OPEN ♔ I WISH I COULD SAY IN JUST ONE SWEEP WHAT YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME

[socialgraces]

♬ Silent Shout - The Knife

WHO || Anyone and everyone! [OPEN]
WHAT || Francesca's birthday party
WHERE || One of the big parlor rooms on the castle's second floor.
WHEN || [Backdated] July 11, Evening
HOW || Actionspam

 

[Earlier in the week all DRAKENET devices received a message announcing Francesca's birthday party, courtesy of Sir Bancroft, to be held the evening of July 11. No RSVP needed. It's especially good timing now that many mission groups have returned to the castle, at least for the time being.

As the guests make their way in, it's clear the party's been well stocked with food and drink. There's plenty of room for mingling and some music in the background. Gifts are completely optional, but welcome. Come in and get comfortable.]

(OOC: Feel free to make your own threads/threadjack, etc.)

Comments

[bigbad]

It's only been two days. Not even. [He holds still to let her prod at him, looking more amused than uncomfortable.] He's bloody spry for an old man.

[slay]

So are you. [ she points it out with a creeping smile, dropping her hand. it's only a best guess, but considering he still keeps his style like the 70s never quite let go of him ... ]

[bigbad]

[He raises his eyebrows at her, though he's still smiling.] For all you know, I could be exactly as old as I look.

[slay]

Please. With that hair, and those shoes? [ she rolls her eyes. ] Fifty, at least.

[bigbad]

[He gives her an incredulous look.] You're judging me on my fashion?

[slay]

Not judging. Deducing. Big difference.

Besides, it's not just the fashion. You look ... I dunno, late 20s? But, you chain smoke, which means you probably didn't grow up in the age of people who are actually late 20s with a plethora of anti-smoking campaigns.

Now, alone, that says ... mid-30s, 40, maybe. But, it starts adding up.

You dress like you missed the memo that punk and grunge are a thing of the past, your hair looks like Billy Idol threw up on it, you talk like you mainline The Sex Pistols, and no 20-something likes poetry enough to have books of it just lying around. [ her hands have found their way to her hips and she's taken a step closer to him, a little in his face, smiling widely in that self-satisfied way. ]

Face it. You're totally old.

[bigbad]

[Okay, that was pretty smart. He grins at her, not backing down, just looking incredibly pleased at her deduction.]

Well, well, aren't you Miss Sherlock Holmes. [But he buys it.] Maybe I should worry, old guy like me hanging out with someone as young as you. People could talk.

[slay]

Mm, weird as it sounds, I think around here, we'd actually still fall in the same age bracket. [ her hands drop back to her sides and she takes a step back, glancing around the room for emphasis, picking out faces. ] If I look half as good as some of the knights in the over a hundred club look when I'm forty, I'll have no complaints. [ her smile crinkles a little and fades. there's an icky thought. and, okay, it had occurred to her before when she was all swoon girl over val'drin that, hey, he's talking centuries plural and she's probably barely packing away the decades. but it's never a fun thing to consider. ]

[bigbad]

[He looks around as well, but when he sees how her face has fallen, he reaches over to touch her arm briefly and refocus her attention on him.] Least you know you'll look better than my other face.

[slay]

[ she looks up at him at that, considering, scrutinizing like she's trying to see the other one. ]

Sorry. Vanity attack. [ her nose crinkles a little and she quickly dismisses it. ]

[bigbad]

[He shrugs, not bothered. He gets why it'd be hard, being surrounded by all these people who'll be young forever, or close enough, when Buffy won't. And that saddens him, too, though less for vanity reasons and more because he's only known her a few months and already he doesn't want to think about life without her.]

They are an attractive lot, these knights. [A beat.] Besides Lan.

[slay]

Besides Lan. [ she nods her agreement. ] And, shouldn't you be opting for more of an "us" than a "they" now? Being all promotion-guy and all.

[bigbad]

Promotion-guy and attractive. [He puffs out his chest, shooting Buffy a cocky grin.]

[slay]

And a walking bruise.

[bigbad]

[He touches his face gingerly.] Is it really that bad? Doesn't hurt much.

[slay]

You mean you didn't -- ? [ a beat. she nods. ] Right. Vampire. Lack of mirrors. [ duh. ] Well, you've made it out of black and blue and into green and yellow territory. Should be healed up by the weekend.

[bigbad]

And they say vampires aren't supposed to have any colour in their skin. [He gives her a bit of a smile.] Thanks.

[slay]

They say a lot of things about vampires. [ the unsaid finish of that sentence is, of course, that not many of them apply to spike. but it's not said entirely with fondness. some of it's a clear need to puzzle him out, and some of it's obviously perplexed and that level of uncomfortable that she can't quite push past, despite all her trying. he's a demon. she's a demon-fighter, according to shady alley-guy. ]

[bigbad]

That they do. [His tone grows a little more serious with that. Buffy may be trying to reconcile Spike with what she thinks about vampires and what she thinks about Spike, but Spike's trying to figure out if it's possible to be good, if he's just a ticking time bomb waiting to kill everyone he loves, or what.]

I did some research. You know. On vampires.

[slay]

[ her tone takes on an exasperated edge of "you really wanna do this now?": ] And?

[bigbad]

[Not really. But now that he started it's awkward.] And nothing. Seems I'm an anomaly that defies google.

[slay]

Well. [ she takes a moment to sort through this. ] There wouldn't be a word for it if it didn't happen every once in a blue moon. [ and that's something. it just means look harder. ] Besides, this breakthrough research coming from he who sets things on fire when he tries to do any.

[bigbad]

[He appreciates it. So much more than he can put into words. The girl who told him he was soulless and evil is now telling him not to quit just because research says she's right. He doesn't know how to thank her, so he smiles at her and tackles the second (pretty good) point.]

That was just the once.

[slay]

And strange how that's more than enough to stick with a person. [ she's almost on the verge of teasing again. ] If I ask you to get us drinks, do you think you'll be able to manage it without setting something on fire along the way?

[bigbad]

I can try. Booze is flammable. Sure it's worth the risk?