i know we said we'd keep our distance and we will it's just i need to talk to you about something in person i'd add in a public and v crowded place except what i need to talk to you about isn't anything i can risk being overheard
[ oh good, round two, he can't help but think snarkily as he reads her text, but then blows out a deep breath. if she says it's not about them, then...
in person. in private. because the last time he saw her wasn't hard enough, and that was while he was still in shock over what he'd done, what he'd given up, and they'd been standing an entire office apart with a desk between them.
he has no idea what to say to any of that, besides: ]
( this is a horrible, terrible and incredibly stupid idea and she knows it. meeting him in person. meeting him at his apartment! but she also knows she can't jeopardize anyone hearing what she has to tell him.
and because she can't stop herself from wanting to see him. even if it mightwill hurt more in the long run.
in true Buffy fashion she's five minutes late, despite coming from her own housing a few floors up and already being dressed; also in true Buffy fashion (mini skirt, tank top, sweater and boots. the cross he'd given her years ago hanging around her neck like it has since she arrived.
the moment she's outside the door she can feel him. the familiar and distinctive hum that drums in her veins whenever he's around. it's a comfort, knowing even here she's able to tell he's nearby. with a deep breath she lifts her hand and goes to knock. only to stop when thee door pulls opens before she gets a chance. pulling with it all the air from her lungs because God, she's missed him.
digging her heels into the ground she keeps herself from rushing to embrace him. instead, offering a nervous smile and an awkward, )
[ he's not terribly surprised when the designated fifteen minutes passes and there's no Buffy. he smiles a little to himself, before wincing, realizing he's already falling back on his 'Sunnydale denial' ways, now that they're both in the same place again. and she still thinks they could be together. or would, if he hadn't already told her they broke up. honestly, if he'd realized they weren't from the same time from the beginning, he wouldn't have said anything. he could've pretended...
no, that wouldn't have been fair, on either of them. but god, he kind of wishes it were the case, anyway. he's selfish, and he'll be the first one to admit it. if this place is going to be so awful, what's the harm in pretending, for as long as he can, that...
"what's the harm," of course, is one of the reasons he broke up with her in the first place. a slippery slope of 'this is alright', and the road to hell--or rather, Angelus--being paved with good intentions. his intentions aren't even that good.
while he waits, Angel makes a network post asking about where to procure blood for a vampire. he's getting some... interesting responses, when he shivers, glancing toward the door, even though there's been no knock yet.
he's over to it and opening the door before she announces herself, but he can't help it. he stares at her, like an oasis to a man dying of heat and thirst. the cross on her neck is a familiar, even welcome ache, because that's his. it's not his mark on her neck, but it draws a similar reaction from him.
he can't help the answering, small smile, even if there's a little bit of ache in that, too, at her greeting. ]
Buffy. Hi.
[ it takes another couple seconds before he steps back, holding the door open. ]
( oh, she's seen his network post as she was riding down on the elevator to get to him. the device is a permanent fixture in her hand. be it at home, at work or anywhere else, she's constantly checking the network. combing through it for what people are up to. for notifs of new arrivals or about others having gone home.
now that he's here it's more reason to stalk the network. wanting to know what he's up to. just because they aren't on speaking terms, this instance aside, and the knowledge he might have cut her out of his life back home ─ they're both still very much a part of the other's when shes from. and try as she might (she hasn't tried at all) she can't shut her feelings off like the flick of a switch.
his smile, like always, eases her. has the tension melting from her with every muscle in her body relaxing. like him, she stares, too. taking in the sight of him like it very well may be her last. while trying to see if there are any changes to him. and there's not. not any that she can physically see.
snapping herself out of the obvious staring, and longing at that, she nods and steps inside. )
I'd say nice place but... ( she huffs out the quietest of laughs, glancing around. it's exactly the same as every other apartment she's been to in the Up housing. not a touch of his taste anywhere. at least not yet. ) It's no different than the one they gave Faith, or where I live. ( then she remembers it could be worse for him. ) I'm glad you're here, in the Up, though. The alternative... ( she shakes her head, turning to face him and shrugs. ) Let's just say the Down makes even the shadiest parts of Sunnydale look like...well, somewhere way more fancy. ( she spent the better part of a month there, until she had enough and made the decision to ask Jean for a contract. )
But talking interior design isn't why I came here. ( she adds seriously, waiting for him to settle somewhere before she takes a seat; the furthest away from where he sits. )
[ even as he wanders after her, body shifting away, he can't stop watching her, neck shifting so he can glance past his shoulder at her as she wanders around, comments on the apartment. ]
I think the living arrangements would be the least of my worries, if I were marked a submissive. [ he glances at her neck, this time specifically at the black line she's been marked with. It makes him irrationally angry, and it's irrational, selfish jealousy; not even on her behalf, but because she has the city's mark on her throat, but not his own.
that's Angelus, but Angel can't help but agree with the demon's feelings.
at her rather obvious segue, he waits for a moment expectantly, before he realizes she wants him to sit down first. not something he's used to doing, sitting before a lady in the room. he was a lout as a human, but he was raised with manners.
taking a seat in one of the chairs, he watches her. ]
Right. Not a social call. [ he can't quite hold back the bitterness in his voice, but frankly it's a lot less than he expected to come out, and - to him, at least - it's clear that it's mostly all self-directed. ]
( his comment makes her go quiet as she silently questions why she hasn't had much issue with her designation. how it's come relatively easy for her to fit into the role. it's not like she doesn't have an issue with it, because she does. so many issues with the whole system. but nowhere near as much as she probably should.
especially considering, ) It hasn't been too bad for me. ( notwithstanding the end of her first month, where she'd been sent to the SLUT center and drugged, it's an honest answer. she doesn't need to look at him to know where his eyes travel to and she reacts all the same; her fingers skim over the mark starting just under her chin before skating across her clavicle and behind her neck to scratch nervously. ) I'm pretending it's like being grounded. Can't do this, can't buy that. ( something she doesn't expect him to understand. )
Only worse. Much, much worse thanks to the perversity of it all. But it helps I have a contract with someone I trust. Someone who doesn't expect anything along the lines the city makes a requirement. ( she can't help but to meet his eyes when she says it, searching to see if there's relief in her admittance ─ in case he was wondering if her contract had any sexual requirements. ) She has kids back home.
( with him picking a chair she moves to the sofa, taking the spot directly across from him. and no sooner does she sit, thinking they can be civil with one another does his tone turn sharp. two minutes. a new record!
and, of course, she can't help herself from returning some of the bite. ) And who's fault is... ( she raises a hand, ready to point a finger at him accusingly but instantly curls her fingers instead, clenching her hand into a fist and bites her tongue. though it's not clear to her it's self-directed, she isn't going to argue with him. not right now. )
Look. ( she sighs, folding her hands together in her lap in a sort of surrender. see? she can be mature! ) I came because a friend, who happens to be a witch─ ( and a werewolf and a vampire, stays with her for now. ) ─offered me something, months ago, that I think you could use. A ring. Not just any ring, though. It's a daylight ring. It'll allow you to go out in the sun without worrying about the ultimate sunburn. But it's if you want it. ( pressing her lips together she waits, watching as it sinks in before adding, ) Since you have to be there for the spell.
[ despite her personality, Angel isn't that surprised that it hasn't been that hard for Buffy to be designated a submissive, and all that it entails. despite being the slayer, she's used to being told what to do, who to go after. she puts her own creative flair on things, but when she wants to buck authority, she knows how to do it without getting in trouble; like that time she was grounded, and they made out at her window, not technically breaking the rules. (which is awkward not only remembering back then, but also that Buffy goes on to comment that it's like being grounded.) ]
It's mine. [ he says it calmly, if sadly, and holds her gaze, hoping she can see that he knows, understands the position he's put them in.
surprisingly - or maybe not - at the mention of a ring letting him go out in the daylight, Angel's first thought isn't the ring of amara. instead, it's walking along a pier, approaching Buffy, embracing her, leaning down...
the deep, unnecessary breath he takes to banish that memory is shaky, and he has to look down, fidgeting a little with his fingers until he can get ahold of himself. it's only then that he remembers the ring of amara, and destroying it so others wouldn't come after him for it. when he looks up, his expression is slightly worried. ]
I know there are different kinds of vampires around here--this thing just lets me walk in the sun? It doesn't--make me invincible, or anything, right? Nobody's gonna come after me to try and steal it?
[ he also remembers what he told Doyle - another wrenching ache in his chest - that people in the daylight already had the whole world out there to save them; he was there to protect the people others forgot, in the dark.
but there's nobody here to protect. no mission, no helping the hopeless. they're all hopeless, here, and nobody's going to help them except themselves. the city really is set up perfectly, if it's looking for selfishness and depravity. ]
( she does exactly as he hopes; meeting his gaze. but there's no smug triumph in her expression at Angel admitting he's the reason they're in this (mutually painful) situation. no matter how angry she is at him (and she is, because she doesn't yet grasp why he did ─ will do it), she doesn't feel any joy or satisfaction in knowing he's miserable. more than anything she wants to cross the small space between them and comfort him.
only she can't. but more than that, she won't. while he might've set the boundaries, she'll respect them.
keeping to her spot on the sofa, her gaze stays glued on him, watching his reaction. but before he can stare at his hands, which he twists almost nervously, Buffy recognizes the look on his face. Angel's lost himself in thought; in memories. whether they're ones from his past and her future, or a past they've both experienced together, she'll never know. she isn't brave enough to outright ask him what he's thinking about. not on the off chance it's something they haven't yet shared for her and it'll only break her heart more. whatever it is, though, it's heavy. she can see it in his eyes when he finally lifts his gaze to hers again. )
Invincible? ( she gives him a perplexed look, wondering what ring he's talking about, then shakes her head. ) No. It's not some kind of one ring to rule them all deal. So no one will come after you for it. You just can't tell anyone where you got it from. ( she presses, before gently adding, ) Not that you would.
I just... I thought if you're going to be stuck here, forced into a situation... ( whether she means being trapped in Duplicity in general, or trapped in a city with her, she doesn't clarify. ) ...you can't get out of, that this might make it a little easier to deal with. ( and sure, there was some (a ton, really) in knowing she'd take the offer when it was presented months ago, where she pictured them being able to be out in the sunlight together; hand in hand like a normal couple. but now, even after their somewhat break-up, she would never deny him the chance to experience such a thing, because she can't be there with him. )
[ it's a relief to hear that the ring won't make him a target, so when Buffy makes a Lord of the Rings joke, he can't help giving a little amused smile.
mentioning the situation he's 'stuck' in sobers him, especially since she's stuck here, too. being trapped here with her... well, it's not ideal, but mostly because she doesn't deserve to be here. still. ] Thank you. I appreciate it.
[ he takes another deep breath. ] I won't tell anyone where I got it. Not--not the first secret I've kept. [ again, he thinks of the day only he remembers. of how long he kept the fact that he was a vampire, hidden from the slayer. definitely not his first secret. ]
( if the ring brought him any extra danger she wouldn't have entertained the idea, let alone come here about it. she'd have refused, regardless of their relationship. she loves him too much, and always will, to add to the list of enemies he has. )
It's not me you should thank. ( Buffy's just passing along the good fortune after finding herself in the right conversation at the right time. ) Her name's Hope. ( she offers with a smile. in case he runs into her between now and then, he'll know who she is. )
Once I get the ring, and she tells me when she can work it, I'll let you know. ( besides a small bump in the proverbial road, she'd be the first to admit that went a lot smoother than she anticipated. even with his last sentence hanging in the air, she keeps from commenting on it. he's allowed his secrets. whatever they may be. pushing to know if they have anything to do with her will only grow the wedge between them. and this is ─ not exactly what she wants, but it is... nice. so she'll take what meager crumbs of what they had that she can get.
just not right now. ) I should go. Let you get back to your network post... ( pressing her palms to the edge of the cushion, Buffy pushes up and stands. but doesn't move beyond that. not before letting him know, ) If you can't find pigs blood, and you don't want to risk getting it from a stranger... ( it's only then that she meets his gaze. ) ...you have me.
[ another surprise, when she mentions his network post. ah. he should've known she'd see it; it'd taken him a bit of time poking around on the device he'd been given to figure out how it worked--but he's over 270 years old, anything fancier than pen and quill is 'new technology' to him. Buffy, on the other hand, is a teenage girl who's used to constantly being on the phone; of course she's figured it out and keeps an eye on it.
he can't really give any sort of come-back, since it was kind of a necessary post. he stands as she does, ready to show her out, when her offer to feed him herself makes him freeze. he has a surprisingly visceral memory of feeding on her the last time, despite being poisoned and half out of his mind at the time. his eyes go to her neck for a split second, before he looks resolutely above her head, even as his shoulders draw in and his hands curl. he doesn't look angry, if anything it's a little scared - and a lot tempted. ]
I'll--keep that in mind.
[ he kicks himself, because he meant to politely-but-firmly refuse her offer. ]
( her mouth forms a small O, catching what he says. she hadn't realized it until now, but he's right. it adds a little more light, and exactly that ─ hope ─ to the situation.
the mention of his network post wasn't meant as a jab. it was the easiest out she could find not to make her exit anymore awkward than she's already making it. (except she's making it ten times more awkward it seems. good job, Buffy!) plus, she was surprised to see his texted post when she clicked on the feed earlier. usually people who are a little, or a lot less, familiar with technology seem to make their first post using the video feed. and never accurately. it's either sideways or upside down, completely black or by sheer accident, and everyone watching gets a little more familiar with the poster in a way they never intended. so she'll give him props for mastering text and the network on his first go. )
Right. Good. Mind. That's all I ask. ( she nods, nervously. but when she sees his expression go scared, she could kick herself, too. ) Oh! I didn't mean it like that. ( she insists, gesturing to her neck. ) Or at all. I mean, you drinking from me, 'cos temptation and intimacy and risks and we aren't... ( together, she mouths, her hand waving between them as she rambles. ) I could go to the hospital and ask to have blood drawn and bring it back to you. No risk. No temptation. Just blood. Substance so you don't have to worry about anything being tampered with or whatever.
Yes, sort of, but not for the same reasons as when I got here. She convinced me to try some food that ended up being a truth drug. She didn't know that *at first*, but even once she realized, she played dumb.
I'm not exactly *avoiding* her, but I'm not going around looking for her, either.
[Faith can only thank her lucky stars that didn't happen to her with Buffy. That wouldn't have ended anywhere good.]
if you ever wanna do something other than brood maybe you could stop by Red Emerald and we can spar? or if you're feeling handy i'm trying to fix up space in the Down to start a business. it's a real shithole right now but its what i could afford.
i wanna make something like the Bronze. a place for music, laid back and shit.
It's worse cuz I don't lie to her anyway. I didn't even realize what was happening at first, until she started asking personal questions that I wouldn't normally go into detail about.
...Don't take offense at this, but I've never fought you before where you weren't trying to kill me. I'm not sure sparring with you would be the best idea. I'll keep it in mind, though.
You, music and 'laid back' don't strike me as synonymous. Does this place even have people to play live music? Or were you thinking of just playing records? ...albums, whatever this place has music stored on.
[He says not to take offense, but she's absolutely taking offense. She just wants to see him, to rebuild a friendship he's not even had yet but she's no idea where to even start.]
there are people who play yeah. singers too. like my sub.
yeah but what i do can directly impact jean and she doesn't need to worry about me getting into trouble and thereby potentially getting her into some
yeah well this might come as a surprise but before i was a slayer i managed to stay out of trouble mostly any trouble i did get into was def not the fighting kind
( five finger discount kind. and they'll wonder where Dawn gets it from later? ha! )
in order for there to be more you first have to cause some and i'm p sure you haven't caused any?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text | un: destructogirl
it's just
i need to talk to you about something
in person
i'd add in a public and v crowded place
except what i need to talk to you about isn't anything i can risk being overheard
and it's not about us
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in person. in private. because the last time he saw her wasn't hard enough, and that was while he was still in shock over what he'd done, what he'd given up, and they'd been standing an entire office apart with a desk between them.
he has no idea what to say to any of that, besides: ]
apartment 9-A
text ▶ action
( this is a horrible, terrible and incredibly stupid idea and she knows it. meeting him in person. meeting him at his apartment! but she also knows she can't jeopardize anyone hearing what she has to tell him.
and because she can't stop herself from wanting to see him. even if it
mightwill hurt more in the long run.in true Buffy fashion she's five minutes late, despite coming from her own housing a few floors up and already being dressed; also in true Buffy fashion (mini skirt, tank top, sweater and boots. the cross he'd given her years ago hanging around her neck like it has since she arrived.
the moment she's outside the door she can feel him. the familiar and distinctive hum that drums in her veins whenever he's around. it's a comfort, knowing even here she's able to tell he's nearby. with a deep breath she lifts her hand and goes to knock. only to stop when thee door pulls opens before she gets a chance. pulling with it all the air from her lungs because God, she's missed him.
digging her heels into the ground she keeps herself from rushing to embrace him. instead, offering a nervous smile and an awkward, )
Hi.
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no, that wouldn't have been fair, on either of them. but god, he kind of wishes it were the case, anyway. he's selfish, and he'll be the first one to admit it. if this place is going to be so awful, what's the harm in pretending, for as long as he can, that...
"what's the harm," of course, is one of the reasons he broke up with her in the first place. a slippery slope of 'this is alright', and the road to hell--or rather, Angelus--being paved with good intentions. his intentions aren't even that good.
while he waits, Angel makes a network post asking about where to procure blood for a vampire. he's getting some... interesting responses, when he shivers, glancing toward the door, even though there's been no knock yet.
he's over to it and opening the door before she announces herself, but he can't help it. he stares at her, like an oasis to a man dying of heat and thirst. the cross on her neck is a familiar, even welcome ache, because that's his. it's not his mark on her neck, but it draws a similar reaction from him.
he can't help the answering, small smile, even if there's a little bit of ache in that, too, at her greeting. ]
Buffy. Hi.
[ it takes another couple seconds before he steps back, holding the door open. ]
Come in.
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now that he's here it's more reason to stalk the network. wanting to know what he's up to. just because they aren't on speaking terms, this instance aside, and the knowledge he might have cut her out of his life back home ─ they're both still very much a part of the other's when shes from. and try as she might (she hasn't tried at all) she can't shut her feelings off like the flick of a switch.
his smile, like always, eases her. has the tension melting from her with every muscle in her body relaxing. like him, she stares, too. taking in the sight of him like it very well may be her last. while trying to see if there are any changes to him. and there's not. not any that she can physically see.
snapping herself out of the obvious staring, and longing at that, she nods and steps inside. )
I'd say nice place but... ( she huffs out the quietest of laughs, glancing around. it's exactly the same as every other apartment she's been to in the Up housing. not a touch of his taste anywhere. at least not yet. ) It's no different than the one they gave Faith, or where I live. ( then she remembers it could be worse for him. ) I'm glad you're here, in the Up, though. The alternative... ( she shakes her head, turning to face him and shrugs. ) Let's just say the Down makes even the shadiest parts of Sunnydale look like...well, somewhere way more fancy. ( she spent the better part of a month there, until she had enough and made the decision to ask Jean for a contract. )
But talking interior design isn't why I came here. ( she adds seriously, waiting for him to settle somewhere before she takes a seat; the furthest away from where he sits. )
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I think the living arrangements would be the least of my worries, if I were marked a submissive. [ he glances at her neck, this time specifically at the black line she's been marked with. It makes him irrationally angry, and it's irrational, selfish jealousy; not even on her behalf, but because she has the city's mark on her throat, but not his own.
that's Angelus, but Angel can't help but agree with the demon's feelings.
at her rather obvious segue, he waits for a moment expectantly, before he realizes she wants him to sit down first. not something he's used to doing, sitting before a lady in the room. he was a lout as a human, but he was raised with manners.
taking a seat in one of the chairs, he watches her. ]
Right. Not a social call. [ he can't quite hold back the bitterness in his voice, but frankly it's a lot less than he expected to come out, and - to him, at least - it's clear that it's mostly all self-directed. ]
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especially considering, ) It hasn't been too bad for me. ( notwithstanding the end of her first month, where she'd been sent to the SLUT center and drugged, it's an honest answer. she doesn't need to look at him to know where his eyes travel to and she reacts all the same; her fingers skim over the mark starting just under her chin before skating across her clavicle and behind her neck to scratch nervously. ) I'm pretending it's like being grounded. Can't do this, can't buy that. ( something she doesn't expect him to understand. )
Only worse. Much, much worse thanks to the perversity of it all. But it helps I have a contract with someone I trust. Someone who doesn't expect anything along the lines the city makes a requirement. ( she can't help but to meet his eyes when she says it, searching to see if there's relief in her admittance ─ in case he was wondering if her contract had any sexual requirements. ) She has kids back home.
( with him picking a chair she moves to the sofa, taking the spot directly across from him. and no sooner does she sit, thinking they can be civil with one another does his tone turn sharp. two minutes. a new record!
and, of course, she can't help herself from returning some of the bite. ) And who's fault is... ( she raises a hand, ready to point a finger at him accusingly but instantly curls her fingers instead, clenching her hand into a fist and bites her tongue. though it's not clear to her it's self-directed, she isn't going to argue with him. not right now. )
Look. ( she sighs, folding her hands together in her lap in a sort of surrender. see? she can be mature! ) I came because a friend, who happens to be a witch─ ( and a werewolf and a vampire, stays with her for now. ) ─offered me something, months ago, that I think you could use. A ring. Not just any ring, though. It's a daylight ring. It'll allow you to go out in the sun without worrying about the ultimate sunburn. But it's if you want it. ( pressing her lips together she waits, watching as it sinks in before adding, ) Since you have to be there for the spell.
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It's mine. [ he says it calmly, if sadly, and holds her gaze, hoping she can see that he knows, understands the position he's put them in.
surprisingly - or maybe not - at the mention of a ring letting him go out in the daylight, Angel's first thought isn't the ring of amara. instead, it's walking along a pier, approaching Buffy, embracing her, leaning down...
the deep, unnecessary breath he takes to banish that memory is shaky, and he has to look down, fidgeting a little with his fingers until he can get ahold of himself. it's only then that he remembers the ring of amara, and destroying it so others wouldn't come after him for it. when he looks up, his expression is slightly worried. ]
I know there are different kinds of vampires around here--this thing just lets me walk in the sun? It doesn't--make me invincible, or anything, right? Nobody's gonna come after me to try and steal it?
[ he also remembers what he told Doyle - another wrenching ache in his chest - that people in the daylight already had the whole world out there to save them; he was there to protect the people others forgot, in the dark.
but there's nobody here to protect. no mission, no helping the hopeless. they're all hopeless, here, and nobody's going to help them except themselves. the city really is set up perfectly, if it's looking for selfishness and depravity. ]
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only she can't. but more than that, she won't. while he might've set the boundaries, she'll respect them.
keeping to her spot on the sofa, her gaze stays glued on him, watching his reaction. but before he can stare at his hands, which he twists almost nervously, Buffy recognizes the look on his face. Angel's lost himself in thought; in memories. whether they're ones from his past and her future, or a past they've both experienced together, she'll never know. she isn't brave enough to outright ask him what he's thinking about. not on the off chance it's something they haven't yet shared for her and it'll only break her heart more. whatever it is, though, it's heavy. she can see it in his eyes when he finally lifts his gaze to hers again. )
Invincible? ( she gives him a perplexed look, wondering what ring he's talking about, then shakes her head. ) No. It's not some kind of one ring to rule them all deal. So no one will come after you for it. You just can't tell anyone where you got it from. ( she presses, before gently adding, ) Not that you would.
I just... I thought if you're going to be stuck here, forced into a situation... ( whether she means being trapped in Duplicity in general, or trapped in a city with her, she doesn't clarify. ) ...you can't get out of, that this might make it a little easier to deal with. ( and sure, there was some (a ton, really) in knowing she'd take the offer when it was presented months ago, where she pictured them being able to be out in the sunlight together; hand in hand like a normal couple. but now, even after their somewhat break-up, she would never deny him the chance to experience such a thing, because she can't be there with him. )
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mentioning the situation he's 'stuck' in sobers him, especially since she's stuck here, too. being trapped here with her... well, it's not ideal, but mostly because she doesn't deserve to be here. still. ] Thank you. I appreciate it.
[ he takes another deep breath. ] I won't tell anyone where I got it. Not--not the first secret I've kept. [ again, he thinks of the day only he remembers. of how long he kept the fact that he was a vampire, hidden from the slayer. definitely not his first secret. ]
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It's not me you should thank. ( Buffy's just passing along the good fortune after finding herself in the right conversation at the right time. ) Her name's Hope. ( she offers with a smile. in case he runs into her between now and then, he'll know who she is. )
Once I get the ring, and she tells me when she can work it, I'll let you know. ( besides a small bump in the proverbial road, she'd be the first to admit that went a lot smoother than she anticipated. even with his last sentence hanging in the air, she keeps from commenting on it. he's allowed his secrets. whatever they may be. pushing to know if they have anything to do with her will only grow the wedge between them. and this is ─ not exactly what she wants, but it is... nice. so she'll take what meager crumbs of what they had that she can get.
just not right now. ) I should go. Let you get back to your network post... ( pressing her palms to the edge of the cushion, Buffy pushes up and stands. but doesn't move beyond that. not before letting him know, ) If you can't find pigs blood, and you don't want to risk getting it from a stranger... ( it's only then that she meets his gaze. ) ...you have me.
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[ another surprise, when she mentions his network post. ah. he should've known she'd see it; it'd taken him a bit of time poking around on the device he'd been given to figure out how it worked--but he's over 270 years old, anything fancier than pen and quill is 'new technology' to him. Buffy, on the other hand, is a teenage girl who's used to constantly being on the phone; of course she's figured it out and keeps an eye on it.
he can't really give any sort of come-back, since it was kind of a necessary post. he stands as she does, ready to show her out, when her offer to feed him herself makes him freeze. he has a surprisingly visceral memory of feeding on her the last time, despite being poisoned and half out of his mind at the time. his eyes go to her neck for a split second, before he looks resolutely above her head, even as his shoulders draw in and his hands curl. he doesn't look angry, if anything it's a little scared - and a lot tempted. ]
I'll--keep that in mind.
[ he kicks himself, because he meant to politely-but-firmly refuse her offer. ]
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the mention of his network post wasn't meant as a jab. it was the easiest out she could find not to make her exit anymore awkward than she's already making it. (except she's making it ten times more awkward it seems. good job, Buffy!) plus, she was surprised to see his texted post when she clicked on the feed earlier. usually people who are a little, or a lot less, familiar with technology seem to make their first post using the video feed. and never accurately. it's either sideways or upside down, completely black or by sheer accident, and everyone watching gets a little more familiar with the poster in a way they never intended. so she'll give him props for mastering text and the network on his first go. )
Right. Good. Mind. That's all I ask. ( she nods, nervously. but when she sees his expression go scared, she could kick herself, too. ) Oh! I didn't mean it like that. ( she insists, gesturing to her neck. ) Or at all. I mean, you drinking from me, 'cos temptation and intimacy and risks and we aren't... ( together, she mouths, her hand waving between them as she rambles. ) I could go to the hospital and ask to have blood drawn and bring it back to you. No risk. No temptation. Just blood. Substance so you don't have to worry about anything being tampered with or whatever.
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un:lehane | text
i just wanted to check in.
see how you were settling in?
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Not bad.
Figuring things out, slowly.
Stuck in the apartment all day, like I needed more practice brooding.
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so you could do something other than brood.
maybe i should drag you to karaoke sometime.
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That's not a thing I do.
[ thankfully, he doesn't have memories of doing just that at caritas yet. ]
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[She knows better. But this is again a reminder that he's not quite yet the Angel she knows. And it stings. He's here, but she's still missing him.]
You gotta have some other hobbies than brooding though.
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I'm actually getting kinda tired of drawing, which is a first for me.
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I'd offer some suggestions of what I find fun... but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be into them.
You still avoiding Buffy?
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Yes, sort of, but not for the same reasons as when I got here.
She convinced me to try some food that ended up being a truth drug. She didn't know that *at first*, but even once she realized, she played dumb.
I'm not exactly *avoiding* her, but I'm not going around looking for her, either.
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[Faith can only thank her lucky stars that didn't happen to her with Buffy. That wouldn't have ended anywhere good.]
if you ever wanna do something other than brood maybe you could stop by Red Emerald and we can spar? or if you're feeling handy i'm trying to fix up space in the Down to start a business. it's a real shithole right now but its what i could afford.
i wanna make something like the Bronze. a place for music, laid back and shit.
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...Don't take offense at this, but I've never fought you before where you weren't trying to kill me. I'm not sure sparring with you would be the best idea. I'll keep it in mind, though.
You, music and 'laid back' don't strike me as synonymous. Does this place even have people to play live music? Or were you thinking of just playing records?
...albums, whatever this place has music stored on.
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[He says not to take offense, but she's absolutely taking offense. She just wants to see him, to rebuild a friendship he's not even had yet but she's no idea where to even start.]
there are people who play yeah. singers too. like my sub.
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yeah but what i do can directly impact jean and she doesn't need to worry about me getting into trouble and thereby potentially getting her into some
yeah well this might come as a surprise but before i was a slayer i managed to stay out of trouble
mostly
any trouble i did get into was def not the fighting kind
( five finger discount kind. and they'll wonder where Dawn gets it from later? ha! )
in order for there to be more you first have to cause some
and i'm p sure you haven't caused any?