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Too good to be true, that's what this place is.

Or that's what Faith decides on her third pass through its halls. Through the lavish reception area, past that long as hell dining room table, and then the stocked buffet table -- Faith had stuck to the walls and the shadows, playing recon for almost an hour.

"Swear to god I'm not making a twins joke..." She mutters to herself as she steps out in full view, choosing to invite whatever trouble might come her way. Sure, maybe she'll sample some of the food just sitting out for the taking. Peek into some rooms, maybe try to find the head. She'll wind up at the bar, though, asking if the tender accepts euros. Long day like this one means she's definitely going to need a drink.

Or ten. Then she can figure out if this is a vacation on a platter or some kind of wacko fever dream she's got to fight her way out of.

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"Adaptable, that's a nice way to put it. Most people go for, uh, batshit." She smiles at his offered bit of info. Alternate universe, she can dig that. Much better than the last hellhole she jumped into, anyway. Faith takes a deep breath, crossing her arms and making her second sizing-up of her new buddy pretty clear.

"Then again here you are like it's no big deal making with the psychoanalyzing. Sounds like we both know a little something about something. So, what do you say? You show me yours, I'll show you mine."

"I've seen enough crazy in my life to not use that word lightly," Nick smirked because with every word, he was transported back to the New Orleans of his early twenties, before everything went to shit.

Then he laughed full out. "Trust me. You don't want to see mine."

"Actually, I kinda do." Her stance shifts a little, and she takes a full step toward him. "'Cause in my experience, popping through portals isn't just something you wake up to on a Saturday morning. Someone's gotta open them up. And here you are. Tall, dark, and kinda shady -- not that it isn't working for you. But me? I'm the suspicious type. It's a character flaw."

Faith takes another step forward. She's really got to learn some diplomacy, seriously.

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," Nick said, "but I didn't have anything to do with bringing everyone here. I'm as stuck as everyone else, and I was stuck somewhere even worse before I came here."

Nick held up a hand to stop her from getting any closer. "You know what they say about curiosity, right?" He waited a few beats before easing the control on his demon form. He let his wings unfurl behind him and then took a step towards her. His voice, when he spoke, was a deep, almost guttural growl and felt the shimmer of power that had the tendency to scare people into crossing the street rather than walk past him on a sidewalk. "How's that shady thing working for me now, cher?"

When she'd stopped at his motion, it was a little surprised -- and a little more ready to fight. Things started to shift and she hadn't expected exactly this but she feels better about following her gut for about a second.

"Shit," is what comes out of her when Faith realizes just what's happening here. This guy just went from big dude to full on demon. She forces herself to hold her ground when he comes forward, but she does straighten up and lean back in habitual combat reaction. A quip about curiosity and her not being a pussy darts through her brain but doesn't make it to her mouth-- maybe the curse beat it there.

His question hangs in the air a moment too long while Faith processes -- he's not attacking, but it's definitely an effective intimidation tactic. Faith's seen some serious shit, and the ability to deal on the fly is a product of her profession that leaves her grateful. Once the tension passes -- it seems forever but must only be an instant, she forces her shoulders and face to relax, and shrugs. It's pure bravado, because she's ready to defend herself if necessary, though she's not sure she'd walk away with her life.

"I mean, if those are blueprints to this place and we're escaping right now? I'm down, Prison Break." Her eyes roam over the markings on his body with an appreciation that is fake only in its refusal to look intimidated. Because they are pretty sweet tats, let's be real. Besides: she asked for this, and she's not about to look like she might regret it a little.

Nick chuckled and inhaled deep. No matter her bravado, he could sense the unease in her and the spike of emotions fed him like a starving man at a buffet. He held the form for another moment before pulling the demon back to heel. The last thing to return to human was his vision. It went from the red haze to clear as his eyes shifted from yellow to silver, then black to deep blue.

"Not blueprints, just the demonic markings of my race." He didn't move from where he stood, a self-depricating smile twisting one side of his mouth. "Never been one for 'I-told-you-so' but I did warn you that you probably didn't want to see."

She chuckles and nods, giving another shrug for good measure. She's still not 100% convinced she's out of the clear (growing up a vampire slayer breeds some serious bias toward demon-y types, which is totally a word yes) buuuut this guy is kind of entertaining and her judgment isn't always the best.

"Yeah, I bet you say that to all the chicks," she says. Because clearly she enjoys flirting with danger and Nick just proved he could get her into all kinds of trouble. "I'm Faith."

"Something like that," he laughed. Oh, what he wouldn't give to have Tabby here to go one-to-one with this one. He felt the pang of missing his former friend, let himself feel it, and the put it aside.

"Nick," he returned and held out a hand. His eyebrow raised in a sort of challenge to see if she'd take it.

She does: without hesitation and refusing to break eye contact. Her grip is probably stronger than a normal human female's (if Nick's attuned to such things), and rougher. They're more used to combat weaponry, tools generally used to maim. Though sometimes they bear a friendlier use of greeting, though contact is kept brief.

Maybe strolling through a portal into another universe should send her into shock, but on top of Faith needing to project an air of indifference combined with having seen some things, she's geared toward just rolling with it. Ready to fight still, sure, but her stance has loosened up a bit, too.

"So, fruit-hating nougat-lover. Nick. Sounds like you've been around the hotel a few times."

"On the ground and in the air," Nick agreed with a smile. He appreciated the firm handshake and the rough texture - showed him that what he sensed jibed with reality. Whatever her reaction to him going full out demon, she was used to handling herself. The callouses he felt were the ones born of practical use, not theoretical training.

"Been here seven months now. That makes for a shitload of familiarity."

"Drew the short straw, got Welcome Wagon duty?" She smirks, because there's not really a great expression for sorry-you-got-stuck-here-for-way-too-long. "Jesus, I'm gonna need a drink if I'm about to get stuck here for 7 months."

"It varies, depending on who stumbles on the poor sap wandering the hallways with that 'what the fuck?' look on their face. I also don't go flashing demon to just anyone," Nick answered, considered. "In fact, you might be the first one to have seen me in full form. Which probably means I should buy you that drink," he smirked.

She lets a moment pass while contemplating the offer and finally nods, ready to follow along. Hell, she'd done the leg work already and she'll know what she's dealing with if Nick turns out to be less friendly than he's acting.

"Coulda fooled me. You acted like a natural flasher."

"Ah, cher," Nick replied with a smile and full Cajun drawl, "have me all figured out, you?"

He lead them back towards the hotel bar. "So now you know about me, flashing included, what about you? I do remember something about showing me yours, yeah?"

"Deal's a deal." But she doesn't dive right in. Faith has to briefly listen to the voice in her head that tells her to cut it out before dismissing said voice because she'd gotten something in return to showing her cards. Quiet, voice!

"Vampire Slayer. It's a whole better, faster, stronger thing. Far as I know we're human, with a little more kick than the norm." Almost like an involuntary tick, Faith cracks her knuckles. "Oh, and equal opportunity baddie slayer, despite the title."

Faith figures a demonstration can be had later -- none of the decorations in this hallway did anything to her to deserve to get pummeled, anyway.

"I do personal training here at the hotel," Nick commented. "I've got a heavy bag down at the gym and access to a karate studio from a door on the first floor. We'll have to make time to meet there and you can give me that one-on-one demonstration."

He laughed when she gave him the rundown. Gods, he was starting to wonder if this was Tabitha's doppleganger or something. "You're making me homesick in a way I haven't been for a long time. I knew a woman like you, human with a penchant for killing Daimons, what we call vampires where I come from. She could kick ass with any immortal Dark Hunter and took down her fair share of them."

Mostly, Faith just listens to Nick's reverie. She's gonna go ahead and gloss over her long-standing feelings about being a perpetual stand-in and cover it up with amusement. She shrugs, trying to stay loose, and acts almost like she's talking to the walls, rather than replying to him.

"Huh, that's one I've actually never heard. Bravo for originality." She's going to file away the personal training info for a later jibe, once she's got something better than calling him Mickey lined up.

Nick frowned, seeing the shift in focus and the ice in her voice return. Again, the temptation to peek was strong - very strong - but he beat it down just as he had his demon form a few minutes before. It was a slippery slope and he was already wearing ice skates.

"Not taking credit for the term - that'd be someone a few thousand years ago - but my world's the only one that uses it, or that has anything even remotely resembling them, or the other Dark Hunters. Not sure, still, if that's a good thing or not."

"Every world copes differently, far as I've seen." Not that she's a foremost expert: Nick would have to hope for a Watcher to pop in for someone to give the whole multiverse rundown. Not that she's any kind of research slouch but Faith doesn't consume anything that isn't directly pertinent to whatever job is at hand.

"Dark Hunter, though. Wish I'd come up on your side of the tracks." She'd never hated her title, but it was kind of misleading. "You got a cool title, too?"

"I do, too. We could definitely use fighters like you," Nick said, not a trace of bullshitting or placating in his voice. "And now that I think about it, I should probably fill you in on what Daimons look like. If I can come through to this place, so can they."

He shrugged then, sighed. "I don't know how cool it is, but my demon side is known as the Malachai."

Now her body language tunes back in. There's nothing like talking shop to get Faith's attention, and if he's willing to give her full on rundowns, the chance of her icing up again is pretty damn low.

"That a species, or a clan?" She looks him over, trying to determine for herself. Would she be able to tell if she talks to someone else like Nick? Would they be as big? As friendly at first meeting?

Nick considered, then laid it straight out. "Let's call them a species. They're a sort of vampire. All of them are blond, the men and women, and they have fangs like mine. They can't go into the sun at all - I mean at all, one ray of sunshine and they're a pile of ash. They also have a mark right over where their heart. One sword stick through that mark and they vanish into a cloud of gold dust."

Faith laughs a little, and she's not sure what to comment about first: having a kill-target, or having to walk away from a dusting covered in stripper glitter. Of course, vampires' faces in her world are pretty ridiculous, so it's not like she's got much to say.

Not to mention that there's a wannabe Karen O demon walking around.

"Shade works for ours Stakes, crosses, wood, and decapitation for dusting -- not into gold, though." she chooses to say. Share, share is fair. "And they blend in with humans until it's time to feed -- then it's all wrinkly foreheads and yellow eyes."

"Good to know the methods," Nick commented, "because it always sucks to find out the hard way that what should be a killing blow is really nothing more than irritating."

He did manage a smirk though. "It's pretty hard to hide something inhuman from me, though, regardless of physical looks."

Faith gives Nick a mildly 'ew' look before smiling. "Tell me you're not another species sniffer."

She has gotten used to a lot of things, but even a vampire she calls mentor smelling her still weirds Faith out.