Best Actor based on the Angel Universe - NON-SHIP
Below are samples of writing from each of the nominees.
Please read the sample, then cast your vote in the poll at the_josscars
Best Actor based on the Angel Universe - NON-SHIP
-- Actors based on or from the Angel Universe that is in a Non-Ship pairing. --
01.
"Really? Well, I'm so glad I was still able to surprise you," I said at her remark. Though the one about my friend cut deep again. I slammed her against the bars and let out a low growl. That girl just never shut up did she? She was worse then Cordelia ever could hope to be. And that's saying a lot. Though, Cordy's nattering never bothered me as much as Justine's. Not that I was ever going to show her that.
Right. And slamming her against the bars isn't going to give that away at all, is it, Pryce? I have to be more careful, I cannot let her get under my skin. Not if I want some answers, not if I want to find Angel. Not if I want to pay even an inkling of my debt to him.
"Pain?" I laughed at that. Hard, and perhaps a little to long. Shaking my head, I turned the key to the door and opened it. "Oh my dear, there are so many different kinds of pain you're going to beg for this kind in the end." I shoved her into the cage and forced her to her knees. Locking the short chain to the handcuffs, I stepped back and surveyed my handy work. She could reach her bucket now, but she'd have a hard time actually getting anywhere with that. It could be done, but it was tricky since she couldn't stand up.
Amazing really, the things you learn whilst growing up. Perhaps I should teach her a few tricks. Oh wait, that would defeat the purpose of this little game wouldn't it?
Slamming the door, and I listened to the metallic sound with some satisfaction, I locked the door and dangled the keys to the door and the handcuffs in my hand. "There we go," I smiled at her kindly. "Do make yourself at home. I'm famished, I'm going to make myself something to eat. I'll see you in a short while." Stepping back out of the closet, I closed the door, locked that as well and padded over to the kitchen humming a tune under my breath.
This was going to be interesting.
02.
The water was boiling in the kitchen, the routine of preparing tea having had at least a somewhat soothing effect. Routine is good, routine is control. I need to have some form of control since the rest of my live seems to be spiraling out of it. Again. Seems to happen a lot to me, I wonder if that's some sort of karma thing. Or perhaps I'm only there to amuse the powers that be.
I looked up startled when Darla entered the room again and glanced around quickly. At least now it looked descent enough. I never get many visitor. Scratch that, I never get any visitors. Not even Gunn or Cordelia have been here. Though Cordelia does have a key in case of an emergency, which she luckily didn't have to use yet. Best keep that in mind. "Oh no, it's no trouble," I assure her. "I can't expect you to sleep on the sofa." That would be rude. "I'm used to sleeping there anyway. Really it's no trouble."
Hovering for a moment, I'm very glad then the kettle in the kitchen starts to whistle. I move over and pour it in the waiting tea pot, which of course hardly takes up much time. But it does give me an opportunity to gather my thoughts. What do we do now? Damn, if that isn't a good question. I have no clue where to even start. Research probably. I'm not a doctor and I don't know anything about deceases like that. I'll have to research it. Letting the tea brew, I step back into the living room again and glance at Darla.
"Angel is a champion. He can't be distracted or give up his life...err...un-life. He's devoted it to the cause. I'm not important to it, but I want to help out anyway. And my helping you I'm helping him as well. I'm not giving up anything, Darla. I'm sure we'll find a solution quick enough."
Yes indeed. Liar.
03.
Funny thing about a soul. They never tell you that it has an off switch. All it takes is a few simple moves and the switch gets flicked off. Darla, ah the great piece that she is. Thought she would rid me of mine. Make me the man I was all those years ago. I had been so lost, all misguided. Just wanting to feel anything but the miserable sad sack of a loser that I was acting like. I felt that night. Devil knows I felt so much more than her body riding against my hips. I felt it all let go. All the needless things. The unimportant details. All of it just vanished. Ran away from the dark of night. Crying out for mercy.
I have never been one to show mercy.
It hurt at first. The pain of it leaving me. Not that I was going to miss it or anything. All it ever gave me was more grief and worries. Where's the fun in that? Having fun? That is what Darla thought we were going to do. She saved me from months of whining co-workers, and complaining clients wanting me to save their poor loved ones from the big bad men of the world. Now though? I am one of them. Mother's lock up your daughters, cause I am the one you should worry about now.
Now all of this took place in about the twenty seconds it took Darla to realize that she made a mistake. I wasn't going to be her boy toy with killing on the side. I had bigger plans. Much bigger plans that didn't involve the woman who made me again. Sure I could thank her and be all grateful, but that really isn't my style. So I took one look at her and she knew that it was the last favor I would ever get from her. Sure she was pissed. I would be too if I had done the same.. but hell times were different. I was a changed man.
So I left her standing in the rain. Figured she could use the rinse off after the romp in the sack I gave her. I dressed and headed for my old grounds. There was a certain girl that I owed a visit to. The drive wasn't that long, just a few hours along the coast, and when I saw that population sign I pulled over. I made a minor adjustment, figured when I was done they might want a new count. I made my change and then returned for the familiar drive. Swung by Revello drive, just checking on the family of course.
Joyce was there, ah yes loving mother. She hadn't had a man in her life for a while. I could smell it on her. She needed a good man to hold her down, and of course young Dawn would be pleased to know that I was going to end up her first and last. With a few failed attempts under my belt I finally managed to knock out the kicker and that shut the screamer up quick. I wasted no time, and managed to get them to the backseat and took a bit of a trip with them. First stop? Magick Box.
04.
What...what in earth is that smell here? It's extremely sharp and very horrid. Ah, I see what it is. Nail polish. Harmony has been very busy again and yet found time to polish her nails. Dear god, there are days that I wonder why in the blazes I hired that girl. But then I see the look on Angel's face when she breezes in and I remember again. Yes, even a highly intelligent watcher can be five at times. Rare, but it happens.
I raised an eyebrow at her when she slammed something down, hiding it quickly. I wonder what that is all about. Can't see anything though. Not even when I crane my neck a little. I'll figure it out though. That'll keep my mind of Fred and that sod Knox and their smarmy smiles and kisses and...
I really need a distraction.
And apparently it's not going to be a meeting. Damn. Then again, that would mean that I won't have to look at Fred and her git. "Harmony. Angel being moody in his office is quite natural." He doesn't have any meetings? That probably means he'll be doing paperwork. Which would explain why I've not seen Gunn, Fred or Lorne. Why am I always the last to know *anything*?
Tiredly I rub my eyes, and will away the headache forming behind my eyes. Back to the books again I suppose. It's not as though I've anything else to do. Well, other then go down the lab and look in on that new project I've with Fred. But really, not today. "What?" Glancing up, I give he a weary look. "You, a vampire, are giving me advice about my complexion?" I give her an incredulous stare for a very long time, trying to figure that one out. "And...I had...important work to do."
That's right. Keep telling yourself that and then one day you'll believe it, Pryce.
05.
I made my way through the dirty streets of New York fucking city. Sometimes it didn't quite feel like night here, all the bloody lights lighting up the streets, felt like the daylight was just fading half the time. It could give a bloke the false of sunlight, make em' scared to go out in the city.
Cept I aint every other bloke in this city. Never have been. Got the street cred with these skater punk vamps round' here since I killed that bitch slayer back in the 70s. Still got the jacket, she was a challange that one.
I kept my distance from the blonde, watching her. Been planning on making that one the perfect pet to get my Dru back. Ever since I saw her on the subway a few weeks ago. With the book in her hands. Since then I made it my mission, even purposely bumped into the bint to get a good sense of her smell. She smelled like vanilla and strawberries. Didn't mind that too much.
Wouldn't be going after a blonde if it weren't for the current sickness that most brunettes errupted in my gut. Damn Dru, the bitch had to cheat on me with a bloody chaos demon. At least with Angelus I knew it was happening, and I felt I owed him something. That Ponce. But how the hell did you shag with all those mucas covered antlers not getting in the way eh?
Bloody bint she was, crazy. But that was what I always loved about her. She'd needed me, Bitch made me and no bloody chaos demon could touch that loyalty that love.
I had to prove to Dru I wasn't soft. I was the monster she'd made all those years ago. I'm still the big bad and I was going to show her that, make her a present like Angelus could never even imagine.
My footsteps echoed round the corner.
Stalking this girl was bloody boring. How the hell did Angelus manage to do this so much without going down right mad? Not that I didn't question his sanity a lot.
All this girl did was go to school, home, coffee, and that wasn't even during the day. But tonight she seemed to be heading into the party central of Manhattan. She was trying to get herself a life she was. How bloody not interesting.
But it gave me an opening. So I followed her into this club. It was dark, dank and just the way I liked it in places like this.
I headed straight to the bar for a drink and then made my way to a perch near her and her friends. This was going to be an interesting night.
06.
I leaned against the limo and looked at my watch. She didn't seem like the high maintenance type.
I sighed and turned around. My cell phone rang shrilly and I groaned.
“What?” I growled into the phone.
“Lilah, What an imposition. What do you want?” She chattered in my ear about something Angel was up too. Sometimes I wondered what feelings she harbored for the vampire, then again, I didn’t really give a fuck either.
“Listen Lilah. As much as I’d love to stand here and listen to your insane babbling, I have a life. Don’t call me outside of the office anymore ok?”
I pulled the phone away from my ear as she yelled at me. I rolled my eyes and closed the phone. Go tell the senior partners, Like it’s going to make a difference.
I threw the phone into the window with a frustrated sigh.
07.
So many people in one place, and yet it still wasn't anywhere as noisy as LA. I'd felt like I was going to drown in the sights, sounds, and smells of that city, and I was very happy to have gotten the hell out of there. Sunnydale was different. People seemed to know that something was off, that there was evil everywhre, they just either didn't give a shit, or pretended it didn't exost. If I can't see it, it must not be happening. that worked just fine until something sank their fangs into the person's neck.
I was checking out the college tonight. Last three night's I'd wandered around, getting used to where everything was. Didn't plan on staying too long, there was a Slayer here after all, but it always pays to know the territory.
There had been a kegger at one of the frat houses, which I'd attended. Beer didn't seem to do much to me anymore. My fake hand brought girls and guys over to check me out, and I had a number of snacks through the evening. Just enough to make people dizzy. I could get drunker off their blood than the beer itself.
When I felt full, I headed back out, planning on going to my truck. bumped into a female student who seemed to be running from something. Made me pause and I followed her. By the time I'd caught up, I could smell blood on the wind. That couldn't be a good sign. Rounded the corner and saw the girl getting beaten up. They even smelled like her, which put my hackles up. Family? What the hell?
The older one went to hit her again and I caught his wrist. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that it isn't right to hit women?" He swore and I squeezed my hand, smiling as I heard the bones in his wrist shatter. He screamed and dropped to the ground. I took the belt, coiling it around my arm.
"Boy, I suggest you let the lady go before I take your head off." I smiled, letting my face shift. He gasped, but didn't let go of her. She was slumped over now, giving me the perfect angle. I swung the belt, letting the buckle connect with his mouth. Couple of teeth were knocked out, and he was soon bleeding like a stuck pig.
I could kill both of them right now. Threw the younger one up against the wall and kicked him in the ribs before punching him in the face. Angel must have always held back when he hit me, because the damage I would soon be enough to beat the life right out of him. Slammed his head against the wall, knocking him out. Then I turned back to the older man who was muttering something about devils.