Milliways: OOM
Fred was more than a little frazzled.
It had been some number of days that she'd lost count of, but definitely more than was normal for Wesley, even with the distance that they still gave each other. They didn't necessarily see each other every day, if one or the other got wrapped up in something interesting. They were both rather prone to forgetting the passage of days in this place. But he'd been gone for a while and she knew because she'd been looking. Looking everywhere. His room, the library, all around the bar itself. Even the infirmary, on the considerable likelihood that he'd annoyed something more powerful than himself.
It was on that last thought that she felt her blood run cold and her mind finally gave voice to the sneaking suspicion that had been trying to work its way into being all week.
Illyria.
Just a few weeks ago she'd asked that Wesley stop offering his assistance to the demon goddess. It just wasn't right on pretty much any level, she thought. And sure, Illyria wouldn't harm her, but that wasn't to say that she wouldn't harm anybody. Hadn't she gotten into constant violent fights with that vampire friend of hers? Come to think about it, she hadn't seen him around in a good long while, either, but missing vampires were less her concern than her own missing boyfriend.
That was the heart of the matter.
Wesley was missing, and she didn't know how to find him. But someone might. Someone who would likely get offended at the accusations that Fred was likely to make, but who could not, in the end, do anything too harmful. And at present Fred was still intent on dealing with things peacefully.
She could do that. Hopefully.
She hadn't quite been intending on doing so quite as immediately as she found herself at the door to room 496, but once there, she found that she could not let hesitation stand in the way of solving the problem. It was a simple enough matter. Raise your hand and knock. She'd answer, words would be traded, and at the end of everything perhaps she'd know --
"Make your inquiry."
Her thoughts were interrupted by this sudden command, and she startled at finding herself face to face with Illyria, whose expression was as unreadable as it had ever been. She certainly didn't sound very friendly, but that wasn't new, and Fred didn't care. She had to remind herself of this fact, but she wasn't here because she wanted to be, and she didn't care if the goddess wanted her to be, either.
"... hi."
Well, that was lamer than she'd planned. But it was a start. She took a deep breath and met the impatient goddess's gaze with a equally unwavering one of her own.
"I'm sure you know what I'm here to ask, so why don't we just skip the small talk?"
"You wish to know where Wesley is." the goddess replied, and Fred couldn't remember if she'd sounded that cold the time that she'd come to deliver the information that Wesley was dead. She didn't want to remember that.
Fred nods, and starts to say yes, and perhaps explain herself in some way, but realizes too late that it isn't necessary, as Illyria spoke again.
"And you think I have something to do with his disappearance."
"I--" she hesitated, not sure if answering was the wisest course when dealing with someone who could deal out considerable amounts of pain without ever actually killing Fred. But she couldn't lie, either. She hated that she didn't even get the choice, but it made things easier.
"Yes. I think you might have had something to do with it."
When she was met with only silence, Fred added, "Or that you might at least know what happened."
"I neither know nor care." Illyria replied, and this time Fred was certain that her tone was deliberately cruel. "You recall as well as I do the conversation in which he agreed not to associate with me any more."
Something about the way she says it made Fred wince internally. As if it were now her fault that she couldn't find Wesley, or as if she should feel guilty for making the request in the first place. Refusing to be cowed into feeling either of those things, she pressed on.
"I do. But I also know the likelihood of you taking no for an answer."
"You know nothing." Illyria snapped back, with enough venom in her voice to make Fred take a step back. "You wish to know what happened? Wesley and I spoke once more after the conversation in which you demanded that he cease associating with me. He made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing more to do with me, and then the Slayer interrupted the argument which had devolved into the trading of petty insults. I know nothing more of his whereabouts after, nor do I wish to. He has proven himself as untrustworthy as all the rest of your species. You are welcome to him, should he ever return."
Fred opened her mouth to shoot back some angry reply, some defense of Wesley, or perhaps just some petty insults of her own, when she found the door abruptly slammed in her face.
She glared at the closed door for a few moments, restraining herself from walking in there and giving the goddess a piece of her mind just because she could. But in the end, rationality won out. Standing her arguing with her evil clone wasn't going to find Wesley, as much as she'd hoped it would. She'd been stupid to think that Illyria would be of any help. She never had been yet.
So Fred turned around and headed back the way she came, but could not quite resist one parting shot. She was thinking it anyway, so it wouldn't hurt anything more to actually say it, even over her shoulder to the still-closed door several feet behind her.
"... stupid blue bitch."
It had been some number of days that she'd lost count of, but definitely more than was normal for Wesley, even with the distance that they still gave each other. They didn't necessarily see each other every day, if one or the other got wrapped up in something interesting. They were both rather prone to forgetting the passage of days in this place. But he'd been gone for a while and she knew because she'd been looking. Looking everywhere. His room, the library, all around the bar itself. Even the infirmary, on the considerable likelihood that he'd annoyed something more powerful than himself.
It was on that last thought that she felt her blood run cold and her mind finally gave voice to the sneaking suspicion that had been trying to work its way into being all week.
Illyria.
Just a few weeks ago she'd asked that Wesley stop offering his assistance to the demon goddess. It just wasn't right on pretty much any level, she thought. And sure, Illyria wouldn't harm her, but that wasn't to say that she wouldn't harm anybody. Hadn't she gotten into constant violent fights with that vampire friend of hers? Come to think about it, she hadn't seen him around in a good long while, either, but missing vampires were less her concern than her own missing boyfriend.
That was the heart of the matter.
Wesley was missing, and she didn't know how to find him. But someone might. Someone who would likely get offended at the accusations that Fred was likely to make, but who could not, in the end, do anything too harmful. And at present Fred was still intent on dealing with things peacefully.
She could do that. Hopefully.
She hadn't quite been intending on doing so quite as immediately as she found herself at the door to room 496, but once there, she found that she could not let hesitation stand in the way of solving the problem. It was a simple enough matter. Raise your hand and knock. She'd answer, words would be traded, and at the end of everything perhaps she'd know --
"Make your inquiry."
Her thoughts were interrupted by this sudden command, and she startled at finding herself face to face with Illyria, whose expression was as unreadable as it had ever been. She certainly didn't sound very friendly, but that wasn't new, and Fred didn't care. She had to remind herself of this fact, but she wasn't here because she wanted to be, and she didn't care if the goddess wanted her to be, either.
"... hi."
Well, that was lamer than she'd planned. But it was a start. She took a deep breath and met the impatient goddess's gaze with a equally unwavering one of her own.
"I'm sure you know what I'm here to ask, so why don't we just skip the small talk?"
"You wish to know where Wesley is." the goddess replied, and Fred couldn't remember if she'd sounded that cold the time that she'd come to deliver the information that Wesley was dead. She didn't want to remember that.
Fred nods, and starts to say yes, and perhaps explain herself in some way, but realizes too late that it isn't necessary, as Illyria spoke again.
"And you think I have something to do with his disappearance."
"I--" she hesitated, not sure if answering was the wisest course when dealing with someone who could deal out considerable amounts of pain without ever actually killing Fred. But she couldn't lie, either. She hated that she didn't even get the choice, but it made things easier.
"Yes. I think you might have had something to do with it."
When she was met with only silence, Fred added, "Or that you might at least know what happened."
"I neither know nor care." Illyria replied, and this time Fred was certain that her tone was deliberately cruel. "You recall as well as I do the conversation in which he agreed not to associate with me any more."
Something about the way she says it made Fred wince internally. As if it were now her fault that she couldn't find Wesley, or as if she should feel guilty for making the request in the first place. Refusing to be cowed into feeling either of those things, she pressed on.
"I do. But I also know the likelihood of you taking no for an answer."
"You know nothing." Illyria snapped back, with enough venom in her voice to make Fred take a step back. "You wish to know what happened? Wesley and I spoke once more after the conversation in which you demanded that he cease associating with me. He made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing more to do with me, and then the Slayer interrupted the argument which had devolved into the trading of petty insults. I know nothing more of his whereabouts after, nor do I wish to. He has proven himself as untrustworthy as all the rest of your species. You are welcome to him, should he ever return."
Fred opened her mouth to shoot back some angry reply, some defense of Wesley, or perhaps just some petty insults of her own, when she found the door abruptly slammed in her face.
She glared at the closed door for a few moments, restraining herself from walking in there and giving the goddess a piece of her mind just because she could. But in the end, rationality won out. Standing her arguing with her evil clone wasn't going to find Wesley, as much as she'd hoped it would. She'd been stupid to think that Illyria would be of any help. She never had been yet.
So Fred turned around and headed back the way she came, but could not quite resist one parting shot. She was thinking it anyway, so it wouldn't hurt anything more to actually say it, even over her shoulder to the still-closed door several feet behind her.
"... stupid blue bitch."