five | [Location: Levi's Mansion] | got my boots on, the right amount of leather

[levilup]

New Years Eve.

Levi is ready, decked out in his party suit, and a lot of makeup. He's just finished his preparations, and he's sitting in his living room, waiting patiently for Cordelia to arrive, and then the guests. Of course, the party isn't taking place in his living room. That's much too small for such a large event

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[fangy_summers]

Party... Cool. Buffy remembered those. It had been a while since going to one which didn't include mass slaughter, but anyone who contacted her for such a thing was either worth knowing more about or was hosting an event for just about the entire population.

Which meant plenty of opportunity for causing chaos.

What she was wearing, was more in line with the Buffy of yore, but unless someone possessed the ability to detect a vampire at range, the turned Slayer had every intention of donning human guise. No facial ridges or fangs for her. Not on display, anyway. This was more a chance for skulking around to scout out prey and potential competitors.

That the interior was to her liking, helped matters, of course.

"Nice..."

[glowingseer]

Having no such ability, Cordelia will definitely be mistaking the vampire for the human, normal Slayer she's friends with. As such, when she spots Buffy - wearing something definitely circa-forgotten and weird - she raises a brow but doesn't comment on her attire. Yet.

"Hey Buffy!" she greets, handing one of her champagne glasses to the other girl. "Glad you can make it!"

[fangy_summers]

"Oh, hey... Cordy."

The last time she had met her, was in the aftermath of graduating school. Using old pet names in person was different to doing it across a screen. Especially when Buffy was now a lot more certain of things truly being as they had seemed.

And if Cordelia was... Happy to see her, this was going to require some subterfuge. Like forcing on a smile and taking the champagne as if it still meant a damn.

"Here's to good times at Taxon," she toasted.

And exposed necklines...

[glowingseer]

"I hear 'ya," Cordelia replied, clinking her glass with the other girl's and drinking from it.

She looked around, trying to see if Buffy was alone - which, by all rights, she shouldn't be. "Where's--" Her eyes sparkled with mischief and she dropped her voice to whisper, "-you-know-who?"

[fangy_summers]

Not the first time Cordelia had been in the grip of mortal danger. There was an odd sort of similarity to the time Willow's vampy self had got locked in the old library cage. The difference, this time, being that the predator in friend's clothing was mindful of creating too public a scene.

"Oh... You know me!" Buffy replied with a slightly awkward attempt at laugh, raising a shoulder. "Love to make an entrance! And, uh..." He? She? It? Lover? Friend? Damn it. "They'll be along later. Heyyy - listen! How's the..."

Eyes narrowed. Buffy trying to go with the flow and only semi-failing. She didn't even know anything about Cordelia's life, here!

"The ole'..." Struggle-struggle! "You! How are you? Cordelia. My friend... How are you? Yes. For this is my... Question."

[glowingseer]

They? Cordelia raised a brow at Buffy. She would've expected the Slayer to get that she was, in fact, referring to Captain McHotHot, but well... maybe not. Was she having a blond moment or what?

"Uh--" The question kinda threw her off guard, as well. Cordelia looked around them - spotted Angel a few feet away - and returned her gaze to the girl in front of her. "Oh, you know, just... stuff. Trying to... uh, help Angel deal with his exploits as Angelus." A beat before saying, "You saw that, didn't you."

[fangy_summers]

Head waved by forehead in a 'pffft, don't worry' motion.

"Had a lot to deal with, lately... Old boyfriends turning evil, yada-yada-yada - just like you say! Should I even get migraines, at my age?"

Moving in close, Buffy decided to make away from the door. A momentary glance spared for Angel, before flickering to her... Friend.

"Then there's that other version of me running around. What's all that about, huh? I mean, God... Imagine if there's an undead version of you and someone brought her here."

Which she could. It just required her death, that was all...

[glowingseer]

Oh god, of course. Other vamp!Buffy - whose existence Cordelia had almost totally forgotten, what with the whole Angel thing, Levi getting attacked by Mr. toady of darkness, and this party--

"If ever there's an undead version of me around? Oh, I bet there will definitely be a hunting - accompanied with much killing of her! One place can never have two mes, after all. It'll totally implode." She chuckled at that. "Must be extremely freaky for you, huh. God - where did she even come from, anyway? Elm freakin' Street?"

[fangy_summers]

"Yeah, I'd just have to track you right down, huh? With much stabbing repetition..."

For just a second, there was a hint of fantasy in Buffy's eyes, but it was blinked away. She had yet to indulge in a kill of someone not so overly robotic, while in this world. Cordelia would certainly fit that bill and be a way to work out a few repressed high school memories.

Again, with the draining of glass...

"But I tell you what - if I ever need to take down that other me down? You're totally invited along."

You can play bait, mused the silent thoughts.

[glowingseer]

"Oh please, like I'd give over to you the pleasure of killing undead me?" Cordelia grinned at her, obviously joking.

"And thanks! I'll definitely keep that in mind." Then she heard someone call her name from behind. "Listen, Buffy - we'll have to continue this later. Other guests beckons, 'kay? You still owe me some stories about you-know-who!"

[fangy_summers]

"Sure, Cordy," came the self-satisfied response. Buffy's hand alighting to the forearm of her other self's friend. "I've got one you'll be just dying to hear. Ciao for now!"

Go, go, Gaget Finger Wriggle.

Maybe Taxon was going to be easier to mindfuck than she had thought it would be...

[likeajoan]

Oh hello there, self. Buffy nearly choked on her drink when she spotted her fangier counterpart from across the room. After a moment of indecision she walked over, one eyebrow arched at the other Buffy's outfit. God, she remembered those days.

"I'd ask what a pretty girl like you is doing in a place like this, but that'd be oddly self-serving, wouldn't it?"

[fangy_summers]

She'd seen her, even talked to her, but this was the first time alternative Buffys had met and doing so in the flesh was a whole lot different to across electrons.

Jaw clenched, because this just about ruined any attempts at sabotage, but on the other hand... If she played this right and someone saw them from afar, who else would know which of them was the live version?

"Hellooo, novelty reflection..."

Buffy's extended longevity edition was forcing herself to mimic older body language. Ordinarily, there might be seen a difference in the way they moved: More of a deliberate purpose in the vampire's stride. A natural stalking pose which normally came into play only on graveyard patrols, back in the old days.

"The road less travelled, huh? Looks like someone was less than discerning with the invitations... Or deliberately in need of furniture breakage."

[likeajoan]

Yes, there was certainly an element of the bizarre to this scenario. The two of them weren't exactly the same, to anyone who paid enough attention, of course. Other than body language, human!Buffy was a few years older, and it showed, however subtly. Then of course there was the fashion sense, but even then the resemblance was beyond uncanny, mirror-like.

Casting an apparently-but-not casual glance at the crowds around them, and affecting an air of indifference, though her whole body was tense, she replied, coolly: "It's a party. It'd be a shame to lower the tone, don't you think?"

...Because no way in hell did she want to throw down with her other self in the midst of all these people. There was a time and a place, but this certainly wasn't it.

[fangy_summers]

The other Buffy followed her living counterpart's gaze, but responded with a single note of amusement dark enough to have almost melted into a chuckle, had the compulsion been there.

Ah, the nostalgia of wanting to save lives...

Oh, the leverage of using that.

"Quite the change in tone." She was studying the other Slayer. The live one. Under no illusions that the reverse was not happening at exactly the same time. "And, wow... Quite the dilemma, too. Dawn around? Haven't had the opportunity to catch up with my little blood-relative yet..."

[likeajoan]

The mention of Dawn got what was probably the desired flicker of anger from Buffy, the line of her jaw suddenly quite set, her eyes cold as she studied her vampiric self right back. It was surreal, listening to threats coming from her own mouth-- was that what she could become? All it took was one good day, as Spike had told her all those years ago. Now wasn't the time for being introspective however, and she took a step closer to her other self, close enough to touch, keeping her voice low.

"And you won't, unless you want me to introduce you to your dust."