RP LOG with gr8muppetyodin | Truth hurts
[Follows THIS]
There was nothing more awkward than listening to an argument between a guy you had the hots for and his Kindred mate. Buffy had tried to ignore it, or even to walk away but then there was still the morbid curiosity about what she was hearing. It sounded like Blaise had fed on Rory, and that Juliette was pissed. More than pissed. Then all of a sudden things went quiet and Buffy frowned. Was this the drastic measures everyone had been talking about? Had Blaise drained Rory? From what she had caught amongst the shouting, Buffy could only assume that Blaise draining Rory had somehow put him under Ventrue influence.
The whole thing made her head spin, and yet she wanted to see what Rory was like. She hadn't actually seen him awake as Brujah. No one had let her near him. She'd only been allowed to be near him while he was passed out. Even Airlie had been keeping her distance. With Xander here to comfort her though, Buffy suspected the Childer could draw the strength she needed. And she was glad. She was happy for them both to have found each other.
Now she just needed to try and make amends with Blaise. Her brief online chat with Riley was still fresh in her mind, and she had to smile a little when the man in question was suddenly there in front of her. She really would always care about him, even if she'd fucked up their relationship. Buffy got up from her chair and put a hand on Riley's chest to stop him from going into the room with Blaise and Juliette as she gave a shake of her head. "Just give it a few moments. I'm not entirely sure we wouldn't open up that door and find either angry make-up sex going on, or a vicious battle."
For a moment, Riley just looked at Buffy tiredly, and then gave a slight nod in response. Things had just been getting on the right page with Nina when the phone call had come through about what Blaise had done to Rory. Graham was shouting at him down the phone, demanding him to get the hell in here unless his head was anything short of separated from his body. Apparently shit had hit the fan from all angles, and there were beaten up brothers, pissed off Kindred mates, and cardiac arrests. No matter how nice it felt for Riley to finally be resting and relaxing in Nina's bed with her, of course the shit had to hit the fan just when something nice was happening for him. It always fucking did, without fail.
Despite the fact his head was still quite sore, and Nina had just finally coaxed him to try her bath out - with her - Riley responded to the call. Something like this, he couldn't not be present for. He glanced at the door wryly. "Apparently they're both pissed off to the max. Probably best to just leave them to it. If they want to rip each other to shreds, there isn't anything we can do about it to stop it. He's the Prince. He can do whatever he likes to her at the end of the day if she deserves it. It's the way it works."
"Do you know exactly what happened? Because I'm not a hundred percent sure. Graham's been walking around looking broody, and Blaise was gone for a while. First glimpse I saw of him was when he came to get Juliette, and then another one when he walked past to disappear in here. With Juliette." Buffy tucked her hair behind her ears. "I just want to know he's okay... Be there for him. Only instead I wind up getting an accidental earful of a Kindred blowout. Pissed doesn't even cover it. You still doing okay? Did you at least get some rest?"
"Yeah, I... you don't? They didn't tell you?" Riley asked, raising his eyebrows. He was relieved he had just stuck to his sweat pants, t-shirt and a hoodie rather than getting in his work clothes. He was trying to clutch hold of the last vestiges of comfort, even if it killed him and made him look like a civvie... far from the one who was supposed to be running the Operation. "Yeah, I got some rest. Slept for, like twenty hours. It wasn't so much a blowout as a blow up. Graham's pissed off because Blaise took matters into his own hands, but we can't actually prevent him doing that if it comes to Kindred perpertrators. In this case, Rory was under the influence enough to fall into that basket. Pretty much the basis was that Rory woke up and he didn't take so kindly to his brother's presence. He was being an abusive asshole again, so they thought that as a last resort, bringing Juliette to him might change his tune. It was worth a try, when they had attempted everything else. I didn't particularly expect it to go down well, though. It was why I was trying to keep you and her away from him. It went worse than not well. Rory pretty much went for her thinking she was trying to control him. The brother tried to hold Rory off from hurting him, because he's a Special Agent, and those reflexes are in him. Then, of course, because Blaise's mate was in direct threat, he reacted and did as we had discussed could be an option if Rory's rage didn't dilute. Blaise grabbed him, drained him, brought him under his own influence."
Buffy waved a hand dismissively. "Hey, totally getting used to being out of the loop. I don't rank in these parts. I'm just here as a friend. Okay, so... Blaise drained Rory. Wow... And if he did it front of Juliette I'm kind of getting why she's so pissed. She was pissed enough when Brujah did the draining, but to watch her own mate do it to someone she clearly cares for deeply... Jealousy wouldn't be kicking in, emotions already taut. I don't get why Juliette couldn't be the one. Is it because Blaise is Prince? Or just because he pounced and the choice was made on the spur of the moment?" Buffy held up her hand again, but more to stop Riley answering. "Never mind, you weren't there. I'm sorry. I guess I really am just too nosey for my own good. Have you heard how the brother's doing? Twenty hours?! It's been that long... Time really flies when you're just waiting around. There is something I don't understand, though. How can Graham be pissed when the option was clearly there, and Blaise is also clearly the authority in this situation?"
Riley gave a slight shrug. "I guess it would depend on how you looked at the situation, whose viewpoint you wanted to take. I'm sure Juliette is thinking he just pounced without thinking. That she would have had time to get in there to do the deed. This wasn't a spur of the moment decision. Blaise explained it to me that first conversation I had with him when Rory was brought in here. I didn't have to be there. I'm always kept well informed, no matter what. Sure, that could mean having Graham bitching me out over the phone, but he still filled me in. I saw the security footage too. Something doesn't quite match up, though. Blaise said Rory removed the restraints himself, but it was actually the brother who did. I need to figure that one out without getting a bigger headache out of it. I have no idea why Blaise would lie for the brother. I haven't heard how the brother is, no. He left with his partner. Oh come on, you call that a curly question? He's pissed because no one, not even Blaise, wanted it to resort to this. No one wanted Rory drained again."
"But now there's no going back. It's happened. At least Rory can still get a blood transfusion. Have your loop doctors said anything about how he's doing physically?" Buffy tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket and frowned a little in thought. "The brother did it? What was the question they asked when Blaise lied? Was it just a straight out who did it question? Or was there a possibility of getting someone in the shit? It could be that Blaise just cares enough to want to make sure Logan still gets to see his brother. Jesus, imagine seeing Rory all Brujah-y after not seeing him in years. It'd be enough to shock anyone, let alone a long lost brother."
"Sure, even if his heart did stop. He's really weak. Blaise's drain would have taken more out him than a standard Kindred. Blaise feeds with more force than most... as you probably got a small sense of," Riley quickly added, so she wouldn't need to remind him again that Blaise had tried to feed on her. He didn't forget. "He should be okay when he gets back on his feet, though. Just less of the viciously abusive prick and more with the arrogant bastard side of things. Yeah, the brother did it, for some reason. We didn't see the tapes until after the fact, but at the time, when Graham outright asked who removed Rory's restraints, Blaise said Rory did it. I assume, at this point, Blaise lied so the brother wouldn't be removed for interferring with military decision. It was worse than a shock. Rory turned on the brother when he tried to defend Juliette. That's why Blaise did it. To subdue Rory from hurting the brother. Blaise and Juliette could have overpowered Rory without effort, but the brother had no hope in hell. Rory's strength was suprahuman. He was getting around with broken bones and not even reacting."
Buffy gave a small shake of her head. "That's the kind of hangover I really hope doesn't catch up with him. He shouldn't be moving around much at all right now. Maybe the arrogant bastard side will just sit and chill so long as he has someone peeling grapes for him. Hell, maybe there's more chance of him coming to stay at Blaise's. At least we know the palace appeals to Ventrue tastes already. I can't imagine Rory like Blaise... It just doesn't compute. It might have also helped the brother to not do something stupid like removing the restraints if people actually told him what was going on. He didn't know that Rory was under the influence of Brujah Kindred, right? He probably just assumed his brother was drugged up to the eyeballs, not an actual danger."
"He didn't know anything about the Kindred link, despite being aware of that world himself. He came in blind, but it's not like any of us were expecting him to warn him. The guy was waving his badge around, and could have just picked any of us to fuck over in the blink of an eye. We're still under strict confidentiality and secret agreements to protect The Masquerade. We couldn't tell him about the attack, not until I had time to sit down and talk to him. I didn't. I had a concussion and he wanted to spend time with his brother. That was all going to come, but then this all happened. To be completely honest, if my little brother was strapped up in restraints like that with seemingly no explanation, I would be removing them too. It was just a natural reaction of a big brother. No one can fault him for that. We fucked up. But there was so much going on, it was hard to know which way to look first. It was why Blaise stepped in. He probably just figured, fuck it. He's the Kindred Prince, that's what he does." Riley was watching Buffy closely now, frowning at her. "Why the hell were you so shitty and pissed when Blaise fed on me, but you're all chilled out and understanding when it's Rory? You are about as consistent as a bite to the balls. No wonder he doesn't think he can trust you yet."
Buffy frowned up at him. "What? I am not chill and understanding. I just don't see the point in screaming about it when there's enough people doing that already. Of course I'm not chill about it, but this is the plan, right? This was the great master plan to get Rory all chill. And maybe it just so happens I can actually manage to see everyone's side for once. You'd be accusing me of being irrational if I was pissed, and I'm in trouble when I'm not. I get why Blaise did it, and I get why Juliette's pissed. I even understand now why Graham is. But you're not. That's also another indicator for me. If you came storming in here then I'd know Blaise really did fuck up. But you didn't. I got pissed about you because that wasn't some grand plan that had been spoken about for ages. That was Blaise just deciding to feed on you while we were all in a room together. Not the same thing."
"Actually, I've just spent the last half hour verbally abusing Blaise in our comms room. This is me under the influence of some awesome painkillers. I wanted to keep Rory here and drugged until the Brujah influence wore off and he was strong enough to make his own decisions. Now he is back to square one. The only thing is, I don't have any command over Blaise's choices in dealing with his own Kind. Our job is to protect Kindred from human threat, or threats from other species. When it comes to Kindred one-on-one, Blaise calls the shots. Maybe in that sense, this was fucked up. Maybe I could believe he did it just because he wanted to feed on Rory. Prime opportunity. No one was going to pull off a feeding Kindred once he latched on to Rory. They would have gotten killed. Or maybe he did it to piss Juliette off? To get her back for fanging on you in his presence. What better revenge was there than to drag the guy she is attracted to under his unquestionable influence? Do you realise how much power Blaise will have over Rory until this wears off? He could take his memory, command him to walk over a cliff, fall in love with someone else. Maybe I'm here feeding you bullshit so you back the fuck away from Blaise because I want him for myself, huh? Have you thought of that?" Riley raised his head a little, watching her intently. "Maybe all of this is a ruse to trap the Slayer in a facility she can never get out of? Maybe I have dispatched a whole Army to take out your Army in Scotland why you're making moony eyes at the Prince of Paris? Not some grand plan? Buffy, I've been letting Blaise feed off me for months. Well, well before he met you."
Buffy pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Apparently she's more under the impression that he did it because he wanted to deny her, and he's trying to explain that he did it because she would have never let go. She could have Embraced him. Or that Toreador is apparently not strong enough to counteract Brujah. He also made with the voodoo threats about making him fall in love with someone else, or hate her completely. I guess you're right about Blaise's influence over Rory right now. That's... actually kinda intense." Buffy looked up at Riley, trying to work out why he was trying to freak her out. She hadn't done anything. Not in the last twenty-four hours. She'd firmly kept her hands to herself, and she hadn't made with any Slayer takeovers to try and be in charge. Then she blinked, and her chill mood went on very unstable footing, but this was something she would need to deal with if she was serious about Blaise. "Oh. Right. Sure, of course... Months."
Riley just shook his head. "You listened to their whole conversation in fine detail, yet you had to ask me for clarification if Blaise bit Rory?" He held his hands up. "You know what. I'm done. You can get your information directly from the source. In fact, I'm not even sure why the hell you're still here when you have nothing to do with this case anyway. You want to stand around and wait for Blaise to come to you, when apparently that's not on his agenda. Have you even once gone to him just for the fuck of it, or has it all been him coming to you? You slept with Rory but were adamant it was only one night. Really, Buffy. Why the hell are you here? 'Actually kinda intense'? 'Voodoo threats'? Jesus Christ, Buffy, if you don't get it through your head very, very soon how powerful Blaise is then you really need to back the hell off and leave him be. You're not the only one anymore who has a history with vampires, you don't get a monopoly on that anymore. Everyone in this building has. It's why we're here. This guy you're apparently falling madly in love with and want to be with? You don't get a monopoly on him, either. He belongs to everyone without belonging to anyone at all. You're running out of time, Buffy. He's already trying to shut you out. Can't you see that? You had a window with him, and what did you do? You slammed it shut in his face. More than once, I believe. For someone who is supposed to be all damn knowing about the supernatural, you're certainly choosing to give him one hell of a hard time in the understanding stakes. If you don't want to get beyond whatever is in your head blocking this whole thing so you can be what he needs right now, then step away so he can let someone else in."
The timing couldn't have been more poignant. As soon as Riley ended his rant, the door to the interview room flung open and Blaise exited, pulling the door closed behind him again. He afforded both Riley and Buffy a mere glance that came with a frown. Probably wondering if they had been listening in. Nothing was said, though. He just swept past them and continued on down the hall towards the elevators. He wasn't going back to Rory. He was leaving the building. Riley really needed to talk to him, but with Blaise's eyes silver like that, there was no way he had a hope in hell of approaching him just yet. Riley pointed. "He has to live with being the ultimate Big Bad, Buffy. The person who comes to love him has to understand that, and be able to see the world through his eyes," he finally added quietly.
Buffy was still watching after Blaise, Riley's rant feeling like a slap to the face. She wasn't sure she actually deserved it. She was fed up with people talking to her like she was still eighteen. Maybe she made mistakes but she didn't exactly have the monopoly on that one, either. No one had the right to get on their high horse when they'd made just as many mistakes. Only one thing was perfectly clear to Buffy. She wasn't needed here, she apparently didn't belong here, and Riley didn't want her around. So fine, she could do that. "For the record, I came here for him. I'm still here for him, even if I want to know Rory's okay and even if I fucked up hardcore. But you know what? You don't want me around your base, then fine. I'm gone. Okay, Riley? You don't have to look at me anymore, and you won't need to give me any more speeches. Have a nice life, Sergeant." She wrapped her arms around her middle after giving him a brief wave, following in Blaise's wake. Silver eyes like that meant surely he was either just pissed, or about to hunt. If she had to see the world through his eyes then she would. She'd spend some time just shadowing him. Doing what she used to be able to do best and hunting her prey. She was just going to do it without a stake, or any kind of weapons. She wasn't stupid enough to think she wouldn't be sensed by him, but maybe he'd just let her get away with stalking him just this once.
Word Count | 3,457
There was nothing more awkward than listening to an argument between a guy you had the hots for and his Kindred mate. Buffy had tried to ignore it, or even to walk away but then there was still the morbid curiosity about what she was hearing. It sounded like Blaise had fed on Rory, and that Juliette was pissed. More than pissed. Then all of a sudden things went quiet and Buffy frowned. Was this the drastic measures everyone had been talking about? Had Blaise drained Rory? From what she had caught amongst the shouting, Buffy could only assume that Blaise draining Rory had somehow put him under Ventrue influence.
The whole thing made her head spin, and yet she wanted to see what Rory was like. She hadn't actually seen him awake as Brujah. No one had let her near him. She'd only been allowed to be near him while he was passed out. Even Airlie had been keeping her distance. With Xander here to comfort her though, Buffy suspected the Childer could draw the strength she needed. And she was glad. She was happy for them both to have found each other.
Now she just needed to try and make amends with Blaise. Her brief online chat with Riley was still fresh in her mind, and she had to smile a little when the man in question was suddenly there in front of her. She really would always care about him, even if she'd fucked up their relationship. Buffy got up from her chair and put a hand on Riley's chest to stop him from going into the room with Blaise and Juliette as she gave a shake of her head. "Just give it a few moments. I'm not entirely sure we wouldn't open up that door and find either angry make-up sex going on, or a vicious battle."
For a moment, Riley just looked at Buffy tiredly, and then gave a slight nod in response. Things had just been getting on the right page with Nina when the phone call had come through about what Blaise had done to Rory. Graham was shouting at him down the phone, demanding him to get the hell in here unless his head was anything short of separated from his body. Apparently shit had hit the fan from all angles, and there were beaten up brothers, pissed off Kindred mates, and cardiac arrests. No matter how nice it felt for Riley to finally be resting and relaxing in Nina's bed with her, of course the shit had to hit the fan just when something nice was happening for him. It always fucking did, without fail.
Despite the fact his head was still quite sore, and Nina had just finally coaxed him to try her bath out - with her - Riley responded to the call. Something like this, he couldn't not be present for. He glanced at the door wryly. "Apparently they're both pissed off to the max. Probably best to just leave them to it. If they want to rip each other to shreds, there isn't anything we can do about it to stop it. He's the Prince. He can do whatever he likes to her at the end of the day if she deserves it. It's the way it works."
"Do you know exactly what happened? Because I'm not a hundred percent sure. Graham's been walking around looking broody, and Blaise was gone for a while. First glimpse I saw of him was when he came to get Juliette, and then another one when he walked past to disappear in here. With Juliette." Buffy tucked her hair behind her ears. "I just want to know he's okay... Be there for him. Only instead I wind up getting an accidental earful of a Kindred blowout. Pissed doesn't even cover it. You still doing okay? Did you at least get some rest?"
"Yeah, I... you don't? They didn't tell you?" Riley asked, raising his eyebrows. He was relieved he had just stuck to his sweat pants, t-shirt and a hoodie rather than getting in his work clothes. He was trying to clutch hold of the last vestiges of comfort, even if it killed him and made him look like a civvie... far from the one who was supposed to be running the Operation. "Yeah, I got some rest. Slept for, like twenty hours. It wasn't so much a blowout as a blow up. Graham's pissed off because Blaise took matters into his own hands, but we can't actually prevent him doing that if it comes to Kindred perpertrators. In this case, Rory was under the influence enough to fall into that basket. Pretty much the basis was that Rory woke up and he didn't take so kindly to his brother's presence. He was being an abusive asshole again, so they thought that as a last resort, bringing Juliette to him might change his tune. It was worth a try, when they had attempted everything else. I didn't particularly expect it to go down well, though. It was why I was trying to keep you and her away from him. It went worse than not well. Rory pretty much went for her thinking she was trying to control him. The brother tried to hold Rory off from hurting him, because he's a Special Agent, and those reflexes are in him. Then, of course, because Blaise's mate was in direct threat, he reacted and did as we had discussed could be an option if Rory's rage didn't dilute. Blaise grabbed him, drained him, brought him under his own influence."
Buffy waved a hand dismissively. "Hey, totally getting used to being out of the loop. I don't rank in these parts. I'm just here as a friend. Okay, so... Blaise drained Rory. Wow... And if he did it front of Juliette I'm kind of getting why she's so pissed. She was pissed enough when Brujah did the draining, but to watch her own mate do it to someone she clearly cares for deeply... Jealousy wouldn't be kicking in, emotions already taut. I don't get why Juliette couldn't be the one. Is it because Blaise is Prince? Or just because he pounced and the choice was made on the spur of the moment?" Buffy held up her hand again, but more to stop Riley answering. "Never mind, you weren't there. I'm sorry. I guess I really am just too nosey for my own good. Have you heard how the brother's doing? Twenty hours?! It's been that long... Time really flies when you're just waiting around. There is something I don't understand, though. How can Graham be pissed when the option was clearly there, and Blaise is also clearly the authority in this situation?"
Riley gave a slight shrug. "I guess it would depend on how you looked at the situation, whose viewpoint you wanted to take. I'm sure Juliette is thinking he just pounced without thinking. That she would have had time to get in there to do the deed. This wasn't a spur of the moment decision. Blaise explained it to me that first conversation I had with him when Rory was brought in here. I didn't have to be there. I'm always kept well informed, no matter what. Sure, that could mean having Graham bitching me out over the phone, but he still filled me in. I saw the security footage too. Something doesn't quite match up, though. Blaise said Rory removed the restraints himself, but it was actually the brother who did. I need to figure that one out without getting a bigger headache out of it. I have no idea why Blaise would lie for the brother. I haven't heard how the brother is, no. He left with his partner. Oh come on, you call that a curly question? He's pissed because no one, not even Blaise, wanted it to resort to this. No one wanted Rory drained again."
"But now there's no going back. It's happened. At least Rory can still get a blood transfusion. Have your loop doctors said anything about how he's doing physically?" Buffy tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket and frowned a little in thought. "The brother did it? What was the question they asked when Blaise lied? Was it just a straight out who did it question? Or was there a possibility of getting someone in the shit? It could be that Blaise just cares enough to want to make sure Logan still gets to see his brother. Jesus, imagine seeing Rory all Brujah-y after not seeing him in years. It'd be enough to shock anyone, let alone a long lost brother."
"Sure, even if his heart did stop. He's really weak. Blaise's drain would have taken more out him than a standard Kindred. Blaise feeds with more force than most... as you probably got a small sense of," Riley quickly added, so she wouldn't need to remind him again that Blaise had tried to feed on her. He didn't forget. "He should be okay when he gets back on his feet, though. Just less of the viciously abusive prick and more with the arrogant bastard side of things. Yeah, the brother did it, for some reason. We didn't see the tapes until after the fact, but at the time, when Graham outright asked who removed Rory's restraints, Blaise said Rory did it. I assume, at this point, Blaise lied so the brother wouldn't be removed for interferring with military decision. It was worse than a shock. Rory turned on the brother when he tried to defend Juliette. That's why Blaise did it. To subdue Rory from hurting the brother. Blaise and Juliette could have overpowered Rory without effort, but the brother had no hope in hell. Rory's strength was suprahuman. He was getting around with broken bones and not even reacting."
Buffy gave a small shake of her head. "That's the kind of hangover I really hope doesn't catch up with him. He shouldn't be moving around much at all right now. Maybe the arrogant bastard side will just sit and chill so long as he has someone peeling grapes for him. Hell, maybe there's more chance of him coming to stay at Blaise's. At least we know the palace appeals to Ventrue tastes already. I can't imagine Rory like Blaise... It just doesn't compute. It might have also helped the brother to not do something stupid like removing the restraints if people actually told him what was going on. He didn't know that Rory was under the influence of Brujah Kindred, right? He probably just assumed his brother was drugged up to the eyeballs, not an actual danger."
"He didn't know anything about the Kindred link, despite being aware of that world himself. He came in blind, but it's not like any of us were expecting him to warn him. The guy was waving his badge around, and could have just picked any of us to fuck over in the blink of an eye. We're still under strict confidentiality and secret agreements to protect The Masquerade. We couldn't tell him about the attack, not until I had time to sit down and talk to him. I didn't. I had a concussion and he wanted to spend time with his brother. That was all going to come, but then this all happened. To be completely honest, if my little brother was strapped up in restraints like that with seemingly no explanation, I would be removing them too. It was just a natural reaction of a big brother. No one can fault him for that. We fucked up. But there was so much going on, it was hard to know which way to look first. It was why Blaise stepped in. He probably just figured, fuck it. He's the Kindred Prince, that's what he does." Riley was watching Buffy closely now, frowning at her. "Why the hell were you so shitty and pissed when Blaise fed on me, but you're all chilled out and understanding when it's Rory? You are about as consistent as a bite to the balls. No wonder he doesn't think he can trust you yet."
Buffy frowned up at him. "What? I am not chill and understanding. I just don't see the point in screaming about it when there's enough people doing that already. Of course I'm not chill about it, but this is the plan, right? This was the great master plan to get Rory all chill. And maybe it just so happens I can actually manage to see everyone's side for once. You'd be accusing me of being irrational if I was pissed, and I'm in trouble when I'm not. I get why Blaise did it, and I get why Juliette's pissed. I even understand now why Graham is. But you're not. That's also another indicator for me. If you came storming in here then I'd know Blaise really did fuck up. But you didn't. I got pissed about you because that wasn't some grand plan that had been spoken about for ages. That was Blaise just deciding to feed on you while we were all in a room together. Not the same thing."
"Actually, I've just spent the last half hour verbally abusing Blaise in our comms room. This is me under the influence of some awesome painkillers. I wanted to keep Rory here and drugged until the Brujah influence wore off and he was strong enough to make his own decisions. Now he is back to square one. The only thing is, I don't have any command over Blaise's choices in dealing with his own Kind. Our job is to protect Kindred from human threat, or threats from other species. When it comes to Kindred one-on-one, Blaise calls the shots. Maybe in that sense, this was fucked up. Maybe I could believe he did it just because he wanted to feed on Rory. Prime opportunity. No one was going to pull off a feeding Kindred once he latched on to Rory. They would have gotten killed. Or maybe he did it to piss Juliette off? To get her back for fanging on you in his presence. What better revenge was there than to drag the guy she is attracted to under his unquestionable influence? Do you realise how much power Blaise will have over Rory until this wears off? He could take his memory, command him to walk over a cliff, fall in love with someone else. Maybe I'm here feeding you bullshit so you back the fuck away from Blaise because I want him for myself, huh? Have you thought of that?" Riley raised his head a little, watching her intently. "Maybe all of this is a ruse to trap the Slayer in a facility she can never get out of? Maybe I have dispatched a whole Army to take out your Army in Scotland why you're making moony eyes at the Prince of Paris? Not some grand plan? Buffy, I've been letting Blaise feed off me for months. Well, well before he met you."
Buffy pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Apparently she's more under the impression that he did it because he wanted to deny her, and he's trying to explain that he did it because she would have never let go. She could have Embraced him. Or that Toreador is apparently not strong enough to counteract Brujah. He also made with the voodoo threats about making him fall in love with someone else, or hate her completely. I guess you're right about Blaise's influence over Rory right now. That's... actually kinda intense." Buffy looked up at Riley, trying to work out why he was trying to freak her out. She hadn't done anything. Not in the last twenty-four hours. She'd firmly kept her hands to herself, and she hadn't made with any Slayer takeovers to try and be in charge. Then she blinked, and her chill mood went on very unstable footing, but this was something she would need to deal with if she was serious about Blaise. "Oh. Right. Sure, of course... Months."
Riley just shook his head. "You listened to their whole conversation in fine detail, yet you had to ask me for clarification if Blaise bit Rory?" He held his hands up. "You know what. I'm done. You can get your information directly from the source. In fact, I'm not even sure why the hell you're still here when you have nothing to do with this case anyway. You want to stand around and wait for Blaise to come to you, when apparently that's not on his agenda. Have you even once gone to him just for the fuck of it, or has it all been him coming to you? You slept with Rory but were adamant it was only one night. Really, Buffy. Why the hell are you here? 'Actually kinda intense'? 'Voodoo threats'? Jesus Christ, Buffy, if you don't get it through your head very, very soon how powerful Blaise is then you really need to back the hell off and leave him be. You're not the only one anymore who has a history with vampires, you don't get a monopoly on that anymore. Everyone in this building has. It's why we're here. This guy you're apparently falling madly in love with and want to be with? You don't get a monopoly on him, either. He belongs to everyone without belonging to anyone at all. You're running out of time, Buffy. He's already trying to shut you out. Can't you see that? You had a window with him, and what did you do? You slammed it shut in his face. More than once, I believe. For someone who is supposed to be all damn knowing about the supernatural, you're certainly choosing to give him one hell of a hard time in the understanding stakes. If you don't want to get beyond whatever is in your head blocking this whole thing so you can be what he needs right now, then step away so he can let someone else in."
The timing couldn't have been more poignant. As soon as Riley ended his rant, the door to the interview room flung open and Blaise exited, pulling the door closed behind him again. He afforded both Riley and Buffy a mere glance that came with a frown. Probably wondering if they had been listening in. Nothing was said, though. He just swept past them and continued on down the hall towards the elevators. He wasn't going back to Rory. He was leaving the building. Riley really needed to talk to him, but with Blaise's eyes silver like that, there was no way he had a hope in hell of approaching him just yet. Riley pointed. "He has to live with being the ultimate Big Bad, Buffy. The person who comes to love him has to understand that, and be able to see the world through his eyes," he finally added quietly.
Buffy was still watching after Blaise, Riley's rant feeling like a slap to the face. She wasn't sure she actually deserved it. She was fed up with people talking to her like she was still eighteen. Maybe she made mistakes but she didn't exactly have the monopoly on that one, either. No one had the right to get on their high horse when they'd made just as many mistakes. Only one thing was perfectly clear to Buffy. She wasn't needed here, she apparently didn't belong here, and Riley didn't want her around. So fine, she could do that. "For the record, I came here for him. I'm still here for him, even if I want to know Rory's okay and even if I fucked up hardcore. But you know what? You don't want me around your base, then fine. I'm gone. Okay, Riley? You don't have to look at me anymore, and you won't need to give me any more speeches. Have a nice life, Sergeant." She wrapped her arms around her middle after giving him a brief wave, following in Blaise's wake. Silver eyes like that meant surely he was either just pissed, or about to hunt. If she had to see the world through his eyes then she would. She'd spend some time just shadowing him. Doing what she used to be able to do best and hunting her prey. She was just going to do it without a stake, or any kind of weapons. She wasn't stupid enough to think she wouldn't be sensed by him, but maybe he'd just let her get away with stalking him just this once.
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