mission ♔ and the rest is history

[borrowedheaven]

♬ Firefly - Over the Rhine

WHO || Des, Jade & later: Gar, Kat, Spike, Buffy, Myri [Closed]
WHAT || Des takes Jade home; the Knights attempt to unlock the mystery of the stone Gar discovered...
WHERE || The Hoffman Institute > Nightscape
WHEN || Backdated to Thurs, March 22nd
HOW || Actionspam

[ She lets herself out when Des pulls up, shoving open the front doors of the Institute with a certain degree of attitude that makes it clear how fed up she is with all this. But there's something much more subdued in her demeanor too, and a strange pallor to her cheeks that makes her skin look almost gray as she moves closer, taking the steps two at a time. Someone must have provided her with new clothes, as she's not dressed like a hooker today, but rather wears a dark green loose Bohemian looking shirt that's slightly ruffled, with two ties dangling in the front, and a pair of khakis with a number of funky pockets all over them. She wears less makeup than she had on the other night, but she looks no less striking for it - maybe even more so given that so much of her strange beauty is apparently all natural.

She tosses open the passenger door and sits down hard, hardly seeming concerned with being graceful as she digs a cigarette out of a pack. ]

Please tell me you brought a light.

Comments

[shootfirst]

[Kat leannnns into the car to fix Des with a sickly sweet smile] Any damage that comes outta our girl? I'll take right out of your paint job. [She pats the outside of the car and rights herself, gesturing for Buffy to get in]

[nothingsodivine]

What do you people take me for? [Des doesn't need to roll a wisdom check to see that everyone but Gar hates him. He's used to it. He just starts the motor and the radio blares to life.]

[slay]

... A backwoods hick? [ Buffy makes a visible cringe as the radio starts up, the remark dry in her mouth. She gives Kat a "save me" look (because she knows Kat is the only one besides the oblivious Gar who WON'T ACTUALLY TRY TO SAVE HER, but will just be sympathetic maybe), and climbs into the passenger seat. ] Later. [ She pulls the door shut, sitting back in the seat and mourning her fate. ]

[nothingsodivine]

I'm from New Orleans, so I'm more of a back-bayou kinda hick. [Which is a lie, but whatever.] You see where I kinda have a stake in this case- multiple stakes, really.

[slay]

Keep talking and I might be inclined to have a stake in you. [ She slowly turns her head in a kind of rolled, fluid motion to look at him, gaze narrow. The less talking happens on this car ride, the less painful it'll be. She turns and fixes her gaze out the window, pulling on her seatbelt because fuck if she trusts him to drive safely or well or at all. Never mind that she kind of wants to ask about New Orleans. She's too stubborn to actually ask now that she ... aggressively pushed silence. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des starts the car and pulls out, rolling his eyes, and clearly not taking the hint.] Oh come on, what have I done to you lately, besides endear myself to Ms. Jade back there? It's not healthy to hold a grudge like that, buttercup. Gives you age lines.

[slay]

You took her right out from under us and handed her over to the Hoffman Institute! You didn't know what they were going to do to her! [ Yeah, you just ... opened up Pandora's box and all that's inside is bitchiness. ] They could have tortured her, done experiments, they could have hurt her! Did you even think of that, or were you busy thinking of your paycheck? [ She huffs. ]

How you manage to endear yourself to anyone is beyond me.

[nothingsodivine]

Okay. Here's how. I didn't take the damn money. [He shoots her a dark look] I was paid to deliver an artifact, not a girl. I all but told Hoffman that if he hurt her, I'd find out about it and told him to shove the cash.

That's how I endear myself to people.

[slays]

[ Oh. That shuts her up. And the baffled look on her face makes it clear that she ... doesn't even know what to say to that, because it's so opposite of everything she was expecting. She stares at him for a moment, stunned, then turns away, looking moderately ashamed. ]

What happens when you mess with the Talisman? [ She recalls what he said after a moment's silence. Her tone is thoughtful. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[A shrug. He's still got his eyes on the road.] Monsters. Shadowkind don't like humans touching their shit, especially not the kind of shit they have no idea how to use.

[slays]

I don't understand. [ A beat. ] Not the monsters and possessiveness. Very understandable. I mean, how do you know all of this? Have you seen it before?

[nothingsodivine]

Yeah. [He huffs.] I did a lot of work out of New Orleans. Got involved as a liaison to two private investigators. I knew a lot about Shadowkind and they needed more cases, so I helped them branch out into paranormal investigating.

We catch wind of someone selling fake Lazarus Talismans and go to put an end to it, but I guess whoever the hell wants the damn thing so bad got pissy, 'cause it brought down hell. And those were just fakes. I got a warrant for my arrest when they couldn't explain the bodies and finally just a demand to leave town when they finally could explain the bodies and realized having someone around like me was too much for 'em. They leave that shit to the hoodoo priestesses these days.

[slays]

And now you're going back. Guess this stuff has a way of following you. [ God knows it's followed her, and she doesn't even remember how. But that's ... other supernatural shit. /overidentifies. She glances back over at him. ]

... Why didn't you tell the others that you didn't let them pay you? [ Her tone is almost accusatory, but really just pressing. She can't let it go. ] I mean, what are you getting out of this? Some twisted sense of closure? [ She can't get a bead on him and it bothers her. ]

[nothingsodivine]

Like I said. I got a vested interest.

[He snorts and gives her an incredulous look really quickly, before turning back to the road, like he's concerned that whoever's driving is going to lead him into a pole or something.] They didn't mention it. What? Was I supposed to say, "Oh, by the way, I'm not getting paid for this?" [Another shrug.] Closure. Yeah, something like that. Or maybe I just feel like it.

[slay]

Maybe bring it up when people are getting snippy from all directions, yeah. It's called defending yourself. [ But, he just ... doesn't curr. And that much is obvious. So, she just trails off and shakes her head, fixing him with a stubborn look. ]

I don't get you. [ It's declared as if he'll somehow give her all his secrets and solve the mystery and care about her petty, nosy, entitled attitude. ]

[nothingsodivine]

Some people don't need to. They know who and what they are and people can think whatever the hell they want.

[Smirk] That means I'm doin' my job right.

[slay]

[ The smirk gets her stubbornness to deflate a little, and she just shifts. ]

Yeah, well, I don't know if anybody told you, sweetheart, but your job sucks. [ She's ... trying to mock his use of patronizing pet names. ]

[nothingsodivine]

You're just pissy 'cause I ain't an open book like that blonde guy. Could he be any easier to read? "Grr argh, I protect tiny female. Grrr."

[slay]

[ That actually gets her to bust out laughing because oh god. That Spike impression. ] God, don't get me started on Spike. He's -- [ She sighs. ] The more I tell him to back off, the worse it gets. It's like the word "no" means nothing to him. [ Buffy, you don't even. ] The dye job tells you everything you need to know.

[nothingsodivine]

That he thinks singing "with a rebel yell" will still get a "fuck yeah" in bars? It doesn't. [Oh look, they're bonding.] He has a crush on you.

[slay]

[ She snorts at the "rebel yell" comment and rolls her eyes, but she does the closest thing to a spit-take one can do without actually drinking anything when he continues. She's scandalized when she looks over at him. ]

Excuse me?

[nothingsodivine]

What? You can't tell? Eeesh. No wonder you can't read me.

[slay]

I -- No. [ She shakes her head, denial prominent. ] I mean, the guy clearly hasn't gotten the memo that the 80s are over, and I'm not exactly wearing leg warmers. [ A beat. ] He doesn't. You -- You barely even know us, you couldn't possibly.

[nothingsodivine]

No guy who dresses like that steps in front of a girl about to get into a car with another guy just because he's chivalrous.

[slay]

It's not like that! [ Now she's upgrading her defensiveness, and tetching back into bitchy territory. ] Oh my god, it's not like you were trying to get me to go parking. You're way old. Myri and Kat were just as chivalrous. [ She seethes the word chivalrous in a mocking way like ooooh if you're going to pretend it's not that. ]