all_inclusive | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"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.

"That sounds kind of disgusting, Faith," Nick smirked at her. "But to answer your comment, and expression, I don't go around sniffing people as a rule. I can tell by their minds, their blood, and if I look, I can see people's true forms outside of any disguise or glamor, no matter how strong or powerful the spell behind it is. Handy, but it can give you a headache sometimes."

His first comment elicits Faith to throw her hands up in surrender because she totally didn't think of it and yes it is totally disgusting, Nick. Thank you.

"Yeah that's way more advanced than what I've seen for the most part. Me, I just get a gut feeling and roll with it. I still get it wrong sometimes but that happens when you don't have fancy demon-dar." She wonders if he can sense the faint traces of DNA left in her line from the first slayer, diluted by the thousands of slayers that separated them. And Faith's not actually sure whether she wants him to or not.

"Nothing wrong with following a well-trained gut," Nick commented, picking up a hint of something from her. He could have pushed into her mind, but there wasn't a pressing need to know and it wasn't worth. "And I've always been of the mind that I'd rather apologize later than ask for permission first."

Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six. Bubba's favorite saying, and no less true now than then.

"I'm with you there. Keeps things interesting, at least." And ensures that Faith doesn't really have any solid or healthy relationships, but that's neither here nor there. It also means she makes fun ones, like this.

"Though, seeing you ask permission would be hilarious, no doubt."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only