Day After

[brit_in_leather]

[OOC: This takes place the day everyone else is on. For timeline purposes the Fred/Wesley date was the night before. The same night that Buffy/Willow/Anya contemplated searching for the succubus.]I studied my beaten reflection in the mirror of the shop window, sighing at the sight of my black eye. I reached up and gently touched my tender nose

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[xxcordeliaxx]

The magic shop wasn't a complete waste of time, Xander Harris aside, it could be labelled productive. I made a lot of sacrifices so that Angel and I could come back here to babysit Buffy until the bad dye job from my vision makes a move on her. If Angel thinks we're going to put my career on hold and leave me completely lacking any form of income for an extended period of time, my big hero has another thing coming.

Lucky for us, I'm perceptive enough to recognize when an opportunity comes knocking. Not everyone from Sunnydale lets death and doom take over their lives, and I'm one of the select few who still knows how to make a buck out of this dead end town.

"Cordelia?"

"Wesley?"

What was he still doing around here? After publically humiliating himself in the face of danger on graduation day, you would think a guy would know when to cut his losses and go back to the mother country.

Giving him my most polite stop-touching-me-before-I-smack-you-smile, I crossed my arms and waited to hear what was most likely going to be an awkward british attempt at polite conversation.

I couldn't blame the guy for wanting to stop me on the street, as far as I can remember, my end of the kiss that he was probably about to remember had packed a serious punch. Too bad his end was all spit. No wait, not too bad; that must have made it easier for him to understand why I never wanted to do it again.

"You look...different"

[brit_in_leather]

"Yes, well...hello," I stumbled letting go of her arm and standing awkwardly on the street corner. She was giving me a look that I'd only seen her reserve for the likes of Xander or maybe Willow. Not exactly one that screamed she was happy to see me.

"You look...different."

I reached up and touched my tender nose. "Ah, yes, I was beaten my a Sumir demon. Job hazard, I suppose." I pull my leather jacket closer around me. "I'm a rogue demon hunter now."

[xxcordeliaxx]

"Ah, yes, I was beaten my a Sumir demon. Job hazard, I suppose."

Ouch. Wesley couldn't hold his own in a fight with a human, much less a som, sumeer, whatever demon. Guys like him just shouldn't try. It's not worth the effort unless you're big and strong, and poor old Wesley is neither.

That'll teach him to bite off more than he can chew.

"I'm a rogue demon hunter now."

Or not.

"That's um...wow."

Wow, as in; oh my god are you serious? He can't be delusional enough to think that his new job title is cool, can he?

"What's a rogue demon hunter?"

I'll be the judge of whether or not his new job is socially acceptable among the good guys. It's my right as a seer.

[brit_in_leather]

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. She's scant to let it show, but she's impressed. I can tell.

"I hunt rogue demons," I say without really thinking about the answer. "That is, demons that are causing problems for the populations at large. I hunt and dispose of them for a fee. It's a difficult job, but someone has to do it."

I tilted my head to the side slightly. "Though of course I do pro bono work from time to time." I didn't want her to think I was heartless.

[xxcordeliaxx]

"I hunt rogue demons. That is, demons that are causing problems for the populations at large. I hunt and dispose of them for a fee. It's a difficult job, but someone has to do it."

Finally, someone who gets it. When you save the 'populations at large', it is your duty to those people to charge a fee. Buffy, for example, could afford to pay for our services. She may not have had to work a day in her life, but her parents are divorced. Everyone knows that when your parents split, they compete on your birthday presents and cash flow. We could charge her by the day, but no, she's Angel's ex.

I'm getting punished for the past, and I'm not the one who slept with her and went evil.

"Though of course I do pro bono work from time to time."

And now he sounds like Angel. A british, overconfident Angel, but I've been fed the same lines before. I know that you can't charge people who are poor; if I was broke I wouldn't want someone charging me for a rescue either.

I just don't understand why there are insurance companies for medical issues but not for demon ones.

"Right. How's the demon hunting business working out for you?"