thebastion | [185 and 186] The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you [OPEN]

You really don't want that, Anya.

Predators will always go after the ones that try to hide. Remember, "Don't attack me, attack them" means "I'm weak and an easier meal than the big mother lovers who're trying to protect me."

Body language is important. "Mess with me, please" gets people in less trouble than "Don't mess with me, I'm fragile."

Weird, I know, but true just the same.

Oh, also, if I throw something... don't chase it. It's going to explode and do horrible things to anyone nearby.

[Yep, there's Colin, letting those two sort out their own affairs.]

Edited 2014-05-11 22:10 (UTC)

[Rin mutters "not in my world" under her breath because really, demons from Gehenna come in all shapes and sizes. Being full doesn't matter so much as classification, element and which demon king they fall under.

But she's not about to get in to a debate over that when they have something else to focus on.]

If she wants us to cover her, we'll cover her. Maybe you shouldn't argue with every person you come across, Colin.

[Aw, no demonology discussions? People are never interested unless some demon is trying to kill them and they need to know its weakness.

At least the demon girl is agreeing with her now, because she's right.]

Yes. Having meat shields can also say, "Don't mess with me, I have meat shields who will kill you if you try." That's more the message I hope to convey.

Besides, any vampires will know I'm weaker from my scent.

Rein it in, Rin.

[His tone is suddenly less friendly and more business. And that's all he's going to say there.]

I'm happy to cover you, Anya. But scent will be misleading with Rin and me. We can't count on any of that to work. Especially not if this is a vampire that's had nature harden its resistances.

[Enjoy your glare, Colin.]

I think I know my own demons better than you do.

[Her tone is also less friendly. Her plan of having other people get hurt instead of her is flawless, okay.]

Anyway if I still were one, I wouldn't have had to ask either of you along.

[...not that she even asked Rin, she just came along for some reason. Lady demons unite? She hasn't had any lady demon bonding since Halfrek was annihilated.]

[Colin shrugs, smiles, and lets it drop. His confidence in this expedition is dropping, and he's revising his estimates in several instances in ways he doesn't like. But for now, he'll go along with it.]

[That doesn't mean he's letting it drop, however. There's likely to be a long talk with people in the future.]

Lead the way.

[She came along because it seemed like a good idea to have more people with some sort of weapon skills on one where danger was going to be more obvious than an unruly Hobgoblin like her place had.

And because she realized recently there's a lot of her fellow survivors she hasn't gotten to know.

But mostly that first thing.

She'll just clam up and follow along, too.]

[Now that Anya has done one of the things she does best and... actually lowered morale instead of raised it...

Eventually they come in sight of it, the little fragment of downtown Sunnydale. Of course, it only really qualifies as "downtown" for suburbia, being bisected by the remains of a two-lane road that doesn't even appear to have had a stoplight.

But forget that, because on the corner of that intersection sits a blue building with the sign "Magic Box" on its front. At least from the outside, it looks in decent shape. The windows might be smashed but its walls are in tact, unlike the dress shop beside it which looks like it was hit by a wrecking ball.]

There it is! My store!

[And when the area comes into sight, you better believe that Colin's wasting no time in scanning and mapping the area.]

Not too bad of shape, given the end of the world and everything.

Anything we need to be on the look out for? Besides butt ugly bitch vamps?

[Rin keeps quiet (she's still irritated enough with Colin that she doesn't feel like talking) but finding the place does perk her up a little. She can't scan like him so she'll just be keeping an ear out for noises that might otherwise go unheard.]

Well, you know. If you're sitting on a Hellmouth, you really have to have stricter building codes.

[She thinks as she picks her way across the street, stepping over a downed telephone pole. It's been months since the chaos surrounding her traumatic death, but...]

There might also be ugly eyeless people in robes. Oh, and if you see anyone you know is dead, don't talk to them. That's just evil incarnate.

"Everything you meet is trying to kill you", I assume?

[For as unpleasant as that sounds, it really does make things simpler. Colin's quite happy to have very little in the lines of rules of engagement holding him back.]

[Rin lets out a scoff at that, but an amused one.]

Sounds like every day here. I think we can handle it.

Yes. At least there shouldn't be any bunnies.

[Reaching the front of the shop, she peers cautiously through the windows, trying to spot movement. When she doesn't see anything, she goes to try the door--]

Oh, for the love of God, I left this place locked?

A locked door will deter a large percentage of thieves.

Do you have a key, or will I have to pick the lock?

[Colin looks at Anya curiously, and he gives a pleased little smirk.]

[Rin was about to say something about not needing to worry about that here, but between what happened to Nathaniel's room and the fact that every place recently shown up on the Skyway had some how all it's remaining "loot" pillaged, she was beginning to doubt the truth of that statement.]

I could break a window, but that might be noisy.

You know it only deters the thieves who come to a magic shop for candles and crystal balls.

[Anya looks at the windows mournfully. They already have some pretty nasty cracks in them, but then you have broken glass everywhere and she'd hate to do that both to her shop and to her feet.]

...hey, that's right! I may not be Miss Willow I-almost-destroyed-the-world Rosenberg, but I think I can handle one little deadbolt. Let me see if I remember this.

[Her lips move as she tries to recall; vengeance demons don't really have to bother with locks, but she may or may not have robbed a bank once. She comes out with a string of Latin and then stares at the door expectantly. There's a click.]

Perfect. In we go.

A large percentage of thieves is generally the sort who commit crimes of opportunity. A dedicated or determined thief, on the other hand...

[Colin shrugs, smirks, and shakes his head.]

Anyway, it's a moot point now, it seems. Nicely done.

[You'll pardon him if he's going to scan the shop before stepping inside. Besides, he has no intention of being on point here.]

[Rin waited behind Colin, moving in only when he did. Two steps in to the building she was hit with a lingering scent of...

Something.

Something she couldn't identify. But it sure did make her sneeze.]

Ugh... [sniffle] somethin' came through here. Can't tell how long ago it was.

[That must put Anya on point then. For the moment. You guys just remember your instructions.

She glances at Rin and then takes another look around the shop. She doesn't see anything in the shop's main area... But the door to the back room is ajar, and she side-eyes the door to the basement as she makes her way to her beloved cash register.]

I hope it isn't something living in my basement. I've had good sex in that basement.

I will refrain from comment.

[Now that they're inside, it's a chance to survey the salvage. At least, that's what he thought. He's eyeing the back room, and then the basement.]

Thrice cursed vampires don't have body heat, so... if there's anything still in here, it's going to be harder for me to detect them.

And I figure we've probably made enough noise that anything here knows we're here...

[Rin pauses long enough to give Anya a "can you not?" look, but she refrains from saying it aloud. It'll probably be ignored anyway.]

Definitely stronger that way. [Another sniff, and then she groans, putting hand up to her nose.] It's actually pretty gross. Worse than a ghoul!

[Anya misinterprets the look. Saying it out loud might have been better] Well, I've had good sex most everywhere else in the shop, too.

...and once with a vampire, but not the hideous kind. None of them have body heat as far as I know.

[She pauses by the cash register, giving it a pat that could best be described as loving. Then she looks towards the basement door again and lets out a sigh.]

We should probably deal with it first. Some of my best stock is down there.

Part of the problem of being undead. Only a small selection of them have any heat at all. Usually a result of fire being involved in their creation.

[He gives the basement another look, and he frowns slightly. Close quarters, likely dark. Not good territory to go hunting in. Less opportunity for Rin to get all firey, too.]

Let's take a look, then. Best to get that out of the way.

[He steps over to the basement door, scanning all the while, even if he knows he'll have trouble pinning anything down that's undead.]

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