party ♔ ding-dong the dick's dead

[recruited]

WHO || Everyone. Everyone come if you're not on a mission.
WHAT || A party to celebrate Dimitris Sarandis sleeping with the fishes.
WHERE || Knights HQ. The fancy ballroom.
WHEN || Mid-March 2016.
HOW || Prose or actionspam welcome.

Cordelia and Steve have gotten together to plan a rather fun party to celebrate Sarandis being taken down. Abbie even managed to grab them a rather awesome band to entertain the guests and everything else was hand picked and decided on by Cordy and Steve. It's not as fancy as a squiring after party, but it's just as fun. The ballroom has been "dressed down" a little to match the relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy yourselves!

Comments

[slay]

No. No, it's fine. [ she shakes her head and shrugs it off uneasily. ] There's just ... A lot happened. I'm still processing. [ she smiles grimly. ] How've you been?

[familybusiness]

It's fine. I get it.

[He shrugs his shoulders.]

Just...dealing with Dean being Dean. Doing research. Staying in shape. I'm kind of itching to get back into the field, honestly.

[slay]

Trade you. [ But under her humor, there's understanding. There's restlessness in bumming around the castle. ] What's the Dean drama this week?

[familybusiness]

Maybe next time. [His is equally teasing, because he gets it too. He's sure what she went through wasn't exactly easy. He's been there too many times himself.] Nothing particularly new. Just...nearly losing Rose kind of messed him up, you know?

[/broken laughter]

[slay]

He's still in knots about that? That's ... [ like ok no offense she doesn't quite understand but also no one else takes rezzes months-rough. ] Does Rose know?

[familybusiness]

[Blink. Blink.]

He's lost everyone he's ever cared about. Violently or worse. He finally lets someone back in, and within a couple years, they get blown up by a tank right in front of him. He carried her mangled body back inside. I'm not sure he'll ever quite get over it. Not really.

[He'll sure as hell act like it, but he's also probably drinking himself to death, too.]

Does she know what?

[slay]

That he's still this broken up about it. [ Buffy shakes her head. ] I'm not trying to say what happened is anything but terrible. I'm sure Rose is still dealing with it too, but ... [ There's no way to finish that sentence that doesn't sound uncouth. But the fact of the matter is she's chalking it up to Winchester narcissism tbh. Never mind the other people who've been rezzed and back or dealt with it or lost people—when it's Dean, it's ~different. This is what she has learned thus far about his ways to justify his inability to cope. ] Forget it. I'm just sorry he's making it tough for you to deal with, that's all.

[familybusiness]

You're right. They both are.

[The fact that there are other factors involved doesn't help either.]

I can't imagine coming back from the dead is easy, and now Rose has done it twice from my understanding. I think they're allowed to be a little fazed by the whole thing.

[It's probably good that his sense motive was garbage, all things considered.]

We'll figure it out. We always do.

[slay]

[ Buffy nods, trying to understand but still feeling as if she's missing some piece to why this is such a big deal. ]

I'm sure he just needs time—to really believe that she's back, you know?

[familybusiness]

Or to realize he's not just gonna lose her again tomorrow.

[Which is where it gets really hard, bc no one can promise him that.]

[slay]

Or to realize that he's going to someday and it can't be the end of the world. [ beat. ] Actually, it might ... literally be the end of the world, but considering his lack of coping now, I feel like that'd actually spare him some trouble.

[familybusiness]

[Excuse him while he stares at her likes she's grown another head.]

His lack of coping? Because he's not brushing off his girlfriend's murder like she just took a spill and needed a few stitches? You have no idea what it's like to be in his shoes or how it feels to suffer like he has, so you don't get to talk about how he should deal with anything.

[It's a miracle he's not yelling, tbh (will save 27).]

You weren't always this unsympathetic and cold-hearted, so is this a new thing, or do you just have a problem with my brother? Because if this how you are all the time, then I'm not sure you're the same woman I thought I met a couple years ago.

[slay]

[ Buffy's turn to return the favor. ]

Okay, admittedly a joke in poor taste, but still a joke. Where is all of this coming from? Because I'm beginning to think I should just shout my mouth because nothing I say is going to come out as what you want to hear.

[familybusiness]

Then the next time the person closest to you gets killed and is lucky enough to be resurrected, I'll make sure to make a 'joke' about it. For your sake, I hope it never happens, but apparently it'll be fine because you'll be over it.

[So unhappy.]

Rose is my friend, too. Shouldn't that have been enough to maybe think about what you were going to say before you said it?

[slay]

If you had come anywhere close to making this conversation about you and what you're feeling, I wouldn't have said it, Sam. But if you're going to make everything about how Dean's feeling, then how am I supposed to know what you are, or what's right to say, or how I can help? You never said a word about how it was affecting you. So sorry, for thinking the fact that you brought it up at a party meant I could inject a little levity.

[ She throws her hands up. ]

Look, I'm sorry. But I'm not a mind-reader, Sam. If something's bothering you, or hurting you, you need to actually tell me. Because every person that I've lost? Is still dead. I don't know what getting them back feels like, so no, I don't know what you're going through, or what the right thing to say or the right way to act looks like.

[familybusiness]

So now it's about you now, is that it?

[He lets out a heavy breath to calm himself.]

Something's always bothering me, Buffy. That's just kind of our lives. But I'm sick of people telling me what to do or to just get over it. It's not about saying the right thing or acting the right way. Sometimes people just want someone to listen without immediately making assumptions or judging them.

[He downs the rest of his beer before he sets it aside.]

Enjoy the party.

[And then he's just gonna...walk away. Good times.]