My evening with Dawn had been instructive, I reflected, and although Dawn had not proved as amenable as I had anticipated, I had high hopes for her. Yes
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The phone call that I got woke me up way too fucking early. It was like nine in the morning, come on. But when I saw 'Wolfram and Hart' on the caller ID, well, I had to pick up. They were the ones paying the bills, after all, and passing out the fun little jobs for me to do. What a girl won't do for a nice pad and a bit of money.
"Lindsey, what?" I groaned into the reciever. But the voice on the other end wasn't Lindsey's. It was some whiny bitch I vaguely recognized as his secretary.
"It's not Mr. Macdonald, Ms. Lehane," she practically whispered. Over her voice, I could hear distant shouts, shrieks. What the hell?
"Yeah, well, what do you want? Do you know what time it is, for fuck's sake?" I was so not in the mood for this.
"Yes, Ms. Lehane." Fuck, I hated it when people called me Miss anything. Faith is just fine, thanks. "It's Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Lehane."
An hour later, after a very brief shower and a couple of cigarettes smoked in the cab on the way to the office, I was watching the decapitated body of Lindsey Macdonald being loaded up into an ambulance. Fat lot of good that'll do him, fucking ambulance. I almost liked the guy. Well, no, not really, but I admired him. Guy had balls. Figuratively speaking, obviously. Well, and literally too, but-
Fuck.
That was when some guy came up to me, nodded and handed me a folder. I gave him a weird look but took it, flipped it open to the first page, and read-
Congratulations, Ms. Lehane.
You have been promoted to the position of CEO for the New Metropolis branch of the Wolfram and Hart-
Well, fuck me sideways.
I just turned around right then, slammed my hands on the desk of the secretary, who was paper-white and looked like she was going to either cry or shit herself, and smiled. She didn't look comforted. Which wasn't really the point.
"Redecorate," I said, and left.
Which is why I'm now wandering aimlessly through New Metropolis, trying not to think too hard. But I think all the time I've spent around the fucking Scoobies rubbed off on me. It bothers me. Who offed Lindsey? And why? And who the fuck signed me up for this promotion? I'm a simple girl. I like to eat, sleep, fight and fuck. This CEO shit ain't for me.
So I barely noticed when I found myself in the middle of the fucking Winter Wonderland. No buildings, just snow, even though I'm pretty sure there was no snow like, two blocks back. Some people wandering around all dazed-like. And some asshole up a tree, smirking. I turned to him, pointing the folder at him.
I watched the people mill below me. Some simply wandered aimlessly through the snow, mouths agape, whilst others entered into the spirit of things, throwing snowballs, pushing smaller people into snowdrifts, and so on. All quite amusing.
Then a girl walked in, crackling with energy and bad humour. I liked her.
"What the fuck is this all about?" she said, waving a folder at me. I tutted.
"Swearing is very unladylike... Faith," I said, after a moment, pulling her name out of the taste of her dreams. And what dark dreams they were! Full of magic of the blackest kind.
I swung myself gracefully out of the tree. It was quite a long drop, but I land lightly, of course, and do not sway on my feet. I take the folder from her hand and read the first page.
"The Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart," I said, with some distaste, passing the folder back to her. "They have tried to encroach on my territory, but have failed. I have nothing to do with their interest in you." I looked her up and down, my head tilted. "And I am not sure you are happy to receive it, because otherwise you would not have found yourself here," I said. This dreamscape is for people who have a yearning to escape.
What the hell? I snatch the folder back from the weirdo, glaring. Who does he think he is? More importantly, what is he and what did he do to the city?
"What are you, some kind of demon?" I narrow my eyes at him. Demons are easy. Not as easy as vampires, but I can take 'em. If he's a demon, he's a whole new kind. This is why Watchers are useful. 'Course, then they go and try to run your life and everything you do and shit, so really, it's not worth it. But still, sometimes it's nice to have someone to tell you what you're up against. That's why I like the W&H. They lay it out real simple.
And pay real well.
Of course I'm in it for the money, are you surprised?
I could stand here asking him how the hell he knows my name, about the W&H and how I feel about being their new head honcho, but I don't really wanna. I could beat it out of him... but for some reason, I don't wanna do that either. I don't wanna deal with anything right now. A bubble bath would be good... or another go 'round with Spike.
Winter-freaking-wonderland. Everyone thought the woman was crazy when she started babbling on about how whole buildings had vanished, and snow abounded all around.. everyone but me. I had first-hand knowledge of what crazy people are like, and she was definitely believing every word she was saying. So like a good little somewhat Investigatie-type person, I decided to look into it some more. The woman, Ann, demanded to take me there rather than describe it more.. so I decided to go along. Angel had mentioned trying to keep an eye out for Faith, but I had no idea where I would find her, and I could always start digging around after I figured this snow business out.
..Wow.
Ann wasn't crazy.. or maybe I was too. Turning the corner at a standard intersection in the middle of New Metropolis, and I find myself in some kind of freak snowstorm that happened to center on only three blocks.. but that can't be right. Even the buildings were gone.. road gone. Just.. snow-covered trees, statues, ice.. this wasn't good. I felt myself blank out for a few moments just taking everything in.. before snapping out of it, and really looking around. Ann had ran off to make snow angels beneath a large ice sculpture.. and she wasn't the only one enjoying themselves. Heck, I felt like joining in..
Until I noticed the weird guy talking with the girl. Now, I'm still getting used to the whole investigating thing.. but odds are he has something to do with this. The fact that he's the only one dressed up all spiffy-like leads me to think he at least knows something about this. I move to approach the two of them, then pause.. realizing the girl he's talking to looks all too familiar. Faith.
Faith asks me if I'm a demon, and I laugh, throwing my head back and flashing a grin at her.
"A forward girl, are you not, Faith?" I say, tilting my head and grinning at her with pleasure. Ah, she's got a lot of vim, this one. I like her, even though she's older than those who come to my kingdom in general, and so she will be harder to control.
Still, I enjoy a challenge.
Then my attention is grabbed by the entrance of another girl. She stops a few feet away from us, and I move my hand in the air, feeling for her dreams. They crackle red and black, full of painful and frightening things, jagged lines and colours. I find her name amidst this.
"Dana," I say, nodding towards her pleasantly. "Won't you join us?"
I barely give half a glance to the girl who walks up. She's with some crazy woman anyway who's making snow angels under a tree over there, so what the fuck kind of weight is she gonna throw around? Fuck this shit. I am so not in the mood. Now that I thought about finding Spike and havin' another go at it, that's all I really want. Fuck this winter fucking wonderland.
"Sorry, guy, whatever you are, but this just ain't my kinda scene. You two enjoy yourselves, though. I'm out."
Er. Crap. Note to self.. next time, tell Angel to handle the reconnaissance, while I hit things until they do whatever we want. I'm better at that. The odd guy who knows my name offers me to join, but Faith seems to take this chance to bail. Not the plan I had in mind, but I'll try and come up with something brilliant to make it all work out happily.
I approach the two of them before Faith has a chance to exit, smiling to them as best as I can manage. I nod to the..er, him. "Thank you, odd looking fellow." I turn my attention to the other slayer a moment later, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder as a sign that she didn't have to go. "Don't run off, Faith. Snow won't hurt you."
"Oh, Faith," I say, smiling pleasantly enough, "you think that you are leaving without my permission? This is my domain, and trying to fight your way out of here will not work, sadly." I wait for the punch that I can almost see coming and I flicker away from it with barely a shrug. I cannot be touched that easily. I am touched when I will it.
I raise my eyebrows at Dana's turn of phrase. She should show more respect. But that will come in time.
"As a matter of fact, snow can be a painful thing," I say. "Avalanches, for instance..." I raise my hand, and there is a distant rumble. From the east a great wall of snow begins moving towards us. "Perhaps both of you ladies would like to run off now?" I say, tilting my head to the side. I want to see them run. This may be an entertaining game.
"It ain't the snow I'm worried about." Sneering at the girl who walks up and talks to me like she knows me, I look between them. This is fucking weird. I mean, I work with weird, but I like weird when I can kick its ass. Weird magic, shit you can't touch or kill - that ain't my style.
"What worries me is that both of you know my name and I've never seen you before. Also, it ain't snow season in this city. So you better tell me what the fuck is goin' on, or you'll be givin' me permission to leave. Whether you like it or not."
"Lindsey, what?" I groaned into the reciever. But the voice on the other end wasn't Lindsey's. It was some whiny bitch I vaguely recognized as his secretary.
"It's not Mr. Macdonald, Ms. Lehane," she practically whispered. Over her voice, I could hear distant shouts, shrieks. What the hell?
"Yeah, well, what do you want? Do you know what time it is, for fuck's sake?" I was so not in the mood for this.
"Yes, Ms. Lehane." Fuck, I hated it when people called me Miss anything. Faith is just fine, thanks. "It's Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Lehane."
An hour later, after a very brief shower and a couple of cigarettes smoked in the cab on the way to the office, I was watching the decapitated body of Lindsey Macdonald being loaded up into an ambulance. Fat lot of good that'll do him, fucking ambulance. I almost liked the guy. Well, no, not really, but I admired him. Guy had balls. Figuratively speaking, obviously. Well, and literally too, but-
Fuck.
That was when some guy came up to me, nodded and handed me a folder. I gave him a weird look but took it, flipped it open to the first page, and read-
Congratulations, Ms. Lehane.
You have been promoted to the position of CEO for the New Metropolis branch of the Wolfram and Hart-
Well, fuck me sideways.
I just turned around right then, slammed my hands on the desk of the secretary, who was paper-white and looked like she was going to either cry or shit herself, and smiled. She didn't look comforted. Which wasn't really the point.
"Redecorate," I said, and left.
Which is why I'm now wandering aimlessly through New Metropolis, trying not to think too hard. But I think all the time I've spent around the fucking Scoobies rubbed off on me. It bothers me. Who offed Lindsey? And why? And who the fuck signed me up for this promotion? I'm a simple girl. I like to eat, sleep, fight and fuck. This CEO shit ain't for me.
So I barely noticed when I found myself in the middle of the fucking Winter Wonderland. No buildings, just snow, even though I'm pretty sure there was no snow like, two blocks back. Some people wandering around all dazed-like. And some asshole up a tree, smirking. I turned to him, pointing the folder at him.
"What the fuck is this all about?"
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Then a girl walked in, crackling with energy and bad humour. I liked her.
"What the fuck is this all about?" she said, waving a folder at me. I tutted.
"Swearing is very unladylike... Faith," I said, after a moment, pulling her name out of the taste of her dreams. And what dark dreams they were! Full of magic of the blackest kind.
I swung myself gracefully out of the tree. It was quite a long drop, but I land lightly, of course, and do not sway on my feet. I take the folder from her hand and read the first page.
"The Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart," I said, with some distaste, passing the folder back to her. "They have tried to encroach on my territory, but have failed. I have nothing to do with their interest in you." I looked her up and down, my head tilted. "And I am not sure you are happy to receive it, because otherwise you would not have found yourself here," I said. This dreamscape is for people who have a yearning to escape.
Reply
"What are you, some kind of demon?" I narrow my eyes at him. Demons are easy. Not as easy as vampires, but I can take 'em. If he's a demon, he's a whole new kind. This is why Watchers are useful. 'Course, then they go and try to run your life and everything you do and shit, so really, it's not worth it. But still, sometimes it's nice to have someone to tell you what you're up against. That's why I like the W&H. They lay it out real simple.
And pay real well.
Of course I'm in it for the money, are you surprised?
I could stand here asking him how the hell he knows my name, about the W&H and how I feel about being their new head honcho, but I don't really wanna. I could beat it out of him... but for some reason, I don't wanna do that either. I don't wanna deal with anything right now. A bubble bath would be good... or another go 'round with Spike.
Yeah, that sounds like fun.
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..Wow.
Ann wasn't crazy.. or maybe I was too. Turning the corner at a standard intersection in the middle of New Metropolis, and I find myself in some kind of freak snowstorm that happened to center on only three blocks.. but that can't be right. Even the buildings were gone.. road gone. Just.. snow-covered trees, statues, ice.. this wasn't good. I felt myself blank out for a few moments just taking everything in.. before snapping out of it, and really looking around. Ann had ran off to make snow angels beneath a large ice sculpture.. and she wasn't the only one enjoying themselves. Heck, I felt like joining in..
Until I noticed the weird guy talking with the girl. Now, I'm still getting used to the whole investigating thing.. but odds are he has something to do with this. The fact that he's the only one dressed up all spiffy-like leads me to think he at least knows something about this. I move to approach the two of them, then pause.. realizing the girl he's talking to looks all too familiar. Faith.
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"A forward girl, are you not, Faith?" I say, tilting my head and grinning at her with pleasure. Ah, she's got a lot of vim, this one. I like her, even though she's older than those who come to my kingdom in general, and so she will be harder to control.
Still, I enjoy a challenge.
Then my attention is grabbed by the entrance of another girl. She stops a few feet away from us, and I move my hand in the air, feeling for her dreams. They crackle red and black, full of painful and frightening things, jagged lines and colours. I find her name amidst this.
"Dana," I say, nodding towards her pleasantly. "Won't you join us?"
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I barely give half a glance to the girl who walks up. She's with some crazy woman anyway who's making snow angels under a tree over there, so what the fuck kind of weight is she gonna throw around? Fuck this shit. I am so not in the mood. Now that I thought about finding Spike and havin' another go at it, that's all I really want. Fuck this winter fucking wonderland.
"Sorry, guy, whatever you are, but this just ain't my kinda scene. You two enjoy yourselves, though. I'm out."
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I approach the two of them before Faith has a chance to exit, smiling to them as best as I can manage. I nod to the..er, him. "Thank you, odd looking fellow." I turn my attention to the other slayer a moment later, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder as a sign that she didn't have to go. "Don't run off, Faith. Snow won't hurt you."
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"Oh, Faith," I say, smiling pleasantly enough, "you think that you are leaving without my permission? This is my domain, and trying to fight your way out of here will not work, sadly." I wait for the punch that I can almost see coming and I flicker away from it with barely a shrug. I cannot be touched that easily. I am touched when I will it.
"Thank you, odd looking fellow. Don't run off, Faith. Snow won't hurt you."
I raise my eyebrows at Dana's turn of phrase. She should show more respect. But that will come in time.
"As a matter of fact, snow can be a painful thing," I say. "Avalanches, for instance..." I raise my hand, and there is a distant rumble. From the east a great wall of snow begins moving towards us. "Perhaps both of you ladies would like to run off now?" I say, tilting my head to the side. I want to see them run. This may be an entertaining game.
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"What worries me is that both of you know my name and I've never seen you before. Also, it ain't snow season in this city. So you better tell me what the fuck is goin' on, or you'll be givin' me permission to leave. Whether you like it or not."
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