The young woman was staring at him, her eyes deer-in-headlights wide. It was perfectly normal, considering the situation, and Levi was careful to avoid alarming her further. Each move he made as he approached was deliberate and slow, so she could see what he was doing and wouldn’t feel as threatened by him. She still had the can of spray paint and the last thing he needed was a faceful of it. He’d escaped any real injuries thus far and he intended to keep it that way. Angel or not, he could still feel pain. As if to remind him of this, his old knife wound twinged in the chill night air and he unthinkingly touched it, only to immediately drop his hand before she noticed. 

As he closed in on her, she scuttled back, trying to maintain a safe distance. Levi paused about three feet away, respectful of her space and her spray can. With trembling fingers, the woman reached for her phone and he breathed out a sigh of relief as she punched in the emergency number. If he focused, he could hear the dispatcher on the line, a remote, soothing voice that informed the woman that a squad car was nearby and on its way. This knowledge seemed to calm her somewhat, and she lowered the aerosol can. Levi hadn’t been offended by her pointing it at him, just ready to spring out of the way if her finger twitched. People in stressful situations weren’t particularly known for their restraint. Blowing out a breath, Levi mustered a warm smile for her. 

He ran a few things to say through his head, finally settling on asking if she wanted him to stay with her until the police arrived. “Hey, you look pretty shook up. Understandably… Would you feel better if I sat with you until the cops get here?” He kept his voice soft and gentle and made constant eye contact with her to show his intentions were good. Then she caught him by surprise. “The Deril twins…? No, sorry… Just an average guy who happened to be in the right place at the right time.” 

Lying was unfortunately necessary, so Levi was fairly good at it. He knew a good lie was vague but believable and didn’t call attention to itself. The fewer details the better. Unless explicitly asked, he wouldn’t offer more information. 

Crouching across from the woman, he looped his arms around his knees. After a beat of silence, he looked over at her again, the same kind smile on his face. “If you’re cold, you can borrow my jacket.” The weather wasn’t cooperating, and while the snow was holding off, the wind was bitterly cold. Levi didn’t worry much about frost bite, not like a human would, so it wouldn’t bother him if she did want his coat. To encourage her, he took it off and offered it, holding it toward her. 

Around the corner, there were sounds of a car approaching. More than likely, it was the police the woman had called for and Levi’s job was done. As soon as the cops got close enough, he would disappear, and the young woman would be safe and sound. No muss, no fuss. To that end, he waited until the woman turned her head to look at the police cruiser. 

In the space of a breath, Levi was invisible again, his wings unfurling as he got to his feet. Just as he was about to fly away, he paused, and laid his jacket across the woman’s shoulders. Then he kicked up into the black sky in a storm of pure white feathers.