I leave Pryce's office with the taste of tea, and Pryce, a recent memory and muse for not the first time on Angel's Head of Research. Here I had thought that Angel's play for a spot on the Circle of the Black Thorn would remove the greatest perk of my job - namely, plotting the vampire's downfall. And baiting him in the meanwhile. But the entertainment value in my interactions with Wesley, in this one day alone, give me hope. Perhaps the days ahead, playing nice with Angel while the Senior Partners wish it, won't be so tedious
( ... )
The door opens, and I ignore it, expecting it to be Harmony or some other Wolfram and Hart lackey - here far too quickly to be cleaning up the office - but silence stretches on and eventually I look up, not at all pleased by what I see.
Just who I never wanted to see again.
"Yeah well, you're still wandering around, aren't you?" I say with an annoyed tone. "Maybe the partners will 'contain' you since the only thing you ever seem do is stick your nose where it doesn't belong." I don't bother looking up from the papers I'm shuffling. Did he really have to be the one to be here right now?
"Are you finished snooping here? Because I was thinking you should get out." I say crisply, still not looking at him. He'll see the strain, he'll see the tension, he'll run to the partners and tell them I'm weak, I'm not the least bit ready to take on the Circle of the Black Thorn. He'll see through the act.
Making my face impassive, I do look back when I can still feel him in the room. "Was there something you wanted, Marcus?" I ask, pausing
( ... )
"Snooping. Hmm. Yes, I suppose you could call it that." I straighten, stepping further into the room. "Or you could call it doing my job," I finish, trying to maintain a conciliatory tone. Angel isn't looking, however - seemingly very preoccupied with his paper-shuffling - so I don't force a matching facial expression. "Which includes being your eyes and ears in this office whenever your attention is demanded elsewhere."
"Was there something you wanted, Marcus?"
It's a peculiar tendency of these humans (and vampires) to lose sight of formality while in a mood. Angel finally looks up, face blank but dark eyes scowling. I carefully ignore the equally scornful tone of his voice, and summon the easy smile I chose to forego a moment earlier, Oh, I have any number of answers to that question, but I settle safely on
( ... )
I don't even bother fighting back the snort at Hamilton claiming to be doing his job. He was never just doing his job. There was always one more layer, one more thing his carefully tailored eye was looking for, one more thing to drive me crazy with. Some days, I had to wonder if that's really what the Senior Parnters wanted. Me. Crazy. Not Angelus, but someone they could more easily lock up and play puppet with. Oh, now there's something we don't need to revisit. I stilled the shudder and return my eyes to Hamilton's empty face
( ... )
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Just who I never wanted to see again.
"Yeah well, you're still wandering around, aren't you?" I say with an annoyed tone. "Maybe the partners will 'contain' you since the only thing you ever seem do is stick your nose where it doesn't belong." I don't bother looking up from the papers I'm shuffling. Did he really have to be the one to be here right now?
"Are you finished snooping here? Because I was thinking you should get out." I say crisply, still not looking at him. He'll see the strain, he'll see the tension, he'll run to the partners and tell them I'm weak, I'm not the least bit ready to take on the Circle of the Black Thorn. He'll see through the act.
Making my face impassive, I do look back when I can still feel him in the room. "Was there something you wanted, Marcus?" I ask, pausing ( ... )
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"Was there something you wanted, Marcus?"
It's a peculiar tendency of these humans (and vampires) to lose sight of formality while in a mood. Angel finally looks up, face blank but dark eyes scowling. I carefully ignore the equally scornful tone of his voice, and summon the easy smile I chose to forego a moment earlier, Oh, I have any number of answers to that question, but I settle safely on ( ... )
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