006 [Visual] No Torches & Pitchforks.

[valaunbound]

Vala knows she has to say something regarding recent events, but apologies aren't quite sitting right with her. If she apologises for Qetesh's actions, then she's accepting the responsibility for them aswell, and as she's struggling with the guilt enough as it is. She stares at the closed tablet for a while, contemplating how or even what to say

Comments

[visual]

[likeajoan]

As much as that is... possibly the worst attempt at a 'sorry' that Buffy has ever had the displeasure of witnessing, she can very much empathise with Vala's situation. Being out of control of one's actions, and then having to live with the memory of it... the memory of hurting people, the crushing guilt? She knows it well-- god knows she had to deal with it when Spike got his soul back. She's thankful the Buffybot was at least a harmless (or as harmless as these things can be) perversion of herself. She answers in an even, reserved tone of voice. The bruises on her face are already fading fast.

"It's okay, Vala. I understand that it wasn't you... Nobody's blaming." A pause, and then in a slightly lighter manner, but at the same time oddly steely in its flippancy, she adds. "And if anyone tries get all ill-advised caped crusader on you, I'll personally smack them down."

[valaunbound]

"You do?" Vala's eyes shift skeptically, she can honestly say she really wasn't expecting that response, maybe she'd hoped. There's a long pause before she says anything else.

"No. That really won't be necessary, Buffy." Vala has no idea how to respond to this, she's staring at the bruises she caused and Buffy's offering to defend her? "If anyone does, then I'll deal with it somehow."

"You're okay though?" She asks hesitantly after a moment.

[likeajoan]

"Yes. I do." Buffy replies, firmly, because it's pretty obvious that Vala's less than convinced. "I remember my recent Ditzatron 3000 episode- and I remember how I felt afterwards. And... I know what it's like to hurt people and have no control over it."

She just nods in response to Vala's answer, dropping the issue- though she would still be prepared to tackle any vigilantes, with permission or no.

"Pfff, I'm fine. Been in way worse fights than that." She waves a hand dismissively, before asking, a lot more carefully. "You?"

[valaunbound]

"Okay." The vaguely disbelieving reply comes with a smile that isn't exactly natural, honestly she thinks hatred would be easier to accept, at least that's something she's dealt with before, she knows how to deflect that. Whilst Buffy thinks she can relate, Vala doubts that she's slaughtered tens of thousands, but that's a story for... well for never, really.

"That's good then, I'm glad," Vala smiles again, placatory and dismissive. "And I'm absolutely fine."

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte watched the display with a small frown, uncertain what to make of it. It hadn't taken long for her to figure out that whatever the kitten threatening thing was, it wasn't the pleasant woman she'd spoken to on her arrival. She just had no frame of reference at all about what it was.

"Does that sort of thing happen to you often?"

[valaunbound]

"Not usually, no." Vala replies cautiously, knowing there's no guarantee it won't from now on. After a few moments of awkwardness, she decides that a little explanation might be politic. She continues, albeit subdued and as removed from the memories as she can muster.

"I spent seven years as an unwilling host to her. Qetesh is a Goa'uld, a small snake-like creature. A symbiote. She was removed and killed, I have no idea how she managed her encore."

[aesthetic_mojo]

"Seven years is a very long time." Charlotte managed to convey only sympathy, not any of the curiosity she felt. That could be dealt with another time, in person. "I'm noticing a lot of strange things going on around here. Grown men becoming little boys... Of course, that's much less of a reach."

[valaunbound]

"You'd be amazed how time flies when you're having so much fun," Vala responds cynically, her words edged with bitterness under the affected light humour. Handling the whole thing by denial is the only method she knows.

"Seems my theory of them waiting for us to go mad and start killing each other, wasn't so far off the mark after all." She snorts a laugh at Charlotte's joke, despite not really getting it.

[Voice]

[cane_n_vicodin]

You're apolgizing?
Come on! That was the most hilarious thing I have ever seen.

[valaunbound]

Yes, it was hilarious wasn't it. Sorry to disappoint, but there won't be a sequel. [okaay what the hell is he on?]

[cane_n_vicodin]

The part about being a God was. [Vicodin!]

No one in their right mind would ever believe that.

[valaunbound]

I agree, now I'm back in my right mind I no longer believe it. [Earth idioms - she doesn't always get them]

[voice]

[fudgingkillyou]

Yeah, tell that to my broken ribs. [Comes Dean's squeaky voice. He's back in his thirty-year-old mindset, but he doesn't know for how long. It's been switching a lot.]

[valaunbound]

[Vala has no idea who this is, they took her tablet off her while she was still Qetesh, so she's not up to speed with events. She doesn't remember hurting a child. Oh God - has she really hurt a child? And if she's forgotten him, who else has she forgotten about?]

I'm so sorry. [for the first time she sounds genuinely grief stricken]

[fudgingkillyou]

[Hoo boy, that was unfair, Dean. He doesn't realize that she doesn't realize who he is. Not that he's forgotten he's little, he's just assuming, and we all know what happens when people assume.]

Yeah, well. See if I ever hit on you again. [... Which sounds odd. And Dean's not too angry, because he knows what happened. Possession sucks.]

[valaunbound]

...? [What? What the hell?] I'm going to say that's proobably a good thing.

[It's really true what they say, they do grow up too fast these days! Either that, or she's hearing voices - after what's happened recently, it's more likely the latter, she considers worriedly.]

[hearts_of_gold]

Inara peered at tablet's display with a frown of clear concern and more than a little caution, the tables now good and turned as she waited for some sign that Vala was going to launch into trying to rule the world - or their little corner of it - with magical powers like something out of a story.

"You're feeling...better, then?" Better really didn't seem like the best way to put it but she couldn't very well say You're feeling less like ruling over or killing us all, then?.

[valaunbound]

If Vala was still dubious as to Inara being Adria on some bizarre identity crisis, then that question and the caution has completely disspelled all her concerns. It's still strange though, in an odd way - comforting.

"Much." She replies cautiously but with the front of a smile. "A little battle weary perhaps, but it'll pass."

[hearts_of_gold]

Inara, reassured by her almost-smile, nods. "Good, good. It...all of that...I imagine it was very disorienting..."

She's making herself tea, clearly preferring going through the motions of doing it herself rather than having the replicator hatches make her pre-made tea, and hesitates before she goes on. "What, ah...I don't mean to pry and you don't need to elaborate if you'd rather not talk about it, but what exactly...happened?"

[valaunbound]

Vala takes a deep breath at the question, here we go... "No, no, it's fine. Okaaaay..." she starts, wondering just where she should start. "Well the Goa'uld are a race of megalomaniacal violent creatures, not unlike Earth snakes, who just happen to think of themselves as Gods. Given their natural state, they need to take hosts, of which I had the misfortune of being one for a while."

Quite how long a while is, she leaves out after Charlotte's reaction. Vala continues however, the explanation rattled off with an ill-fitting light hearted manner. "Anyway, to cut a very long story short, despite her removal and subsequent death, it would appear she can still respond to curtain calls."