Change in the Winds

[queencor]

So there's been a distinct change. After the top crazies were set 'free' by London, she started on a different track. She's been taking out the worst of the worst. We're talking the nuts in here for carving people to bits or other criminally insane things (which I'm so not going in to), and oh yeah. The worst of the orderlies and doctors. The real

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[ace_jenkins]

To think that this place is better than the last building that housed Bethlam Hospital. It makes me shudder.

I've no idea what we're doing back here, but Buffy insisted that we checked on Cordy to see how she was doing. I say, leave her there after she decided to summarily dismiss us from her presence last time we tried to help. If she wants to be so ungrateful then I would just leave her hear.

Of course, Buffy didn't take that particular attitude too well and I won't go into the lecture I had to sit through.

Luckily none of the servants saw me being berated by my lady's maid.

So, here we are, back in Bedlam. Maybe I should get Buffy comitted whilst we're here - she's sounding less together by the day, I have to admit.

[resurrected_b]

It's pretty obvious by her expression that Anya's still annoyed with me for dragging her down here. "Y'know, I don't really want to be back here any more that you do," I say to her, as I look around for Cordy. "But we can't just leave Cordy here with no way of contacting us. Who knows, maybe she's found doll-girl and taken care of her vision by now."

[ace_jenkins]

"And maybe we should just hope that that pork we saw in the butcher's back there would sprout wings and fly around Buckingham Palace," I say, unsurprisingly with a heavy taint of sarcasm.

[queencor]

I know I'm nuts now. I'm happy to see Buffy and Anya and not only am I happy about it, but I'm practically estatic. And possibly a little teary eyed, but I wipe at my eyes before heading up towards them. "Buffy, Anya...I'm so glad you're here..." I say before I can stop myself. I straighten up, clear my throat, and try not to look as desperate as I feel.

[ace_jenkins]

"Well, she changed her tune, didn't she," I whispered to Buffy as we approached, Cordelia obviously trying to put her hair back into some semblance of order and wipe some of the dirt from her face. And are those tears I see threatening to fall? This place definitely hasn't changed then - I always used to say that it would break the best of them, mad or not.

[queencor]

"Hi...how're you guys?" I ask, knowing this is a stupid question. They're much better than me, obviously. Not that I can leave. Or give up whatever I'm doing. I better have awesome karma after this, or I'm going to be pissed. I nod over to a less occupied corner of this place, feeling my composure returning to me a little better now that I see them here. I guess I really did need to see them.

[resurrected_b]

I see Cordy coming toward us. Sheesh, she looks awful--I knew we should've just broken her out last time we were here. I give Anya a look. Okay, yeah, Cordy'd been pretty snotty last time we were here, but didn't she have even a little sympathy? I should have thought to bring her clean clothes or something.

"Hey, Cordelia," I say in a low voice, as we follow her. "Please tell us you found your girl and we can bust you out now?"

[resurrected_b]

"Ye-eah," I reply to Cordy slowly. "So good, not like a funky demon that goes after crazies or anything. One vamp isn't a huge deal..."

I've seen Cordy stake vamps. Hell, I've seen Cordy make a vamp back down and run away like a wuss just by talking big. So what's the deal with this one? "The doll...you think there's something more to it than she's a vampire feeding off crazy people? Kinda weird that she's not bothering you," I add, afterthought-like.

[queencor]

I give Buffy a Look. "Well she wasn't until she started spelling words like 'punished' out with bones. Not mouse bones. Not big rat bones since the place is infested I think, no. Ripped out of the people and broken up accordingly since that's kind of a long word to be spelling out with bones. Though she did get extra creative with using the rib bones for the curved letters." I snap. Please. I'm not easily rattled. "It was awful. Other than that, yes, the stupid visions keep pointing me at that stupid doll. I've looked everywhere. I'm wondering if the administration's got it." ...I'm starting to feel a lot more like myself. Good. I just needed these two here to kick me back from crazy drowning in screams land.

[resurrected_b]

Spelled out in bones?? "Can I just say 'Ee-ughsh'?" I say. "And actually, I meant bothering as in trying to bite you, and, no, I wasn't meaning to imply you being crazy. I was thinking she's only going after certain victims, which means she has a motive beyond just dinner. Which, yeah, the messages left in bones kinda backs up the theory, doesn't it?"

I fold my arms and think. "Well, so you want me to hide out somewhere and help you look for her? Or do you think I'd scare her off?" Could vamps actually sense a slayer? Sometimes it seemed like it, but sometimes it seemed like a word of mouth thing, too, and this chick wouldn't be expecting me.

[ace_jenkins]

"She spells words out with bones? How very inventive - it probably means that, child though she is, she's been a vampire for a good few years now," I muse, deciding I've been standing and listening quite enough for now. "Are you sure that her doll is in here? I mean, if she is here and she can't find her doll, surely it stands to reason that she may have lost it before she came to be here?" And that would mean that we didn't have to be standing around here making small talk about a crazed vampire girl. I'm being stared at by a woman who's sitting across the room knitting with imaginary wool. I really don't like the look in her eyes.

[resurrected_b]

Rest of the class? Omigod, why does she have to do that? I'm offering to stay in a crazy house here, and she still gets all snotty on me? But something about the doll...ugh, gives me the heebies, because it reminds me of Drusilla...and she seems to be asking for help even if it's in the most annoying way possible. Dammit, I hate this job, destiny, whatever.

I wait until she's done whispering with Anya--and could that be more rude?--and say, "I'll stay."

[queencor]

"Great!" I say brightly to Buffy, leaning over to whisper to her. "Don't be too cranky, Buff, you're the maid, remember? If I stood here talking to you the whole time and not my 'sister' it'd look pretty weird, you never know if the people at the house have someone keeping an eye on things here." I say perfectly reasonably, even though this just occurred to me now. Who says I can't think on my feet?

[resurrected_b]

I glance skeptically around at the lunatics and think, yeah, they really look like they're concerned about who's the maid here, but I shrug. "Whatever. Look if you want my help stopping this girl, I'm on it. If you need to figure out what's up with the doll, go for it, but my job's pretty cut and dried. Oh, and I'm NOT getting myself committed--I'll find somewhere to hide out until after visiting hours."

[queencor]

"Fine by me." I say. It's probably best she doesn't get committed. Not that anyone could keep her here if they really wanted to. She's a Slayer. She could take them no problem. I think a bit. "There's some rooms by the administration that aren't used much. You could maybe hide in a cupboard there or something."