It's Nice to See You Again [Milan]

[Angel Laveaux]

A typical summer’s day would consist of sunshine, a nice breeze, suntan lotions and sunglasses, shorts and tank tops and sandals. Laughter could be heard, from college kids playing nearby to children playing on the playground. Dogs barking, people talking, ducks quacking…it was the perfect backdrop for the young woman, who was buried in books that took her breath away.

History, science, literature…Angel was in literary heaven. Of course, the college gave them too much homework anyways, but she enjoyed being stuck inside a book. Sitting under a large oak tree on a plaid blanket, her open backpack by her side with a lunch box, she was enjoying such a book in a white camisole-like tank top that hugged her form and dark jean shorts that made her legs look longer than they actually were.

The wind came up and pushed her blonde curls back, tickling her bare feet as she sat against the tree trunk, her legs spread out before her. The world seemed to melt away, and while she was reading, other thoughts invaded her mind. She remembered the first time she had come to Hammel, one hand latched with Aiden’s, and the other taken with her recruiter’s.

Milan.

His handsome face flashed before her eyes and she lowered the book, wondering why he was entering her thoughts now as a bright green Frisbee landed by her feet. Curious, she put the book down and stood, grabbing the Frisbee as a dog came running towards her. He was a big dog, with a doggy grin on his face, and Angel smiled as he came before her and wagged his tail.


“Who are you, handsome?” she said softly, ruffling the dog’s fur as it groaned happily at being petted, and she heard a faint voice, which made her look up as a man jogged closer. His eyes drew her attention first, and she smiled wider as he drew nearer, for she knew who he was. “Milan?"

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It did not need to be said that the lake happened to be one of the most beautiful locations around Hammel. Or, well, at least in Milan’s opinion. It was an efficient one, too, given it was the best spot to mess around with Doodle and to let him take a dive in the water after he grew tired of catching the typical green Frisbee. Therefore it shouldn’t be a surprise that this was where the recruiter found himself that lazy day. The dog happily bounced about, every now and then looking back at its owner, only to bark, almost as if to urge him to walk faster.

Milan chuckled at this, placing hands upon his knees and every now and then patting them as he leaned forward, encouraging Doodle to retrieve his toy in order for it to be thrown again. As the dog did, he made it fly through the air. A hand got brought up, casually raking it through his hair as he lazily strolled closer to the lake where he expected the animal to be frolicking through the taller grass areas. Nothing was less true though.

With a frown, if only because Doodle appeared to be bothering a person in the distance, his walking pace developed into a slight jog, in the meanwhile calling for the dog. His face remained stern, not pleased with the lack of response being received, and he was about to scold Doodle for it, but then realization hit him that the woman being slobbered had a familiar face and his expression softened. A smile appeared. Angel. Angel Laveaux.

”Angel!” He greeted, probably sounding more excited than he intended to. The canine got away with his misbehavior at that point. ”Wow, you grew.” Milan kept a certain distance, just enough to allow himself the possibility to eye her up and down. It made corners of his lips twist even more, concluding that she definitely had outgrown that young vulnerable girl. She and Aiden had been one of his first recruitments.

Eventually blue eyes fell to Doodle again and an apologetic expression followed, along with a soft sigh. ”My apologies for Doodle. I can’t be mad at him though.” A charming grin appeared as he looked over at her once more. Without the dog, he quite possibly wouldn’t have noticed her, so. ”What have you been up to lately? You graduated, right?”

[Angel Laveaux]

Seeing Milan, looking into his eyes, made her feel like she was thirteen again, holding his hand as she and Aiden were led to Hammel for the first time. That first time, she had been a bit afraid and intimidated by how much bigger he was than her, but now…watching him, an unfamiliar warmth spread through her body and heated her cheeks with a soft blush. She was older now, and as such, she would notice men who looked attractive.

But this was her recruiter.

“Growth spurt around sixteen,” she explained, smiling as he drew closer, noticing how he watched her. It made her blush darken as his dog nudged her hand, licking the Frisbee before sitting obediently. “Doodle, huh? He’s a sweetie,” she said with another smile, ruffling the dog’s ears before flicking her wrist and sending the Frisbee down the lakeshore. The dog barked and took off at a dead run as she laughed, looking back at Milan.

“Not much. I did graduate, and Aiden and I are staying at the dorms at U of V,” she answered, tucking her hands in her pockets. One hand reappeared as her hair fell into her face, and she tucked the strands away as she met his eyes. Silvery blue met dark blue and something clicked, though she didn’t know what yet. “I don’t know what he’s majoring in, and that’s the same problem with me too. It seems that I don’t want to choose one major over the other.”

A soft smile graced her face as she tilted her head, the sun making her eyes brighter than they were, little silver sparkles dancing in the depths. “What have you been up to, Milan? It’s been years since we’ve seen each other.”

[Deleted]

Milan could pretty much remember his first recruitment. He had been so incredibly nervous and didn’t really know how to approach the situation at hand, despite the training he had received from Hammel. At least the ones following went by much smoother and he was grateful for that, especially since recruiting Angel had involved her brother as well. In his opinion this was more complicated, but yeah. It had ended well, which he could confirm by laying eyes on the pretty blonde, and that was what mattered most.

Eyes followed Doodle as he dashed behind the Frisbee as if his life depended on it. Milan shook his head, suppressing an amused chuckle before focusing on Angel once more. At her informing him about the indecisiveness that came with what to major in, an understanding smile appeared and he switched the leash to his other hand, just for the sake of moving instead of standing still like a statue. ”It is a difficult decision.” He agreed. ”But I’m sure you’ll figure it out. No one else can make it for you. Just follow your heart.” Just like he had done upon becoming a recruiter. Milan had made this decision because his own recruitment had changed his life and he wanted to make a difference as well. It wasn’t the same as what to major in, but it did influence the years to come.

At the question being aimed back toward him, Milan concluded that this conversation would last long enough for it to be worth sitting down. So he did, plopping down next to the blanket Angel had been seated upon while making sure his gaze could still settle on Doodle to keep an eye on his activities. A hand patted the spot next to him, just in case she needed that little bit of encouragement. After all, perhaps the blonde still felt intimidated? He could lively recall the look on her face upon their very first encounter.


”I bought a house in Pilot Ridge. Moved out of the apartment. I obviously bought a dog as well. The rest pretty much remained the same. Still recruiting and making a difference.” Milan concluded that he wasn’t the most entertaining topic of conversation. Even though he wished he could tell her more, there wasn’t really a lot to inform her about. ”Hoping that the new students will get as far as you did. Attend the university or at least make something out of their lives.” He shrugged. ”But none of that is very interesting to talk about, mh?”

[Angel Laveaux]

“Follow my heart, huh?” she asked with a smile. “You sound like my parents.” They had practically said the same thing to her and Aiden when they had asked for advice, and it was no better help when another adult told her what to do. She watched as he sat and patted the area beside him, and after making sure Doodle was fine, she moved and sat beside him.

Gracefully she laid her legs out on the blanket, showing off the toned muscle and silky skin as she basked in the sun. The light made her glow like an angel, setting off the highlights in her fair hair, making her eyes pop under the golden strands and her skin to absorb and give back the light instead of reflecting it. She turned to listen to him when he spoke, a small smile playing on her lush lips.

“How many kids have you recruited since me and Aiden?” she asked curiously, wanting to know how many other kids had been saved and brought to this school. A different recruiter had gotten Kady, her younger sister, so she knew Milan hadn’t been back to New Orleans in some time, at least to her knowledge. “I’m glad that you’re still getting kids, Milan. There are some troubled souls out there.”

She turned away from him and laid back on her palms, looking up at the clouds. “We’re driven by a need to succeed, to survive and live past expectation in order to pass those attributes to the next generation. Sometimes it’s the most fascinating thing, watching people go on and trying to figure out what they do to survive.” She turned her face to him again, showing him a bright smile.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” As this was said, Doodle came back to them and plopped down on the girl’s lap, making her laugh and cuddle the dog.