wesleynotponcy | The Hyperion Hotel | Los Angeles, CA

Well. It was Darla; now they knew that much for certain. From the sparse report Angel had relayed to Wesley and Cordelia upon his return, it seemed that Darla had killed the man she'd hired to pose as her husband, then fled. Angel had followed her, and... hadn't killed her. That was all he'd said before shutting himself up in his room for the evening.

Today, though, he'd emerged, broody but with a plan, and Wesley and Cordelia as well as Angel's new -- and disturbingly familiar -- associate Charles Gunn dutifully congregated to listen to it.

Angel	"We have to find her," Angel said, seated behind his desk in his office. It was a very simple plan.
Cordelia	Cordelia groaned, unimpressed. "Am I the only one who thinks this is a really bad idea?"
Angel	"We can't just sit here waiting for Wolfram and Hart to make a move," Angel reasoned. "It's time we get ahead in the game." Because obviously his life and the life of his four hundred-year-old vampire sire were part of a game.
Cordelia	"This won't involve kidnapping again, will it?"
Angel	"All we gotta do is find her," Angel said. That simple.
Cordelia	"And this would be the same woman who went on consistent torturing rampages for four hundred years," Cordelia said, to check.
Angel	"That was different," Angel objected.
Wesley	Wesley made a small, strained noise. He hadn't wanted to comment, intending to go along with what Angel thought was best, but... this was becoming absurd. "Angel, Cordelia has a point," he interjected.
Cordelia	"Finally!" said Cordelia, throwing up her hands.
Wesley	"Yesterday when Darla emerged, she wanted to be found," Wesley explained. "Now she's out there among six million other people!"
Angel	"Come on, guys," Angel said. "We're a detective agency. We investigate things. That's what we're good at."
Cordelia	"That's what we suck at," Cordelia corrected him. "Let's face it! Unless there's a website called www.OhByTheWayWeHaveDarlaStashedHere.com, we're pretty much out of luck."
Wesley	Wesley stifled a small laugh at that and just nodded seriously. "It's not going to be easy," he agreed.
Cordelia	"Oh! But wait!" Cordelia said, getting to her feet. She pointed at Angel. "Before, you said you could smell her. How about -- we cruise around with the top down, and you take big whiffs?" A pause. No one seemed impressed with that idea. "Well, we'd wait until after the sun sets, obviously."
Gunn	The minute of silence that followed demonstrated how much everyone thought of that plan. It was a very small amount. "It's a big law firm," Gunn observed. "They've got to have housing for the out-of-towers, right?"
Wesley	"Out-of-towners?" Wesley repeated, sounding a cross between amused and unimpressed. "It's not as though they flew her in from Miami. She was raised from the very depths of hell by an ancient and dangerous ritual." This was very relevant information.
Gunn	"Yeah, and?" Gunn challenged. "They still gotta put her up, don't they? That's an expense. You telling me these lawyers haven't figured out a way to write that off?"
Cordelia	That was... not a bad idea, actually. Cordelia stood up quickly. "I'm gonna start digging into Wolfram and Hart's real estate acquisitions."
Wesley	"Not just primary holdings, but subsidiary as well," Wesley added, following her. Damn you and your logic, Gunn.
Angel	"She'd want something with a view," Angel called after them. "Darla always loved something with a view."