RP Log with naysowee | Not-So-Velvet Underground

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Buffy walked alongside Rory as they trekked through one of the underground passages. He had chosen now to start her education in all things dark, shadowy and Celtic and it was just as well she wasn't a stranger to sewers or getting dirty. She was already covered in a bit of slime. She also didn't have a stake in hand, making sure he didn't think she was about to start attacking anything he showed her.

Her mind was far from on the job, though. She'd been quiet most of the time as she thought about Blaise, Kindred, and the fact that she'd managed to fuck up. Again. After a moment she took a breath, keeping her voice low so she didn't break the silence with any loud noises. "How do you make it up to someone when you kinda give them a metaphorical slap to the face?"


Then, it all depends how much of a slap in the face it was. If you just told someone their cooking was bollocks, it's usually something you can make up to them. Call oot someone else's name during sex or the like, you're much fucked," he stated and ran his finger tips lightly along the ancient walls. He had lost count of how many times he had walked the vaults of Edinburgh. He had considered taking her to Mary King's Close, but with the amount of ghost sightings there cropping up in the papers lately, it would be just overrun with even more tourists anyway. Rory knew the people who ran the tours of the vaults, and pretty much had access whenever he wanted, and to parts that the tourists would never be allowed. There was nothing pretty about this place and you could just feel the evil in the walls.

Buffy sighed softly as she pushed her hair out of her face and took a moment to pull it back into a ponytail with a hair tie she'd kept on her wrist. "There wasn't even any sex. Just... claiming. Near sex. A whole lot of mess and revelations and just... I can't understand why he'd even want me when he could have anyone. And now he's back in France and I still can't stop thinking about him. I don't even know if he does cook." Buffy frowned. Not all vampires cooked, surely. But then Kindred were apparently a lot closer to humans than most vampires. Or the ones she'd encountered. "Maybe it would have been better for there to have been sex. He gave me diamonds. And I didn't think I was worthy. I couldn't understand why I was worthy even though he thought I was. And I gave them back. Or I tried to, but then I took them anyway and I still have them, but the damage was done."

Rory pulled his lips to the side wryly with a nod of his head and another small shrug. She was basically well fucked if a Kindred had claimed her. She was even more fucked considering it was a Kindred Prince. "Surprised you arenae having urges to follow him." He stopped and turned the flashlight towards her, shining it on the wall behind her over her shoulder so he could see her face. "Ach, lassie. I know what he is and I know who he is. You dinnae need to try and prance aroond the issue. Someone from his time, gifting of fine jewellery and clothing was a sign of affection and respect. It's saying, hey, you're important to me and I'm putting you on my level. He's fecking royalty. He doesnae operate like laddies do these days, so aye, congrats on the well metaphorical slap in the face... and boot to the metaphorical balls."

"Oh thank god," Buffy breathed out as she looked at him in the near darkness. Her own flash light was still pointed towards the ground, highlighting the damp stones. "I can't take trying to prance around any subjects when I just really need to be able to talk to someone about it. But how do you know? Did Juliette tell you? You know about her too, right? And I really didn't mean to give him a metaphorical kick to the balls. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't want him to feel like he had to put up with me... I just couldn't get why he liked me, why he claimed me. He doesn't even like my blood. He threw it all back up. How's that for a metaphorical slap to the face? And don't think I haven't considered following him..."

Rory shook his head with a snort. "That wasnae a slap in the face, that was you being an oversensitive girl. His kind, some of then can only drink a certain type of blood. It's aboot equivalent to trying to feed someone with an anaphylatic fish allergy a prawn. You should be asking yourself why he even tried to feed from you in the first place, nay why he couldnae. I've been trying to tell you for ages there is things all aroond us you cannae see. That the shit we can see are the easy part. The ones that are concealed are concealed for a reason and want to be left alone. You couldnae have just had all your insecurities aboot yourself and still kept his gift, aye? It was a gift, and you've offended him trying to give it back. You'll just have to deal with that now. Aye, she mentioned it," he added as an afterthought and turned back up the tunnel to keep on to their destination.

Buffy followed him as she watched the back of his head, trying to work out what had happened with Rory and Juliette. It was evident the Kindred was taken with the Hunter, but she couldn't see it being much less complicated than her and Blaise. There was a reason for hesitation. She touched her neck where the diamonds had once rested, and then her fingers moved to the place she'd had the same scar for years. Now there was nothing. He'd claimed her, but left no physical mark. "He wanted to erase Angel's mark," she said as she frowned again. "He didn't seem to want me belonging to any other vampire. Does it... Well, how do Kindred know who's claimed when there aren't any marks? Because I don't think he's going to like it if someone else comes along that's less picky about their meals and tries to take a bite."

"It's a sense. A signature. Kind of like dog's sniffing each other's butts or smelling their owner's footsteps, for want of any other better way to describe it. Kindred arenae like other kinds, in nay sense of the word. Probably all they have in common is drinking blood. They arenae even technically immortal. That doesnae mean they arenae territorial and possessive. They are, and can be dangerously so. My bet is he would have sensed something aboot you, but maybe couldnae put his finger on what it was, if it some time ago. Not until you drew his attention to the fact. You plan on making it a habit of getting fanged, do you? Because I wouldnae recommend it, lassie. Your French Fabio, he is powerful. He has whole clans of his kind watching oot for him. If anyone sticks their teeth somewhere he doesnae want it, guaranteed they willnae have much longer to live. You should know, though, if he's claimed you, there will be some physical and chemical reaction in you to just need to be with him. That's what claiming is... sort of a Kindred marriage of sorts, I guess you could say. It's a bonding, but it's an animalistic one."

Buffy caught up with Rory so she could try and meet his gaze and held a hand up. "But that's what I don't get. I understand the animalistic thing, the need to piss on your territory - ignoring the imagery that goes with that - but I don't get why he would even risk that kind of a connection just because I have been bitten before. And I wasn't planning on it being habit, but I've already been bitten three times now. It's more often than I ever would have liked. Still, it goes back to the why. For Blaise it's not like feeding on me would have saved his life, it wasn't about my blood since he doesn't have a taste for it... It was the claiming, but why?" She rubbed her fingers against her forehead, and bit her lip. "It explains why I can't not think about being with him, though. It's almost driving me crazy sometimes."

"They cannae technically piss anyway, so poor imagery," Rory pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her. "He might not even know why. Look, quit thinking of them as humans for one minute. Sure, they masquerade around like they are, but they arenae human, lassie. They're Kindred. Their feelings and urges are well different to ours. There are some similarities, like love and hurt and passion, but it isnae the same. Do you know they dinnae even actually have orgasms? They can impersonate one, feel a rush of pleasure that comes with it, but their true rush and ecstatic high comes when they feed, and it's something they can pass off onto mortals when they feed from them. When they do that, it feels like about ten orgasms all at once. It isnae a feeling you could ever match, and it's why so many mortals get addicted to being fed from," he explained, giving her a pointed look. "You know, it could just be as simple as him wishing to free you from the hold the other fangy dude had on you."

She stuck her tongue out and waved her hand dismissively. "Okay, okay. Jeez. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all, okay? And also, you really don't have to tell me about the orgasmic bites. It really is something else... I've never felt anything like it. And to be honest, I'm kind of relieved to hear they don't have real orgasm. The blood thing... It's just a little gross when you think about some bodily functions. Especially the sex ones. If he's so set on freeing me, he shouldn't be doing something that's only going to place me under his hold."

Rory rolled his eyes a little. "Kindred, lassie! Fuck me, listen to what I'm saying. They have evolved to mimic a human being. They arenae all aboot the blood when they come or the lassie gets all wet. It's just... trust me, okay? It's nay like you think it would be. It feels as normal as it would with a mortal. And he's already done it, so your point is moot. I cannae profess to even try to get in a vampire prince's head. I wouldnae wanna be in there, either. I bet it can be a scary place when it wants to be. They're all with the spooky silver eyeball thing. Dinnae be wanting to piss one off, that's for sure."

"Kindred prince," Buffy returned with a mock roll of her eyes. "I'm no closer to getting in his head. It's just doing mine in. Maybe I should go to France... Do you even miss her? Could you ever see yourself with Juliette? You're not going to let her feed on you, are you? Even if she won't spit out your blood. I saw the eyeball thing. It was a little mesmerising. He kinda had me fetch him the waiter as a snack after the failed feeding."

Rory just pulled a face and pointed. "That, right there, is why she isnae feeding on me. I'm no one's snack. I'm also nay sure I'm ready to let myself belong to anyone else yet," he admitted and pressed his lips together briefly. "Kindred, when they fall in love, they do claim their lovers, in most cases. The lover has to understand that there are other needs a Kindred needs beyond the usual mortal shit. One of the most untouchable feelings is a Kindred to fuck their lover and simultaneously feed on them. I'm just nay thick enough to realise that our worlds are two totally different places. I havenae been able to decide yet if I would just rather be alone."

Buffy tucked her flashlight under her arm so she could slip her hands into the pouch of her hoodie and cleared her throat. "I'd have to fall in love with him before we ever got to the fucking and feeding thing. I can't even pretend to be turned off. How fucked up is that? I think my brain broke with my second death... Okay, so you won't be her snack. You're not sure you're ready to belong to anyone, but aren't you just the slightest bit curious about seeing them on their turf?"

"And obviously he isnae in love with you if he's barfing up your blood. If you loved him, he could feed from you. Aye, aye, Juliette told me that much aboot him. He has enough people on hand ready to cater to him if he needs it," Rory replied and then leant against the wall. Fucked if he knew why she wanted a deep and meaningful down here, but whatever. He had been in worse places. "Nay really, no. But then, she didnae claim me. Do you want me to say I am so you can feel better about it?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, not really. I just kinda want you to say you are so you'll be my Paris buddy," she admitted with a sheepish look. She stopped when he did and kicked the toe of her boot at the edge of the wall. She could definitely feel the evil down here, and it probably would have made her feel better if she could wail on some demon, but she was determined to show respect to Rory's 'beasties'. "And apparently the true love I thought I'd experienced wasn't true love at all. He's like a twisted lie detector."

This made Rory snort with a laugh. "I dinnae know. Better to find oot now you may have nay felt the real thing, aye? You know you've got something to look forward to and anticipate. Plus, you can quit feeling guilty about it all being a fucked up experience and all dark, wrong love. That's just teenage emo material, you dinnae need involved in it. Love isnae dark and twisted, it's amazing, and it should be the best thing you ever experience, when you find it. Nay everyone does. It's a pretty unique gift he has. He can only feed from people who have been truly happy at some point in their life. He's kinda a fucked up Care Bear."

Buffy had to laugh at the mental image she got. "Blaise the Kindred Care Bear. Makes me want to buy him one and mess with him just a little. But you're right. It does make me feel better about all of that. It's hard not to feel intense about everything when you're a teenager let alone what you thought was your first love. Especially after the guy turns evil after you give up your virginity to him. Gives any girl issues. Makes me wonder if it is possible for me to love Blaise. A part of me wants a chance, but I also realise the ball is in my court. He won't come after me. It's up to me to go after him."

"You should maybe be asking if it's possible for him to love you," Rory reasoned. "He's been aroond a hell of a lot longer than you and Juliette is his mate. You never know. He might love his city and be incapable of anything beyond that. Trying to guess the answers to the questions is stupid, though. You'll always guess wrong, especially when you know hardly anything aboot them or their kind."

"He already asked me why he should love me... Or try. I just fucked it up with the diamond thing. I'm so stupid this time, and I can't just blame it on the blonde." Buffy started to walk again, the deep and meaningful only succeeding in getting her restless when she knew Rory was right. She couldn't get the answers, not until she knew more about Kindred and Blaise's world. "I don't even know where to find him. We didn't get that far. I'm just guessing it'll be a palace, or mansion. Palace with a mansion in the backyard."

Rory dug around in the pocket of his jeans for his wallet and took Juliette's card out to give to Buffy. "I figure wherever she is, he isnae too far away. They're in Paris, she said he has two places. One in the centre of the city, and a larger home on the outskirts where they live." He cleared his throat, still holding out the card and waiting for her to take it. "I spoke to her when she arrived. She's worried he's ill," he revealed, watching her closely for her reaction.

Buffy's green eyes immediately snapped up to meet Rory's gaze and concern caused her brow to crease even as she took the card. There would have been a little happy Slayer dance, but now she could feel a tight knot of worry form in her stomach. "I thought they couldn't get ill. Not like us... I'm going to France. I need to see him." She glanced back towards their path before she turned and started to walk back out the way they came. Her tour was going to have to be postponed.

"They cannae get ill... nay naturally," Rory confirmed and cleared his throat as he sauntered after her, stuffing a hand into the pocket of his leather jacket. "So, what's your plan, then? You're just going to rock up on his doorstep out of the blue. How was he towards you the last time you spoke, anyway? Did you apologise for the booting in the nads?"

"Well, yes. Should I call first? Am I supposed to call first? I don't exactly have some kinda posh butler to go ahead of me and announce my arrival. Or however royalty does it. Plus, if he's ill, then there's no time for calls and arranging a meeting. This is one occasion that being a rude American works. So what do you mean not naturally? He was poisoned? I've dealt with that kind of thing before, but I don't think Slayer blood is the cure for Blaise. Especially not mine." Buffy at least felt like she had a direction now, an end goal. She was no longer feeling restless now that she was forming her plan for getting to France. "I didn't get a chance to apologise. He'd already turned his back on me in his way of telling me to piss off. We haven't spoken since."

Rory tilted his head a little. "Actually, despite nay saying a whole lot aboot the bloke, I got the feeling Juliette was suggesting Slayer blood is what had poisoned him... so to speak. Wouldnae that be ironic? He claims you, and it poisons him." He couldn't help but snigger a little at the irony. "That's a hell of a fecking predicament you've gotten yourself into, lassie. How is Xander, by the way? I meant to ask before."

Buffy reached out to shove Rory as gently as she could, not breaking her stride. "Cute, Elmo. Really cute. It's just so hilarious. Alanis Morissette can probably write a sequel to her hit about it. And for the record, most of the things in the first song weren't even ironic." Her expression shifted at the mention of Xander, and she sighed. "He's quiet. Really quiet. Like he's gone all broody. It's not normal. I can't even get him to talk to me about it. I think he's still unhappy about how things went with Airlie. He really liked her."

"Are you going to stamp your foot and pout now? Write a letter to her manager and get all whiney and indignant. And? Just for your record, whiney and indignant is so nay fecking attractive. Turns laddies well off. Nay laddie really wants to hand over their balls to a whiney lass to carry aroond in her wee little purse." Rory gave a shrug and continued on walking but he was frowning a little. "Aye, Airlie isnae so convinced much else is gonna happen there. It's, erm... complicated. She had to lay some cards oot on the table for him and he probably wasnae so keen on the hand he got dealt."

Buffy looked at him. "No. Jeez, do I look whiney and indignant. I was just saying. Stop thinking I'm so insensitive. It's unattractive when a guy keeps assuming the worst of you. I'm not trying to carry anyone's balls in my purse. I don't even carry a purse. I still think he likes her, so count him out just yet. I just think that when Xander's faced with a really important decision he does take the time to consider every angle. At least he's not doing it with a beer in hand which is a much better start than his non-happening wedding day."

"Aye, well, Airlie wouldnae take him if he doesnae think everything over well enough. It's nay something to take lightly. And you do have a wee whiney and indignant moment now and again. I've seen them," Rory teased with a smirk and flicked the flash light into her eyes to piss her off. "Why didnae the wedding day ever happen? You never told me. Just that he was all demon obsessed or something. I cannae completely mind now."

Buffy raised her fists like she was challenging him to a fight before she flicked her own flash light into his eyes in retaliation. "That still doesn't mean I'm whiney and indignant all the time. You're just as capable of being a pouty little Scot. He cares about her a lot, and for Xander not to just rush into something it's serious. As for the wedding day, well, how much time do you have? A demon cast a spell... Made Xander 'travel' into the future. It was basically an hallucination to throw a spanner into the works. To talk him out of it. The future with Anya apparently wasn't as rosy as he wanted, and he bolted. He fell for the spell, and hated himself for it. He also figured it was a sign that he wasn't ready. Didn't mean he didn't love. Just meant he broke her heart. It was the moment the she came out of retirement and went back to being a vengeance demon. She always had specialised in women scorned."

Rory just pulled a face. "Fuck. Makes your relationship-that-wasnae look like a fucking fairy tale," he commented, not really sure why anyone would want to bind themselves to a demon, anyway. "He's got just as shite taste in relationships as you have. What, you all have a death wish or something? At least a wish to live with complications? What was ever wrong with the sweet and easy life I'll never know."

Buffy shrugged. "I kissed the sweet and easy life goodbye when I was too caught up in complications. Didn't see what was right in front of me and Riley left. I can't blame him. I really can't. Sometimes I think about what might have happened, but it's never going to change. It's done, and he's all off being cool action guy and married. I think growing up on a Hellmouth is always going to warp your sense of what's wrong and right as far as relationships go. Will's the only one that's got it right of all of us."

Rory continued on back the way they come. "That's real life, lassie. Isnae like the movies, nothing is a fairy story. Shit happens, people get hurt, people cry. You cannae blame the Hellmouth on fucky choices either, so nice try. Nay buying it." He needed a smoke and he started to look around in his inside pockets to try and find his packet of cigarettes. "You're nay on a Hellmouth now and you're still falling for a Kindred Prince."

Buffy gave him a sideways glance. "Maybe I just have fucky taste. Besides, it's not like you and me would have worked out. You don't like your balls in my care. I can at least blame the Hellmouth on the demons and vampires that showed up and made with the lovin'. Are you really saying you could never fall for someone like Juliette regardless of what she is?"

"I have a dead wife and bairn. It has nothing to do with my balls," Rory corrected. "It would be a lot fucking easier if it was just my balls, but it isnae. It has nothing to do with them. It was hard to make us work when you were making moony eyes at a fecking French Kindred. I'm saying I dinnae fucking know how I feel, alright? Jesus Christ," he cursed when the smokes got stuck on the zipper of his pocket.

Buffy stopped and placed her hands on his shoulders to make him stop as well so she could help him get his smokes free. "Okay, okay. You really are a little bitch when you don't get a nicotine hit, aren't you? I'll drop it... If you come to France with me."

Rory pulled his smokes out with a triumphant smirk and then kept on digging to find his lighter. "Fucking hell, cannae you take Xander? Why do you want to take me? I need to get leave from work and find a sitter for Willy. It's like... a pain in the arse."

"Xander can house sit for you and he'll watch over your Willy," Buffy replied with a slight smirk. "Maybe he and Airlie can watch over him together... Talk about whatever it is they need to talk about. That way there's someone you trust in the house. I'll pay you if it's a matter of money. I want you to come with me because you can stop me from being such an idiot, and because you seem to already know Kindred. I also don't think getting out of Scotland just for a little while will do you any harm."

Rory snorted and then started to laugh. "I dinnae think anyone can stop you being such an idiot, lassie. I cannae believe you threw his gift back into his face. Did you breach any gaps with him that night at all. Do you even realise how massive it was for him, a Prince, to reveal himself to you in the Masquerade? It is his responsibility and obligation to ensure his people arenae revealing themselves."

Buffy frowned as she thought back to that night. "Yes, I think so. I'm sure we did. There was lots of talking, and he showed me his personal documents on the Kindred as well as a website on who he was before he got Embraced. He's genuine royalty. He's the son of a French king. He's... He's... up here," she said as she stood up on her tip toes and stretched out her arm above her head, "and I'm down there with the slime and the dampness and the dirt. But I can't not see him. I need to do this. Even if I make an idiot of myself again. Do you think I should take him a gift? Maybe I should take him a gift... What do you give a Kindred prince?"

Rory rolled his eyes. "Quit with that he's above me bullshit. If it shits me, it no doubt shits him. Even more when you're tossing his gifts in his face. I dinnae think you should take him a gift, no. It'll just look like you're trying to pull the piss out of him. There isnae exactly an appropriate gift you take someone you might have poisoned anyway. I dinnae think there is any easy way to face this or soften the blow. You go over there, you'll just have to swallow how ever he wants to treat you, and be prepared if he tells you to fuck off and die. Which he willnae, because he claimed you. It would be hard to tolerate if you died."

Buffy nodded as she looked down at the ground, her flash light now pointed at her boots. "Will he feel better, or worse if I show up?"

"How the feck am I supposed to know that, lassie? Pfft." Rory shook his head and finally freed his lighter, putting a smoke between his lips so he could light up. "I dinnae know what's wrong with him, do I? I dinnae know how he feels, but sounds like you hurt him. He might bitch you out for a bit, and then feel better about it."

Buffy started walking again when she heard Rory finally light up. "Well, I can take it. If that's what I have to face to get him to give me another chance, so be it. So are you coming to enjoy the show, or what? If nothing else it'll at least give you enough fuel to keep making fun of me for at least ten years."

"Ten years is like... the duration of a fart in comparison to Kindred life. How weird is that?" Rory mused, satisfied now that he had a smoke to keep him occupied. "Aye, alright, I'll come, but I'm nay promising I'll stay long. I'll keep my options open. Never fecking liked France."

Buffy turned as she kept walking, managing not to stumble in her footing as she walked backwards so she could press her palms together and bow as if she was worshipping Rory. "I will be forever in your debt, oh Great One. For the Church of the Duration of a Fart is nothing if not grateful." She grinned as she looked at him again, unable to hide just the slightest bit of excitement at the idea of being near Blaise again. Even if it was strange to think that ten years would mean nothing to a Kindred.