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[They missed it! What happened, they're very concerned about this now.

...

Oh and don't be... too alarmed. They can't help the not-face]

Sorry.

Sorry about that. Nossies aren't very pretty in the worst light.

[Either way Buffy is just not entirely sure what to say to her... guardian.]

Ah--There was a--And--

Um...

It's fine. I guess it was just anticlimatic. I expected way more of a bang.

[... Is it the seven foot tall thing? They can't help that either. Look they'll even stop staring, look at all twelve of those eyes vanish, is that better?

... Probably not.

They make a distant, concerned gong like sound as she... fails to continue the story, and try to urge her along a little with a few gestures. Yes and?]

Yeah, well, those Nostrils are gonna give me nightmares and that's really saying something.

[Quite honestly she's seen a lot worse than twelve eyes staring out at her. And the height is never an issue. She knows she's petite. She knows that most things will tower over her.

She just wasn't sure when she got an audience or companion.

Buffy scratched at her cheek before tucking away her stake.]

They never usually run away before the poofing. I mean, am I that horrible to be staked by? I like to think I give them a fun time before the dusting. A little humour, a well put together ensemble...

And you probably missed the scream. That was a really girlish scream for such a beefy vamp.

[They've always been there. Buffy just stepped into a Soft Area, and they're a little more visible right now. Right situation, right moment, right energy. They'll be gone in about an hour, but for now they are very visible.

They saw the scream. Though they don't have eyes anymore, what looks like a brow furrows on their forehead. Even without eyes, it's The Look. The 'Concerned Mother' look.

Feel that look?

They're concerned, Buffy]

Again, I apologize. Really though, Joe can't help the way he looks. You won't find a more trustworthy soul on the west coast. [He turns back to Joe, who's already hidden in himself in the shadows again, and scoots a cooler toward him. The Nosferatu, in turn, swipes the cooler and tosses a small pack to John. His parting words were, in stark contrast to his hideousness, in a very smooth old Hollywood accent: "Maybe next time we should just do the trade at your place."]

I'll consider it. [Grinning, he turns back to Buffy.] Good thing I was along to keep you from trying to gank him.

[Buffy held up a hand in apology and even mouthed one before she found her voice again. She was starting to feel just a little bit embarrassed by her reaction.] No, no. It's okay. I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting, well, Joe. Sorry again, Joe. I really am.

You'd think I'd stop judging books by their covers by now. I mean, some of the nicest demon I've met haven't exactly been pretty.

What? Why am I getting that look?!

[Buffy shrank a little, clearly feeling like a child now that she was getting The Look and yes, she could most definitely feel it. She tugged her jacket around herself a little tighter.]

I'm just trying to do my job here. Stop pointing those vibes at me.

Hey, I get it. You kill things that bump in the night. Joe here became a vampire in the 20s. He's pretty much the only guy left who remembers the original Lucy Strikes mix, so I trade him blood packs for a pack every month. Normally he only touches animal blood, but human blood's the only thing that's potent enough to recover from injuries and stuff.

[He smacks the pack to his palm twice before opening it, pulling out one of the aforementioned smokes and putting it to his lips.] You wanna be careful with that Hollywood treatment, though. That holy water just got his suit wet, is all.

Guess I really misjudged a man's need for a nicotine fix even this far into the afterlife. Old habits, huh?

[Her eyebrows went up a little. Revealing trade secrets was unexpected but she made a mental note all the same.] So a Nostril is immune to holy water. Got it. Same go for you? Not that I'm planning on - how did you put it? - ganking you.

[Lighting the cigarette, John takes a long drag and sighs before exhaling.] One of the few things I can taste, actually, or if it were just nicotine I'd be smoking Kools or something.

[He offers a hand.] Johnathan. I can give you the rundown on Kindred over a midnight stroll, if you like.

[She watched with curiosity more than anything. She had watched Spike smoke, and even Angelus but it just seemed to be about keeping up a habit and the appearance of humanity.] I want to say 'ew' but who am I to judge on taste? I'm sure I've got some weird penchant no one else can understand. I also know nothing about brands so I'm just gonna take your word.

[She took his hand with a firm shake and just laughed quietly.] Nice to meet you, Johnathan. I'm Buffy but I get the feeling you knew that. And sure, why not? It looks like patrol's gonna be pointless and I'm already awake and more than a little curious.

You think that because modern cigarettes are disgusting factory pumped abominations loaded with tar and filters and weird chemicals. In the old days, the difference between a cigar and a cigarette was basically size.

Buffy, then. I didn't actually know, only that there were Hunters in California making a name for themselves. [When he exhales, he makes sure to point it away from Buffy as a show of respect for her own stated feelings on such stuff, though.]

It's a bit of mythology as to what makes a real vampire, what we call Kindred. What do you know about Adam and Eve?

There's a difference between Hunters and me. And it's not just because of a size thing. Although I guess I could be the cigarette of the two... minus chemicals. [She gave him a tight smile. She was still cautious of Hunters herself until she knew how they operated and what they were after. Not unlike the Kindred who were different from the breed of vamps she'd dealt with in Sunnydale.]

They were created by God and told to chill in the garden of Eden but not to touch anything. Or something. Not to eat of the fruit. But some kinda snake - even though I'm not sure a snake is actually mentioned - gets Eve to take a bite of an apple and humanity is demoted.

Ha. I like that. Yeah, Hunters can be a bit iffy, but some of them are all right. The problem is when they can't see the grey.

Yeah, that's about right. Anyway, they had two sons at first: Caine and Abel. Older and younger. First born, first to die, all sorts of creation myth stuff. According to the story, Caine murdered Abel for some reason and was cursed to wander the world forever, undying, never really aging, and with a mark placed on him so the mortals of the world would know his crime and shun him. A little harsh, maybe, but so was the Old Testament God.

Edited 2014-09-28 07:00 (UTC)

Cry thy pardon, sai.

[You're going to get huuuuurt they don't liiiiike it! They're woooorrieeeeed! They fuss with their hands, fluffing their wings a bit and looking very upset about this whole thing.

What if you get bitten? Or stabbed? Or shot? What if something really bad happens? They're just a guardian angel they're not that powerful!]