16. Voice

[stakesthings]

I was thinking. It's about time I got out of the community apartment and struck out on my own. It's important for... independence and... the right to change the color of my walls, because seriously? I think I can do better

Comments

[samianscar]

[Not just in Anatole, is it. This particular chess set ever been in one place at one time?

Give him a minute to get the tackyboard-with-strings layout of emotional entanglements clear in his head. (Red string from Angel to Buffy and to Cordy and to Spike, black string from Faith to… gold string from Buffy to… everybody…) Well, vivid, anyway. Less the clear.

Par for the course, really.]

I'll bring otter for-

…Nevermind.

ooc

[samianscar]

[so he goes and does this. On whatever day Buffy may choose]

[stakesthings]

...otter? Why is there otter?

[samianscar]

[Not that Buffy's squeamish. With the possible exception of this subtopic of squeam. But he's regretting the dig. Going to backfire on himself as much as on Angel. ...Not even sure he wants it to backfire on Angel. 'Cause that affects Buffy. Uggh. Can he go back to only feeling loyal to one of them at a time? ...Don't tell Angel he thought that.]

I have to spell it out...? More ambiguous than human, more corporate than rat.

[stakesthings]

...are you talking about Angel? He's so not an otter. He's more of a... bat.

[samianscar]

[there's the brow raise of suppressed laughter]

And what am I?

[not what he meant at all, but first things first]

[stakesthings]

Albino bat.

...were you talking about food? Because... ew. Otters are cute.

[samianscar]

Aw, now, nothing I've never heard of, from somewhere the sun always shines, that I have to ask Dawn to look up for me? Something sleek and deadly and vicious but occasionally cuddly? …Second thought, skip it.

Humans are cute, too. Priorities. Part of a soul's job, isn't it? Figuring priorities. Anyway, ask Angel. He's the one who could afford the secret ingredient. …Imported. Pre-…pared. Demon law firm special seasoning for the not-criminal coffee mug.

[Oh hell. Can I stop?]

To be fair, he may not have realised.

[instantly counters the fair with a muttered,]

Never did have a sense of taste.

[stakesthings]

People aren't cute. They're... peopley. You know. Some cute, some... definitively uncute to a pretty epic degree.

...coffee mug?

[samianscar]

[yeah, sod it.]

"No. 1 Boss", if I recall.

[stakesthings]

....wanna fill me in on what I'm missing, here? Because I'm pretty reluctant to ask Angel about otter cups, and you're the one who brought it up.

[samianscar]

[sorry, mate, it's everyone for himself now.]

You know this tune. Angel fight law firm. Angel defeat law firm. Angel get law firm as… bugger if I know, a dowry. Become head ponce. Sorry, boss. Boss sit in office all day being brought coffee mugs by buxom secretaries we may both know. Boss bans human blood, but still gotta eat, and can't have boss drinking just any ole thing from the store. They've got resources don't you know.

Guess these aren't the kind of factoids you get in epic song.

[stakesthings]

Angel drank otters?

Wait, what buxom secretaries? There were buxom secretaries? Why don't I know these things?

[samianscar]

[could it be that snark and truth are momentarily on the same side?!]

Why, indeed?

[there's that okay-do-have-some-Angel-loyalty guilt again. #%&!$ª§blast it.]

One secretary. Think she might've hired herself. Harmony.

[stakesthings]

Harmony worked for--

But Harmony's a--

I mean in the non-souled kind of--

Isn't she your ex?

[samianscar]

[spreads hands. Whether they're visible on forge or not.]

I tell it like I saw it. Non-souled ex, yes, my idea, no. Up to Angel to say why's how's what.