open ♔ november/december socialization

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, Andres Isle, etc!
WHEN || November & December [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of November and December.

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:
Wynn & Section Heads @ Andres/London
Cheryl @ Reception desk
Sam @ Various
Elena @ Andres/London
Drax @ Dragon's Hide Wing
Des @ Pub / Castle
Paige @ Caste Grounds
Grimrot @ the Library
Vi @ Andres
Matt @ Andres/London
Alisha @ bars in London
Cora @ Library/ Castle Grounds
Will @ Castle pond / Hoard wing/ Firing range / Castle grounds
Malina @ Dragon's Fire wing/ kitchen/ bar / castle grounds
Alainn @ Dragon's Fire library / kitchen / Andres
Jordan @ Andres/ London
Sylar @ Kitchen
Logan @ Castle Bars / London
Faith L @ London / kitchen / training room / castle grounds
Dean @ Rose's room / bars / armory / training room/ firing range / kitchen
Rose @ Andres / armory / training room / bedroom
Des & Buffy | Closed
Thea @ Training Room / Castle grounds / kitchen / TV rooms / bars
Sam & Buffy | Closed
Alex @ Firing Range / Airfield / Room / Garage
Failboat @ Breakfast
Alice @ Andres/ London
Sweets @ Dragon's Light Wing
Lydia @ Medical / Training room / etc

Comments

[msattentionspan]

[It's hard for her to think of Buffy like someone new, but she never really felt like she knew Buffy - she only knew the parts that everyone liked to shove at her. The parts that were better than her.]

I'm not her most favorite person, but I'm pretty sure it's not expectations... just assumptions.

[slay]

Well, the assumptions are hard to keep up with. [ She shakes her head. ] I don't hold it against her. But I also know that's not me anymore, and I don't think she wants to admit that.

[msattentionspan]

[Faith nods, moving to set up the bag again for another few combinations. She throws those hits and then slows to glance at Buffy once more.]

I'd offer you some tips - some small things about her, but I don't really know much about her except that she's a really powerful witch and a lesbian. [Look, Faith would've kept that final bit to herself, but she failed that will save (11), and I texted Alli to check that it was all good to let out, and then Faith opted to say it nicely instead of "BANGIN CHICKS" - which would've gone if she had crit failed... just as an FYI.]

Plus, it's probably better if you both just learn those little things on your own.

[slay]

Yeah, probably. [ Buffy agrees with a somber nod, but something seems to nag her all the same. ] It's just— It's awkward. No matter how hard we try to make it not, it's like there's this huge amnesia-shaped elephant in the room blowing its horn and stomping around.

[msattentionspan]

Have you told her how you feel about it? I mean, I'm not the best for advice with these things - but Willow's always seemed pretty good with honesty and being up front.

[Faith shrugs.] Maybe making it not an elephant will just help clear that out of there.

[slay]

How come I didn't know you were all ... wise and worldly?

[ Her nose crinkles, and she reaches out to give the punching bag a thud. ]

[msattentionspan]

[Faith shifts to hold the bag for Buffy, shrugging slightly.]

I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's all the stuff Angel told me over the years.

[slay]

Angel?

[ Buffy's hand drops away from the bag mid-punch, as if the name strikes something within her. It comes a moment later, the realization that Willow had mentioned the name before Andres. It seems far away, but she gets back there. ]

Who is that? I feel like ... [ Like she should know him. But she shakes her head, coming up empty. ]

[msattentionspan]

Angel? [Faith takes a moment, trying to figure out how best to explain everything that Angel has been for her -- for Buffy. It's not an easy thing.]

He's the first decent vampire I ever met. Been around for a while and he was one of the worst out there. Then he crossed the wrong guy and he was cursed with a soul. Kinda the only difference between vampires and everyone else is that whole soul thing. Remorse, guilt - all of those things got shoved right back into him and it made him want to make up for all the horrible things he did. It's how he spends all his time. Saving people. Doing the right thing.

[She pauses.] He loved you. The whole once in a lifetime kind, too. It just doesn't work out, because that curse of his means he can't ever really be happy. It's this crazy thing where if he's ever perfectly happy -- he'll lose his soul. Not something he's prepared to do.

[slay]

[ Buffy's expression falls, overwhelmed by the extent of the information in such a short span to process it. But then, that's always been Faith's M.O. She can't bring herself to be embittered or entirely surprised by the nature of it: she knew who she was asking.

Still, it staggers her. Visibly. And her hands steady on the bag.

The once in a lifetime kind. Despite everything, her mind goes to Rafael and Jade on that NOVA stage. There were skeletons in their closet—more than either could know—but it was the kind of love that kept him from ever really giving his heart to someone else. The kind that wrecked him.

She can't fathom it, someone loving her like that. Can't begin to imagine. But then, if what Faith's saying is true—and she has to believe it is because she has no one else she can really ask—he'd never really gotten the chance to. A curse. ]

Sounds like my life. [ She settles on a certain degree of cynicism. ] You'd think I'd remember something like that.

[ That's when it hits her that Jade certainly hadn't. What a joke. ]

[msattentionspan]

[She doesn't know any other speed - it's all or nothing with her and while she's a bit unsure about putting it all out there, she's also aware of the fact that the last time Buffy and her had this sort of talk it went South fast. Getting it all out there, might be just her safety plan.]

Sorry -- I would've spaced that out, but you're kind of a flight risk.

[slay]

I get it.

[ She holds her hands up in a gesture of surrender, ready for it this time. ]

You don't have to explain. It's just— [ Her hand waves then, trying to indicate all that has been said between them. ] A lot to process.

[msattentionspan]

[Faith nods.]

You can hit the bag if you need to think. It's what I do.

[slay]

I don't know. I — [ She's sure it would help. Looking at the bag, she knows that venting her frustrations would be easiest that way. But she wrings her hands in front of her all the same, shrugging her shoulders. ] Do you ever feel like ... Like maybe you need a break from the hitting and the punching and the ... [ Her hands drop and she exhales the word, as if trying to cover it with her breath: ] Death?

[msattentionspan]

[Faith steps away from the bag, wringing her hands together as she balances her weight there.]

Yeah, but it's kind of part of what we are. If it didn't get to us, then they'd have to worry. [Hell, that's why she ended up in prison. She didn't get that at the time, but it's funny how prison can give someone perspective like that.]

I hear Hawaii is nice. I've never been, but it's what all the movies say.

[slay]

Now that's what I call a vacation.

[ Her nose crinkles, but the cavalier reply also effectively stems the flow of any navel-gazing on Buffy's part. Faith, it would seem, has this all figured out: troubling her over it seems, well, troubling. Trivial. She isn't here to be Buffy's on-call life guide. ]

I'm still on-call, though. Dimitris and the Mind Master are out there, and we need to stop them before they get the chance to repeat what happened in New York.

[msattentionspan]

[It's not that Faith has it all figured out. Far from it. She just tries not to look further than the next few days because if she wants to start a five-year plan she'd buy a day planner or something dumb like that. It's just easier not to look to far ahead and when she looks back -- it's easier to not dwell on the things she can't change. Maybe it's a bit zen of her, but Angel told her that they're never going to be done. They're always going to be on that path to redemption. There's no point in looking back when she's got a helluva lot more ahead of her.]

Alright, so maybe Hawaii is out of the question for now. There's got to be some nice places around here that can give you a bit of away time. Along the Devon Coast - pretty sure that's a beach. It's close too. I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of beaches.

[slay]

Mm. Winter beach weather in England? Pass. But Hawaii's a good dream. Maybe when this is all over, we can all pack up. Family vacation style.

[msattentionspan]

[Faith looks at Buffy - more than slightly skeptical about that last remark.]

I'm not sure we'd be okay in a small space for an extended length of time.

[slay]

You think? [ Amusement colors her expression, easily picking up that maybe that's a powder keg. Of course it would be. Buffy nods, accepting this, and adds, ] Short vacation then.

[msattentionspan]

Maybe just a weekend.

[slay]

[ She laughs, finally. ]

Ye of little faith.

[msattentionspan]

The most faith I have in things is usually just my name. [She's learned to rely on herself a lot more than anyone else.]

[slay]

Come on. You signed up for the knights: you must have some faith in us.

[msattentionspan]

[For Faith, trust and faith are different. You can trust someone, trust a cause - a skill. Having faith means a bit more than trust to her. It means that you trust them to be there no matter what happens and she's gotta say that sort of situation doesn't really come to her that easily.]

I trust the knights and I signed up, sure, but that means they had to be cool with letting me in. Pretty sure they could kick me out if they wanted to.