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Mar. 20th, 2022 at 12:42 PM
The table he'd been laying on is gone. That's disappointing; it was metal, not like he'd be able to break it down and stake himself with it. He could probably still have broken it and turned pieces into projectile weapons; while that could've been fun, he'd much prefer to use it as a prop. You get graded almost 50% on style, and he has been seriously lacking in style for the last 5 years, and the last hundred before that.
For now, he sits and lounges against the wall opposite the bars of his cage ('cage', that's rich; like he hasn't been in a far worse, more confined and torturous cage for almost half his existence, forced not only to witness, but feel everything that his stupid, tortured soul does), listening to the troop upstairs discuss him.
It's all so trite and scripted. Boring. One good thing about Angel, though; in an effort to get his friends to ignore the more demonic aspects of his being a vampire that he can't hide - he's hidden other facets as well. Like, for instance, just how good his hearing is. He can hear them upstairs in the office, talking, just as easily as if they were right in front of him, just past the red line that marks how far his reach is.
"Angel is gone." Nope, right here, Wes old pal! Angelus chuckles to himself.
And Cordelia, going on about how she's seen how bad Angelus is. Okay sure, she says she's seen all the things he did before he got his soul, but really - he's insulted that she thinks he can't come up with a new, worse repertoire now. The torments he'd visited on past victims were generic; he rarely got to know them well enough to truly psychologically torture them the way he enjoys best. Only two, really; Drusilla, and...
"We're Angel's only link to humanity. Angelus will hate us for that. He'll wanna make us suffer." Angelus tilts his head at Cordy's words, pursing his lips in a 'meh?' face. While she's not wrong about wanting to make them suffer - because goddamn, does he ever - he's got a whole list of things he wants to do once he's free, and the idiots upstairs aren't really his first priority. Maybe second, as a group, with little sub-priorities for each of them individually. But his first priority has sub-priorities of its own, so really, they're about 4th --5th?-- down the list.
And Wesley, discussing his methodology. Going on and on about how much better Angelus is than Wes - again, true, but Jesus Christ, he hadn't realized just how blatant Wes's inferiority complex still was. He is flattered at how megalomaniacal, devious and cunning Wes seems to think he is. He can definitely use that.
Angelus starts singing softly to himself, something he hasn't really been able to do in quite a while. It's nice to have proof that his body, his vocal chords are his own again.
When Wes comes down, Angelus does the whole back-and-forth convo thing; he's much better at subtly buttering Wes up than the former Watcher is. And considering how the two of them originally met, and what came before, he's not surprised when Wes brings up Sunnydale; he plays it cool though, acting like it's only the last in a long line of fond memories. He can't help mentioning "That Slayer though... she's a pistol." Gotta get the fuck out of here, so he can go pay her another visit...
"Is it a game?" Oh, Wes. Wesley, Wesley, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. He wants to taunt him that it's always a game! So much for knowing so-fucking-much about him. Angel works with a bunch of fucking morons, really. And that's coming from the guy who spent a hundred years with the shallow bitch Darla, the fucking looney Drusilla, and the idiot hanger-on Spike.
Talking about the Beast, why Angel doesn't remember him-- YAWN, boring! Fine, whatever. It's not like he's able to go anywhere else for more stimulating conversation. It's not hard to steer the conversation though, turning it back on Wes, making digs on the whole sordid inter-office relationships. God, you'd think he lived in a fucking sitcom, all the dating and partner switching and personal drama in this place. It is nice fodder to use against them, though. He doles it out slowly. Divide and conquer; Wes really shouldn't have come down on his own, or told the others to listen upstairs. That's definitely gonna come back to bite him on the ass - Angelus intends to help it along as much as possible.
Wes really was right - Angelus is much better at this back-and-forth, getting-under-the-skin manipulation than Wes is. He does get the chance to bring up watching his welp fucking the prom queen, before abruptly ending the conversation.
For a first volley, he's positive it was a rousing victory in his favor. Gotta love white-hats, so self-righteous, such brittle emotions. Poke 'em in just the right place, they deflate like water balloons.
Gunn and Fred are fun, too; he pulls out the 'evil' a little more, knowing how unnerved it'll make Fred. Mmmh, Fred, with the hero worship of Angel still sitting under the surface, even almost 2 years later. He attacks Fred, mostly just to see what they'll do. He knows what the plan is, but you know what they say: the battle plan only lasts until the first skirmish. Gunn doesn't disappoint, dropping the crossbow and trying to help Fred; Wes is the surprise, keeping to the plan and tranquing him - twice! He's not sure if he enjoys the brainy ones more, or less than the more easily-manipulated.
Wes is gonna be a problem, once he gets out. Fred too - she's mousy, but more than just smart, she's resourceful. Bad combination for his continued existence on the outside. Too bad; he'd love to get to play with her more. He's always wondered if he could drive another girl insane like he did Dru. Might even be fun to turn her - it's always the quiet ones that are the most vicious. Could have the added benefit of derailing Wesley and Gunn - but might also make them more determined to kill him.
It's a conundrum, that he considers while laying on the floor, listening to them when he wakes up. He could get up, but actually, this is pretty comfortable, laying on his back, hands linked behind his head, legs crossed at the ankle, listening to Angel's team self-destruct. Angelus can't help but chuckle. "That was fast."
There's fighting, and he wishes he could see what was happening - although he's got a pretty clear picture just from the sounds. Tensions, reaching their boiling point, overflowing - not sure who took the first swing, but his money's on Gunn, who's always had less control over his temper. He's sure the new and improved Wes is giving as good as he gets though. Yelling, Cordy saying they're doing just what Angelus wants. Yes, yes they are. So nice when a plan comes together.
Meanwhile, nobody's paying attention to the caged vampire, or the kid sneaking down to see him. Angelus keeps himself loose, but mentally alert, in case Connor decides now's the perfect time to get rid of him.
If Wes was easy to manipulate, Connor is just embarrassing. All that fucking teenage angst and bravado and anger just simmering, hardly under the surface at all - he wears his pissy attitude like a badge of honor. If there's any of them Angelus hates, it's Connor, and not because Angel loves the fucking brat. Angel loves Buffy too, and he sure as shit doesn't hate her. No, he hates Connor because he's the worst kind of spoiled, entitled little bitch who needs to be slapped repeatedly, and nobody fucking will!
God, just looking at him makes Angelus's skin crawl. Makes him... tingle? There's a buzzing along his spine, and even as he talks to Connor, he can't help but think... hope... it's not just his imagination. It's getting stronger though. Conning Connor into getting closer, he stays away from the bars, luring the boy in; even caged, he's sure if he can get the kid in close quarters, he can take him, no matter what stake the kid has up his sleeve. He wonders if a human-vampire hybrid would taste different? Have a nice zing in his blood? It'd be nice to have the memory of killing him if Angel ever gets shoved back into his body.
But the thought of Connor's blood is quickly losing it's appeal; Cordelia coming down the stairs is on the periphery of his attention, because he knows, he's certain now-- she's here...
"Wouldn't mind a car. I hear the new Mustang's nice." Cordy looks so haughty, like he's falling exactly where she wants him. "Something better."
"What's a better ride than a Mustang?" He's not an idiot, and frankly he's insulted that all he has to do is phrase things a certain way, and they think they're manipulating him. Fucking amateurs. Cordelia's offer of herself isn't worth his spit - well, it might be, if he for one second believed that she wouldn't figure out a way to wiggle out of it. Unlike Angel though, Angelus isn't interested in used goods, which Cordelia absolutely is. Like he'd take sloppy seconds after his own kid.
She does give him a bargaining chip, though. They're so gung-ho to learn about the stupid Beast, that means he's got leverage.
Giving Cordelia a smirk, he leans forward, running his eyes blatantly over her figure, before whispering lowly, "...Not interested, princess. Try again."
His eyes shift up to the top of the stairs, the near-silent footfalls alerting him they're about to have company.
Let the real games begin.
Comments
A sad truth.
But even on the Hellmouth, where trouble is never in short supply, there's usually a lull between events. Big events, anyway. Not the usual monster of the week and the inevitable (usually right before Summer) big bad's appearance.
This year, though, it's just one thing after the other. Spike and his soul. Something Buffy is still very much trying to wrap her head around. Anya no longer being a vengeance demon (again), after slaughtering a dozen fraternity boys. Willow coming back from England, after nearly destroying the world.
And now, the First and its Harbingers coming after each would-be Slayer. Some of who are now taking up space inside her all too small house, where they're being sheltered and trained against the previously mentioned big bads.
Oh, but the cherry on this disaster of a cake comes in the form of Angelus being back.
"I don't know who or what did it, or why they would do it Buffy, other than the obvious for evil reasons answer, but they did." Willow had come to her, once she knew for certain what had happened. "But I know, without a doubt, it was done with magic. I felt it." An added reply when she'd seen Buffy's expression shift. Being tethered to the magic used to re-ensoul Angel the first time, Willow had felt it while it was happening; like a thread quickly being unraveled. She'd been unsure where exactly the magic led to until it was done and she knew Angel's soul had been removed.
Going to LA to find out what happened is an easy decision to make. Buffy's mind had been made up the moment she was told about Angel. What takes careful planning is getting everything in Sunnydale sorted with the girls and the First, plans set in motion just in case something happens while she's away. And then... a contingency plan for Willow to put Angel's soul back if Buffy can't figure out what's going on. The latter of which needs more time to be worked out. Time those close to Angel back in Los Angeles might not have.
The moment she's out of the car (yes, she drove all the way to Los Angeles on her own and in her own car), she feels it - the itch just under her skin, telling her - no, warning her of a vampire. But that's it. The familiar and adjoining hum that prickles the back of her neck and makes for butterflies in her stomach that is uniquely Angel, isn't there. It's a shift. One she's felt before. And one that leaves her feeling sick. Now, standing here just outside the gates of the hotel, it all comes flooding back to her; everything he ever did, and everyone he's ever killed because of her flashes across her vision. All because she made him feel. Made him know love.
And if history dares repeat itself, and it no doubt will, he'll go for all the newer people in Angel's life who made him as close to human as possible.
The sight that greets her when she cautiously steps into the lobby isn't one she was anticipating. Which is (partially) a relief. No bodies laying around is always a plus. But it's also a dreadful thing because while they're armed, postures tense, they're talking amongst themselves as if they haven't a clue what's happened.
Or maybe they do? It's just that he's not here.
He's not...
She feels a wave of panic hit her at the very real chance Angelus decided to skip town and make an impact elsewhere, first - Sunnydale. For a redo of all he didn't get to do his first time. Buffy's going for her phone in her pocket when she sees it; the video feed of Angelus locked in a cage - somewhere dark and empty, possibly the basement.
After staring for God only knows how long at the video, she finally draws attention on herself. "You planned this." Buffy whispers, astonished. There's quiet for a moment as everyone realizes they aren't alone, and before Wesley specifically acknowledges her presence and starts to explain it's what Angel wanted, doubling down on it being what they had to do in order to get info on the Beast.
An explanation that earns a bitter laugh from Buffy. "You're all idiots." Is all she says, matter-of-fact, despite wanting to scream it at them. Still. There's a pointed look at Wesley, her anger set on him because Cordelia isn't in the room and honestly, she forgets Cordelia is still an integral part of Angel's life (by choice). "I can tell you right now, no amount of reading - no matter how detailed those diaries are, could ever prepare you for what Angelus is truly capable of." She knows it for a fact. Experienced it first hand, "You think you're in control, but you're not." A beat, "Or at least you weren't." She reasons, standing up and heading towards, well... she doesn't know which door leads to him. "Where?" Is all she asks, and eventually they point the way.
She has to steel herself before she descends the stairs because she knows even with all her experience, she isn't prepared to face him. She never is. She never will be.
But she plays it cool; her attention never drifting from Cordelia, not even to acknowledge Angelus.
Not until they're alone.
Which feels like pulling teeth in order to achieve. Cordelia putting up one hell of an argument as to why that's a bad idea.
Once they are, Buffy keeps behind the carefully marked line, arms over her chest as she stares across and through the bars at the monster once again wearing Angel's face. Trying not to let her emotions show. Either in her expression or in her tone.
"At least they were smart enough to put you in a cage." She notes, keeping her voice level, though her heart rate does spike when she turns to look over her shoulder to the camera and sees it's already off.
Well that's disturbing.
"Probably the only smart thing about this whole, idiotic plan of theirs." She shifts the convo back, hoping he didn't take notice of the camera off. And yeah, she's not holding back on what she thinks of Angel or his friends, not right now.
If Buffy's attention never leaves Cordelia, Angelus's never strays from Buffy. He's still by the bars, hands clasped behind his back, leaning forward ever so slightly. As irritated as he is that Cordelia won't just go away, he can't help but be amused how mad she is, but trying to hide it behind 'logic.' She clearly can't stand being upstaged by Buffy, who isn't even technically a part of this (she's his though, and he's hers, which means she'll always be a part), as well as the sting of rejection when she clearly thought he'd jump at the chance of getting in her pants. He thinks about making a comment, maybe comparing the idea of fucking her, versus just talking to Buffy - but decides against it. It'd be fun, but mostly he just wants her to get lost. He'll have time later. Hopefully not still stuck in this cage.
He finally gives Buffy a slow smile as Cordy marches up the stairs. "Alone at last," he can't help remarking. He reaches out, running a hand down and back up one of the bars in a caress. He likes the jump her heart does, seeing the camera turned off. "Angel's idea," he says about the cage. "Built it to spec, just to hold in little ol' me." He leans forward and adds in a conspiratorial whisper, "Don't worry - the camera's off because Queen C was prostituting herself to me for intel. Guess she didn't want to tarnish her Saint Cordy rep with the others. You can turn it on if you want - won't lie though, I'd love to have more time alone with you."
As if he's not well aware they're all gathered just out of sight past the basement doorway, straining to hear. Wait, does that mean they heard what he just said about Cordelia? Oops! Quelle horreur!
Probably not, though, sadly. Unless Connor's currently there, who's hearing isn't as good as Angel's, but far superior to the other humans'.
"I did try to tell them it was stupid - well, Angel did. I was all for it, which is why he was against it. I mean, I think it's a dumb plan too, but who am I to stop people when it's to my benefit?" He flashes her a surprisingly charming grin. "But you know what they say; desperate times~..." he sing-songs, finally shifting his eyes away from her, wandering up and along the bars, as if he's bored.
Just when she thinks she's pushed the feeling down, he goes and smiles at her like that. And while Slayer instinct knows it's dangerous, she can't help but to want to smile back because he's wearing Angel's face.
Ah but then, he opens his mouth and the difference is night and... well, other night. Or something. Whatever.
"I take it that it was also his idea not to give anyone else, besides those..." She jabs her thumb in an upwards direction with the words, blind sheep up there, on the tip of her tongue, "...he relies on a heads up." Not something she needs answering when the answer is an obvious yes.
At the idea of Cordelia whoring herself over to Angelus in exchange for information Buffy does a double take back at the stairs, up the landing and then at Angelus. Because, "She did what?" Oh, no, she knows she heard him right the first time. It's just the idea Cordelia could stoop so low means they might not just be desperate, but, "She's insane." And stupid. So, so stupid. Regardless if she were bluffing. (Though something in the pit of her stomach tells her Cordelia wouldn't bluff. Oh god.) More than Cordelia being insane, though, "My god, they all are." Louder this time, hoping they hear, "Every single one of you is certifiably nuts." Too bad she's not joking, either. Not when the proof is in the demon behind the bars. The worse of the worse, and who that little broken group ─ yeah, she's seen what a team divided looks like even if they are 'banding together' at the moment ─ only brought out for information. Information he isn't giving them. (Gee, who could've seen that coming? Oh, right ─ her. And she's been here for all of five minutes.)
Making sure the chair is well behind the red line, Buffy settles into it, rubbing a hand over the side of her face. And while she can understand their desperation, their any means necessary to put back the sun, literally, "Their desperate measures haven't gotten them anything yet. You haven't told them a thing, have you?" Again, not really a question she needs answering. Propping an elbow on the arm of the chair to rest her cheek against her closed fist, Buffy mirrors his bored attitude. Tone flat, "Do you even know anything, or are you just blowing smoke up their asses while playing them against each other until one of them slips up and, let me guess, you can make your big escape?" She remembers how easily manipulating people against each other comes for him. Moving each person like they're pawns on a board in order for him to win.
Taking a deep breath, Angelus shrugs. "Pop the soul out, get me to spill my guts, pop it back in." Wandering around the cage, he turns to glance over his shoulder at her. "Because clearly, any time your lot is about to do something incredibly risky in order to protect the hellmouth, you let Angel know."
He reaches up to scratch his chin. "I seem to recall you telling him to stay out of your life. Figured that went both ways." He pivots to face her, hands still behind his back, like a school teacher giving a lecture. "Can't have it both ways, lover. Either you're in, or you're out. Or, you're a hypocrite. 'Stay out of my life, but tell me all about yours?'" Angelus shakes his head, looking disapproving while clicking his tongue at her.
"Insane enough to do anything to save the world? Like messing with soul magic?" he turns back, leaning a shoulder against a bar and gazing at her intently. "Like killing their friend, a person they love... and trust...?" She's got to see the irony in what she's saying. Not that he thinks this is anything like what she did to him, but when has he ever used the truth except when it suits him?
"I resent that," he tells her after she says they're all nuts - clearly also including Angel. "I mean, soulboy, sure - I'm more aware of how whackjob he is than anybody-- but I'm not crazy. I'm psychotic. There's a difference."
When she sits, so does he, settling on the floor in front of the bars with his legs crossed tailor-style, wrists draped over his shins and looking up at her like a schoolboy. He can't help the slow, pleased smile at her question; Wes had asked him something similar, if he knew anything about the Beast, but Buffy's not the brains of the operation, yet she still makes it more insightful than Wes's straightforward phrasing. "I mean, that does sound like an amazing plan. It's like you know me."
He throws his head back a little as he laughs, and while it doesn't sound quite like Angel's, it's definitely not a put-on evil chuckle. He's genuinely pleased. "Maybe if they'd called you in in the first place-- well no, I still wouldn't've spilled my guts.
"I know a lot of things. I even know things about the Beast. More than that--" he leans forward, as if sharing a secret, keeping his eyes on her face. "--I know a little something about memories being manipulated. It's weird, how we share memories sometimes. Mostly it's all the same - I mean, it's gotta be, or he wouldn't be so fucking tortured - but sometimes..." he shrugs. "Sometimes, they're clearly different, and for some reason, Angel can't see what I remember. It's happened before, once. In Sunnydale, actually."
He's so intent on Buffy's reaction, he doesn't even realize Wes has come down, until he catches movement and pins Wes halfway down the stairs with a look so murderous, Wesley should be going up in flames. The former Watcher freezes, even though he does a good job of covering up his startled fear - like Angelus can't hear his heart tripping over itself. "I--thought it best if I turned the monitor back on. Just in case."
He barely gives Wes the chance to finish flipping it on before snarling, "Scram, book-boy. We're having a conversation."
Edited 2022-03-22 09:19 pm (UTC)