
Monsters, really.
Banshees, Werewolves, Ghouls, Djinns and everything in between, they all inhabited cities and towns or the suburbs. They would create pacts with each other or keep to themselves. Some would form gangs in cities such as the one Angela had her clinic in. She would care for them, of course. It was in her nature considering she was an angel and all. Her own place was considered off limits from the other gangs; the only bastion of safety that one could find from the threat of other monsters. Angela prided herself on making sure that everyone was treated equally and in turn, the gang's held their own little truce that the clinic was off limits to any 'turf war'. It would remained unclaimed.
The sun set early in the city where Angela stayed. The tall buildings would always block the light in the latter half of the afternoon and the darkness would swallow her building if she didn't leave a few lights on. She had regular hours, though they were flexible, and at the moment she was sitting idly by, reading a magazine about something or other as the clock ticked nearer to six o'clock.
It was a rather quiet day and Angela sighed with a small smile. The unique individuals didn't seem to want to tear each other apart and it left Angela to finish up a few chores around her work place. She had even sent Fareeha out to gather some extra groceries for when Ana was planned to visit.
She shifted her wings a little and stood up as the clock in the corner chimed six times. Grabbing her keys off the waiting room table, she double checked the back door near the kitchen and then the windows. Just because her area was off limits doesn't mean there weren't a few brazen monsters that tried to do anything funny. They were few and far between, but Angela was always safe because of Fareeha.
Finally, she made her way to the front and stepped outside. A dark alley lay ahead of her along with a few sparse parking spaces. She held up her hand and gave a small twist of her wrist. A small globe of yellow light appeared floating over her palm. The light illuminated just a few meters in front of her as Angela wanted to make sure that there wasn't a body bleeding out on the front steps, too weak to knock on her door. It had only happened once before and it was a hard memory every day to remember.
She shifted her hand to the left and then the right, almost letting the light dissipate until she caught something out of the corner of her eye. It was a shuffling shadowy figure and it was coming closer to her. Angela's back tensed in case she had to take flight, noting that Fareeha should be back within a few minutes while she had no real way to defend herself. The figure's outline was of a cloak and the steps were sure. It only took a few moments for the shadow to become clearer in the light and Angela relaxed.
“Ana...You almost gave me a fright.”
The elderly woman with silver-white hair smiled and they both pecked each other on the cheeks in greeting.
“I apologize. The train was running late or I would have been here sooner. Is Fareeha away?”
“She is getting a few ingredients for dinner. Come inside or you'll catch your death of cold.” Angela said and turned to open the front door for Ana. Diminishing her own light, the angel flicked on a few more in the building and secured the door behind her. The two women made their way to the kitchen down the hall.
“Please, let me take your coat. I know how you hate to get overheated.” Angela put her hand on Ana's shoulder and the older woman patter the angel's hand.
“Thank you my dear, but I will be fine for the night. This place is a far cry from Egypt and I do enjoy the rather chilly nights here.”
Angela knew she wasn't kidding either. Ana being a rare creature just like the angel, while both had a history of working with Overwatch, a group that had protected and hid creatures from the public eye. Angela pulled out a chair for Ana and then started the kettle for some tea.
“Where did you travel from? I heard about the Leviathan off the Newfoundland coast.” The angel held out a few boxes of different teas in front of her.
“Oh dear, that poor thing. It was just a baby that got lost. Can you imagine being across the ocean from its family? I'll take the green box please, it isn't as bitter as the others.”
Angela took out two mugs and lifted the whistling kettle off the stove, “I imagine transporting such a large baby was a rather difficult situation. Cream? Sugar?”
“Sugar please, just a small scoop. Oh, yes. It wouldn't stop crying as it swam alongside our boat the whole way to Iceland. You should have seen the reunion, though. I have some pictures on my camera if you would like to see and I also picked up a few candies overseas, would you like to try some?” Ana thanked Angela as she took the steaming mug from the angel's hands and sampled the tea. “Ahh, perfect.”
“Maybe when Fareeha gets back. It should be any min-”
Angela was interrupted when there was a pounding on the front door.
“Well. That must be her. I'll be right back, excuse me.”
“Take your time, dear.” Ana said and took another sip of her tea as Angela placed her own drink on the table and made her way to the front where the pounding was becoming relentless.
“Fareeha! You have your own key to-” The angel opened the door to admonish her partner but was stopped as she was met with two scared individuals.
Both were short but of different species. One looked to be an average dark skinned boy but Angela spotted gills on the side of his neck and a rather peculiar set of eyes. An amphibious creature that could live outside of water and rocking a pair of dreads with skates on his feet. The boy was holding up a girl who also looked to be normal but had the facial indications of a gremlin.
As soon as Angela had noticed them they started to speak at once.
“You've gotta hide us!”
“They're gonna rip us apart!”
“We didn't do anything!”
“It's not even a full moon!”
Angela held up a hand and they stopped talking. She then stepped aside and ushered them in, noticing a small limp in the girl. “Where are you hurt?”
“Huh? Oh, I became a janitor and wiped the floor trying to get away from them. Lucio was able to carry me the rest of the way.” The duo sat down on the waiting room chairs and fist bumped in camaraderie. Angela knelt in front of the girl and instructed her to take off her shoe. The ankle was a little swollen but it nothing to worry about. Normally it would heal over the night but Angela vowed to never try and let a patient suffer.
She hovered her hands over the ankle and concentrated. A small glow enveloped her hands and the ankle glowed a little as well. The amphibian and the gremlin stared with wide eyes. After just a moment, Angela was done.
“Whoa, Hana! That's some rockin' stuff! How's your ankle?” Lucio nudged his friend.
Angela took a step back as the gremlin, Hana, jumped up from her seat and twirled around on her foot. “Now that's what I call overpowered!”
“Would any of you two like to tell me how you exactly came to my place?” The two friends stopped grinning at each other from the impressiveness of Angela's healing and turned towards the angel.
The amphibian rubbed the back of his neck, “Uh, well...It was kinda like this-”
“We were coming back from an underground club because we heard the music would rival Lucio's. It totally didn't. Utter garbage.” Hana interrupted.
“Aw! Thanks!” They fist bumped again. Angela raised an eyebrow.
“Anyway, we were going back to the train station just a mile away but, at the alley before the station entrance, apparently these two werewolf fleabags started to growl at us about territory. 'Grr! This is our spot. We pee'd here! It's our area now!'” Hana hunched over and held her hands out like claws in a ridiculous pantomime of a werewolf.
“We don't know if they actually peed there...”
“It didn't matter! They were all coming at us and I had to create a diversion!”
“Yeah! She nailed one of them with her energy drink!”
“And then I fell like a noob and Lucio said he knew a place we could hide and helped me here.”
“I heard of your clinic through the underground grapevine. I hope you're not mad...”
Angela took a second to process their quick spoken conversation and sighed. “Let's go to the kitchen and I'll fix you something to relax. You can stay the night just in case. Follow me.”
The two monsters obeyed her request and followed her down the hallway. They continued to chat amongst themselves, mostly about the concert but stopped when Lucio froze at the doorway to the kitchen. Angela noticed the pause and looked down at the boy who stood with wide eyes at Ana. Ana herself was flipping through some photos on her phone while sipping her tea. On noticing that she was being stared at, she looked up and smiled.
“Good evening. Unannounced guests?”
Angela nodded and picked up her own mug, grimacing when she found her tea cold, “Yes. They were chased by a couple of werewolves near the train station entrance. They couldn't get home and suffered a small injury. I've let them stay the night and was hoping you could take them back to the station tomorrow?”
Ana beamed, “Of course.” She turned back to the guests, “It would seem that your frog friend can taste who I am. Don't worry, my dear. There is a nuance between a werewolf and myself. Come sit down, Angela will make you both some tea.”
Angela did just that and Lucio looked to visibly relax. Hana gave him a weird glance. “What did you taste?”
Lucio's tongue, a longer, more slick version of a human's tongue, quickly poked out and in his mouth to reconfirm what he first thought. “She's right. She's not a werewolf, but something a lot...bigger.”
A light but harsh tap on their heads knocked them out of their conversation. “It is impolite to talk about someone when they are right in front of you.” Angela admonished as she set two more mugs down and refilled her own with the warm drink. They at least had the look of being berated and thanked the angel for the tea.
“Don't be too harsh on them, dear. It's not everyday they get to meet some monsters like us. Would you children like some candy?” Hana and Lucio's faces lit up in a grin and they scooted their chairs noisily towards Ana.
Angela huffed a small laugh and pulled out a chair for herself.
And then someone knocked on the door again, though this was more of a loud, demanding noise.
“Mein gott, a slow day turns into a busy night. I'll be right back.” She noticed that Ana already had the rapt attention of the two little monsters by showing them the Leviathan pictures as the two children's cheeks were full with chocolate. Just before she left, Ana called out to her.
“Fareeha texted saying she's no more than a minute away.”
Angela smiled and nodded. She turned to walk down the hallway for the umpteenth time that night and noticed that there were already two individuals walking towards the kitchen. She must have forgotten to lock the door when she let in Lucio and Hana.
“Hello, is this an emergency?” She said, meeting them halfway.
The two young men looked harried and irritable. They both wore jeans to ward from the cold but also had no shoes or shirts on. Angela instantly detested this as it was rather unhygienic for two healthy people to come in and forgo the common shirts and shoes policy.
The man on her right replied, trying to look over her shoulder and into the kitchen, “Yeah, uh. We're looking for two of our friends. They, er, got lost as we were trying to get to the train station.”
Angela's wings twitched, “What did your friends look like?”
“One was like a frog dude, you know?” The other replied, “And the second was a...look,” he pulled his chin up and sniffed the air, “we know they're here. My buddy and I just want them back.”
His buddy folded his arms and grinned, his unusually long canines prominent.
Angela's wings twitched again in irritation, “I apologize but your nose is wrong,” that wiped the grin off both their faces, “There are no children here. This clinic is for emergencies only and under protection. I will only suggest once that you leave.”
One of the men stepped forward and grabbed Angela by her shoulder and leaned in close. “I don't think you understand. Those brats encroached on our territory and now they're going to get paid a lesson. We'll rip this whole place apart to find them so you better-ah ah AH! Let go!”
The man tugged his hand back and rubbed at his wrist that a hand had gripped so painfully before. Angela turned to look over her shoulder and saw Fareeha standing by her side, a serious expression that the angel was happily familiar with. Another, gentler hand touched her elbow.
“Are you alright, dear?” Ana asked and Angela nodded with a smile.
“I was just discussing with these two men that we were closed.”
Angela noticed Ana having a small, playful smile on her as the older woman turned towards the werewolves.
“Such manners! Your mothers would be disappointed they raised a pair of pups instead of wolves.”
There was a look of rage on the faces of the two men and faster than Angela could blink, the two who stood before her suddenly transformed into a pair of werewolves; the known bipedal beasts with dark brown hair and clawed hands. Their size made their heads knock out the hanging ceiling light in the hallway and the space all but became black if it wasn't for the kitchen lights that only illuminated enough for Angela to see the outlines of her friend, her partner and the two monsters currently slobbering on her carpet.
She saw Ana's arm raise to wag a finger in their direction, “Reckless destruction to boot! I have half a mind to teach you two a lesson if it weren't so crowded already. Fareeha,” Ana turned to her daughter, “I'll leave this to you. I have to put the kettle back on for Angela here. She hasn't had a drink all evening!”
Angela smiled gratefully to the woman as she gave a comforting squeeze to her arm before heading back in the kitchen where two inquisitive heads had to duck back in from being seen. The angel then felt a slight rumble through her body as she couldn't help but smile as she reached back and found a large, warm hand in the darkness.
The two large bodies snarled as the old woman left. Their pride hurt and their revenge on the two smaller monsters still on their minds. Fareeha took a step forward, detaching her hand from Angela's to move in front of her.
“Ya amar, please take a step back. I don't want to accidentally hurt you.” Angela obliged and Fareeha spoke again, “You were warned once before. Now, leave.”
What followed was a tense standstill. The two werewolves grunted and growled, testing the patience and the threat of Fareeha. One of them then took a step forward and when Fareeha didn't move, they lunged.
Angela felt like the whole building shook from Fareeha's roar and her sight impaired by the sudden humongous body that all but took up the width and height of the hallway. Where the two werewolves' heads scraped the ceiling, the werejackal's shoulders brushed the top as it towered over the two. The pair scrambled back and snapped their maws at her in defiance.
Fareeha stomped forward and the pair both bumped into each other, seeing who would be the braver of the two to go up against the threat. Angela followed and watched as they were continuously forced back and into the light of the waiting room. With a more space to move around in, Fareeha stood up to her full height, her inky black fur hiding the impressive musculature underneath. The werewolves scurried around and placed the room's chairs in between the werejackal and themselves.
In the past, Angela had talked to the giant werejackal about subduing any unruly patients inside her clinic. Her size just too big for any modern buildings and it led to a lot of home repairs from claw marks on the walls and floors. At the moment, Fareeha was adhering to her wishes and Angela felt a small sense of appreciation towards her. Now, however, the werewolves were becoming a nuisance. Their ego's much bigger than their eyes and common sense.
“Fareeha,” The werejackal didn't look at her but Angela could see her pointed ears twitch, listening, “I wish to lock up for the night without any more interruption.”
The command had been given.
The chairs which the pair thought would become an obstacle between themselves and Fareeha were either knocked aside or destroyed in an instant as the large mass of a more dominant monster bared down on them. Angela had to duck back inside the hallway as the werewolves yelped and scrambled about the room, trying to escape from Fareeha and causing the walls to shake when they were thrown against them, each clawed hand gripping their necks.
They squirmed and futility scratched at her arms before one of them shrunk and changed back to his human form. The other followed a second after as Fareeha had to change her grip, her now, much larger hands to them, holding them up above the floor.
“Please! Oh god, I'm sorry! Please let us go! I promise we won't hurt them!”
Angela walked forward to stand by Fareeha's side, “Are any of you injured?”
“N-no we're good! Please don't hurt us!”
“Will you go back to that alleyway?”
“Never!”
“No!”
“Will you leave if Fareeha lets you go?” Fareeha let out a growl, not agreeing with Angela, but the angel just put a hand on the beast's lower back to soothe her partner.
“Yes!”
“Yes! Please!”
Angela stepped back, “Fareeha, please drop them. They've given their word.”
The werejackal stalled a moment and then released her grip, letting the two young men fall to the floor. It was rather comical that as soon as they were on their feet, they began to trip over themselves to run out the entrance. The angel calmly shut the front door after them and flipped the lock. When she turned around, she took stock of the mess in the waiting room. There were only two chairs that hadn't been destroyed in the scuffle.
The large form of Fareeha stooped low, almost crouching, at her side and let out a small, questioning huff. Angela looked up at the werejackal and smiled, reaching up and running a smooth hand against Fareeha's cheek. “Don't worry, liebling. I am not mad at you. I just wish we didn't have to go furniture shopping every month.” Angela watched as Fareeha closed her eyes and then changed back, flexing her shoulders, back and hands. The angel was secretly was appreciative of the sight.
When Fareeha opened her eyes again, Angela took her hands and gave a peck on her cheek. “Thank you, however. I am lucky to have you by my side.” She giggled as Fareeha blushed.
“You know I would do anything that you wish.” Fareeha said.
Angela tugged on their hands, making her way back to the kitchen, “And I will always heal your smallest scrapes in thanks.” To make a point, Angela rubbed her hands lightly on the lean arms that had been scratched up from the werewolves. While they were mostly just red marks with a line or two that had small blood spots bubble up from breaking the skin, Fareeha's natural ability would have healed them in an hours time. Fareeha in the past would have made a fuss over Angela wasting her energy healing such insignificant wounds, but grew to find out that Angela disliked anyone being in the slightest of pain, especially with some of the strongest monsters.
The taller woman, her arms now fully healed, followed the angel back to the kitchen. When they entered, Angela noticed that Ana was regaling their guests with some sort of tale about a Yeti in Canada. She must have just finished as the amphibian and gremlin were bouncing in their seat, barraging the older woman with questions and exclamations of awe. Ana gracefully ignored them for a moment and turned towards Angela and Fareeha.
“Welcome back. We heard the commotion in the front and I'm glad to see you two unharmed. I have the kettle on the stove, Angela. I didn't know how long you would be so I decided to keep it on low for you.”
“Thank you, Ana.” Angela started to make her way to the stove but was stopped as Fareeha pulled out a chair in front of her.
“Take a break. I will get you your tea. It seems that every time you pour some for yourself, you get interrupted.”
Angela felt her chest swell with affection and then sat down, adjusting her wings to the sides of the backrest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hana making a gagging motion to Lucio and heard Ana try to hide a chuckle behind a hand.
Soon enough, her steaming mug was placed in front of her and she lifted it to her lips. Everyone at the table watched as Angela took a sip. They waited for a moment and then sighed when no other catastrophic event came barreling through the door.
Ana broke the silence as Angela began to finally relax, “You know, this reminds me of the time I was in a German clock makers town with Reinhardt...”