Chapter 8: Going Rogue - Part 1

[GATEGOD]

Faith leaned back and placed her head on the soft pillow behind her. Smoke now filled the air from the cigarette which hung between her two fingers. She let a cute sigh and closed her eyes. She had a good twenty minutes to just lay back in a comfortable bed. More comfortable then on the jet, where she couldn't even light up.

She wasn't good at the whole, ''do nothing'', well, unless she wanted to do nothing. Being lazy she reached over and slammed the play button on the laptop. She could here the music pounding out of the headphones but couldn't reach them without getting up, so she just listened to the beat. When the song changed she easily made out the song and quietly sang along with it, while letting herself still here the music from the headphones. 'been casing your joint for the best years of my'

"Ah, Crap!" she yelled stopping herself in mid song. The cigarette was about to fall to pieces and their was no ash tray in the whole freaking room. She jumped up looking around for something to use when she spotted the sink. She ran to it just as the ashes began to fall from the cigarette. Thankfully they landed in the sink. She sighed in relief and then stopped herself... 'why the hell do I care if I ruin the monks carpeting' "God! get a hold of yourself Faith."

She walked back over to the laptop and turned it off while flipping the screen down. 'Maybe I should have said five minutes' she thought to herself as she shook her head. 'Entertain yourself, entertain yourself, enter..' "Screw this." Taking a puff from her cigarette she walked over to the door.

 

[Wanabee-slayer]

:: As Spike pulled her out of a dreamless slumber, Dawn groaned slightly before sliding out of her seat and following the group off the plane and into the jeeps which were awaiting them. The trip to the monestary was short and spent mostly in silence as the large group attempted to take in their surroundings. As the jeeps finally came to a halt Dawn clambered from the car and followed the abbot and Xander into a slightly delapadated building. Sighing Dawn looked around dropping her bags to the floor. ::

Aloud: "Well at least it's till standing."

:: Soon people were splitting up and going to their rooms, and Dawn had a decision to make. Spike, Faith and Xander had each claimed a room, Faith making it pretty clear she didn't want to share. Dawn was positive that Mr and Mrs Finn would take a room, and the same could be said about their slayer back up. This only left Dawn with two options, Spike or Xander? It was true she had been posed with this question many times before, but each time it became increasingly difficult. Xander had always been her little crush, but never had she thought that maybe he just might like her too. He'd been her safe haven, he always had been, but despite that still being there Dawn felt awkward around him. Spike on the other hand had changed from foe to friend, to foe and now he had the role of big brother. She wasn't sure it was a role he wanted to take but she was glad all the same to think of him as one. Finally making up her mind Dawn picked up her bag and walked awkwardly into Spike's room, knocking on the door. ::

Spike:"Hey, um, is it okay if I share with you, caue Faith kind of scares me."

 

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike had laid out on the bed, bag beside him on the bed. Cigarette smoke curled in the air as he lay there, for the moment lost in whatever Drusilla thoughts he'd managed to cook up in the five seconds he had for himself.

A gentle knock sounded, and Dawn opened the door; Spike sat up and crushed his cigarette immediately into the carpet without a second thought. "Of course, love," he said invitingly, secretly glad the Bit had chosen him over One-Eyed Alex. Spike wins again! "Make yourself at home."

 

[GATEGOD]

Exiting her newly acquired digs she saw the three remaining slayers aswell as Riley and Sam still standing there motionless. She had half a mind to tell them off but she had an itch she needed to scratch. She passed by the group barely giving them a second look and walked into the kitchen, if you could call it a kitchen. It was quite small but it had one advantage, a fridge. She wasn't expecting anything enjoyable within it but what she found was shocking. She loved it.

Smiling as the door slid open she gazed upon two six packs of beer, a 12 pack of pepsi, orange juice, apple juice, the whole shebang! 'Wicked!' she thought as she reached for a can of beer, removing it from the rest with ease and popping the top. There was the sweet sound of air rushing out as some of the liquid within splattered on her hand. She laughed and brought the can to her mouth. She could here it bubbling inside as she took a giant gulp before closing the door of the refrigerator behind her. Then, after shaking off the beer that dripped onto her hand, she walked back towards the group. "These monks sure got style, check the fridge" she said motioning her head back towards the kitchen.

They didn't seem as thrilled as she did, but that's there loss. In her other hand she brought the cigarette back to her mouth and took a puff. Smoke now filled the air infront of her. Beer in one hand, smoke in the other, 10 minutes before the meeting. 'Yay Faith' She placed the cigarette into her mouth so she could open the door to her room. Once inside she exhaled again and flicked the ashes into the sink. There wasn't much left of it so took one final puff then flicked it into the sink aswell. She still didn't have a roommate, she was pissed no one wanted to bunk with her, and yet she loved the fact that she had it all to herself for the time being, she new that probably wouldn't last, but she could dream. She hopped back onto the bed and placed the beer on the table next to her.

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery]

Xander:
:: Just as he heard the door to Faith's room slam shut yet again, Xander looked at his watch. ::

Ten more minutes. His shoe would take longer than that to dry.

:: Barefoot, he left his room and walked toward the kitchen. Once there, he staked out some prime table real estate and set up his laptop. Then, he rifled through the fridge until, way in the back, he found what he was looking for. ::

Xander: "There is a God!"

:: Triumphant, he reached inside and pulled out a can of Pepsi. He couldn't read anything printed on the label, of course, but that little dot thingie on the can was the universal language for caffeinated goodness.::

Voice: "That's funny. I pegged you for an atheist."

The harsh Cockney accent came from out of nowhere "“ well, that or Eastenders. It startled him and, even though he tried to cover with an "Aha!" and the timely grabbage of another Pepsi can, (these monks sure were light on the junk food) he hit his head on the way out of the fridge.

The speaker, Xander saw, was a slayer named Lisa. She wasn't quite as young or as green as the other recruits. She'd seen some action. She'd seen Xander in action, actually. As per his duties as watcher man, he'd taught her a lot of her moves. He was glad it was her. They got along well together "“ a lot better than he got along with some of the more seasoned scoobies, that was for sure.


Lisa:
:: Lisa smiled and nervously ran one hand through her hair. This month, it was orange and spikey. She held out the other hand to Xander. ::

Xander: "'Zat for me?"

:: He muttered something inconsequential like "Uhh"¦ sure" and handed her the can. ::

Their fingers touched for a moment. Lisa noticed, so to pretend that she didn't notice, she looked down and focused on opening her can. That's when she noticed something else: Xander wasn't wearing any shoes.

:: She gestured toward his feet. ::

Xander: "S'very zen of you."


Xander:
:: Lisa pointed at his feet and said something about them being "zen." ::

Xander: "Umm"¦ huh?"

:: He looked down and saw his bare toes. He wiggled them. ::

Lisa: "Oh yeah. Long story."

:: She raised an eyebrow at him. ::

:: He blushed. ::

Lisa: "Okay, fine. It was feces. I stepped in a big pile of feces. Like, huge. Ankle deep."

:: Still blushing, Xander added an eye roll to the mix. ::

Lisa: "All right. Let the pointing and laughing commence."

Lisa didn't point and laugh, though. Instead, she looked concerned. Either that, or she looked somewhat confused and slightly disgusted. Whatever one raised eyebrow meant, that's how Lisa looked.

:: Xander held out his arms in a calming gesture that turned out anything but, considering his recent inability to be anything resembling calm. All of this sleeplessness was giving him the jitters. He blamed Ansara or Dru or whoever else had sicked that smoke demon on him. ::

Lisa: "Nothing to worry about. Nothing demony, at least. Probably just a tiger or a bear or a really nasty mon"“ "

:: Just then, Xander was cut off. The door to the monastery, as well made as it was, practically exploded off its hinges. The door remained more or less intact, but the hinges were splinters in no time. ::

Awww! Not the door! Even the hinges have carvings on them!

:: Something big and cone-headed and covered in reddish brown fur and vaguely person-shaped barreled into the building. It looked kind of like a cross between the Jolly Green Giant and Cousin It "“ only minus the leafyness. Seemingly unfazed by the presence of the assembled scoobies, the thing headed straight for the bedrooms. In fact, it headed straight for Xander's bedroom. ::

:: Xander dropped his precious soda can so that it cracked open and spilled all over the floor. Amazed, he cocked his head to the side and flopped his mouth open and shut. ::

Finally, he found some words in addition to the plain old "Gah!" that was floating around in his mind.

Lisa: "Or, you know, the abominable snowman."

:: Xander blinked and shook his head. ::

When he looked back, the thing was still there.

:: This time, it threw Xander's door off its hinges. ::

Lisa: "Have I entered the hallucinatory phase of sleep deprivation, or did a Yeti just break the door down?"

With a wickedly excited grin, Lisa assured him that he wasn't hallucinating. Then, grabbing a knife from her back pocket, "“ (because *she* came to Scooby meetings prepared, unlike Xander who had dumped his axe in his room) "“ she sprang into action. With the confidence and grace of a slayer, she leaped through the air and charged the creature at full speed.

 

[Slayergal]

::Sam opened the door and walked into her and Riley's room and closed the door behind her. She took a look around. It wasn't much but it wasn't any worse than any other places her and Riley had stayed on any of their other missions. It would have been nicer if they had their own pivate bathroom instead they were stuck sharing the only bathroom with the other members of the mission team. Right now that didn't matter. She was alone now except for Riley. She could really use a shower but more than that she could use some sleep. She walked over and sat on the bed. Boy a nice hot shower sounded good right now. But knowing her luck she wouldn't be the only one wanting a shower and she wasn't about to fight any member of the group right now for first dibs on the bathroom right now. So she decided she would get a little sleep. She looked over at Riley. He seemed to be so distant as of late. She wondered what was on his mind.::

Riley: "You look like you could use a little sleep soldier?"

::Sam smiled and patted the bed indicating Riley to come join her as she laid down the bed getting comfortable. She wonder what the rest of the group was doing but frankly she didn't care at the moment. It had been an awkward and exhausting few days.::

 

[GATEGOD]

A few moments after Faith had plopped onto her nice firm bed she heard a loud explosion in the other room. 'What the' "What the f--- ??" Nothing had been out of place a minute ago when she grabbed herself a can of beer. 'What did Xander do this time.' flashed in her mind as she heard another, closer, and much louder explosion near Xander's room. Before she could react the beer had jumped off the table and splattered onto the carpet below. "Damnit" She cried out. She could care less about the carpet, what she cared about was the beer. She really wanted that beer.

Jumping up she raced to the door. After opening it, her draw nearly dropped. A yeti like creature stood nearly 8 feet tall with one of the slayers held between it's hands. Faith rushed back through her room and ripped open the chest and proceeded to pull out the Scythe. Buffy's scythe. 'My scythe.' Both hands fully grasped the handle as she ran through the door. Like a baseball bat she swung coming from the side slamming into the white beast's stomach spewing blood into the air. The slayer in his arms fell to the floor and the beast half dead stumbled forward. Faith still with her hands on the scythe ripped it out from the beasts gut.

It let out a huge roar and smacked Faith back into a wall. "Ahh" she moaned as pain tore through her back. It didn't last long and she was back on her feet twenty seconds later, but the beast was gone. It had bolted faster then one of her boyfriends. It's trail of blood lined the floor leading back out through the monastery.

"What the hell was that, and why was it trying to break into your room!?!?" Faith said heading towards Xander who standing there stunned.

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery "“ kitchen]

:: Hesitating, Xander stared after Lisa for a moment. Then, he looked at the rest of the scoobies. They all looked sort of stunned, too. ::

Group: "Guys! Bad guy at eleven o'clock."

:: The gang just stared. ::

Group: "Let's go get all Grrr on him."

:: Crickets. ::

Group: "Argh!"

:: With that most articulate of musings, Xander raised his arms as if he couldn't wait to choke something "“ or as if he was conducting an orchestra. What it resembled was up for debate. What it meant was, "Let's go!" ::

:: When no one else reacted, Xander sighed, lowered his head, and went in. ::


[Xander's room]
:: As soon as he entered, he was knocked back out of the room "“ this by the force of Lisa's body as she was thrown through the air and into Xander. ::

:: He very graciously broke her fall. ::

:: Scrambling to their feet, they went back in to discover that the big man ape thing had taken possession of one of Xander's shoes and then backed into a corner. Lisa attacked, but the creature got her between its hands and started to crush her with the strength of a heavy duty trash compactor (the industrial kind they used to have at the site, not the wimpy little home models). ::

:: Xander hung back and rifled through his bag. He needed a weapon. ::

Holy water. Disposable camera. Stake. Oz tranq. Gee, musta left the kill-a-yeti thingie at home.

:: That's when Faith came in "“ Faith and the super duper slayer's only scythe. She sent the baddie packing in a matter of moments, leaving only its blood behind. Unfortunately, she didn't stop to take back the shoe. Or even notice it. ::

:: Xander looked down and wiggled his toes. ::

This is sooo going on the corporate account. Wonder where there's a good shoe store in Kathmandu.

:: This thought process was interrupted by Faith who, predictably enough, seemed to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. Even more predictably, she blamed Xander. ::

"What the hell was that, and why was it trying to break into your room!?!?" Faith said heading towards Xander who standing there stunned.

:: Xander held up his arms and shrugged. ::

Faith: "Umm"¦ the Abominable Snowman and because I'm a demon magnet?"

:: He paused and cocked his head to the side. ::

Faith: "On second thought, make that a snow woman."

:: With his eye, Xander followed the trail of blood. It led outside and down the mountain. ::

Oooh "“ this must be what an idea feels like. A good one, I mean. With the little lightbulb and everything.

::Xander turned back to Faith. ::

Faith: "Faaaaaith. Look at you, you big, bad slayer girl. Takin' on the great white wookie. Have I mentioned lately how much I love it when you save my life?"

:: In the background, a very shaken slayer stood and limped off toward the bathroom. ::

:: Excited and now free of slayer patch up duty, Xander held the tranq gun and the camera up to Faith and grinned. ::

Faith: "So howsabout I make it up to you? Wanna go get rich with me? I know this crypto-zoology website"¦ one that I never, under any circumstances, post on under a geeky screen name, of course"¦ that would pay a fortune for this thing."

Xander was pretty sure that his eye sparkled.

A yeti just stole my sneaker!

His inner nerd (and, okay, his outer nerd, too) was totally loving this. The annoyed look on Faith's face was just icing on the cake. No, not icing. Something sweeter. Sprinkles. Sprinkles made of pure sugar.

:: Raising his eyebrows andsmiling eagerly at Faith, he held the tranq gun and the camera higher. ::

Faith: "Eh? Come on. You know you wanna."

 

[GATEGOD]

Faith: "Umm"¦ the Abominable Snowman and because I'm a demon magnet?"

:: He paused and cocked his head to the side. ::

Faith: "On second thought, make that a snow woman."

'Xander isn't that bright' She stared blankly at him and shook her head, as the other slayer was getting back to her feet.

Faith: "Faaaaaith. Look at you, you big, bad slayer girl. Takin' on the great white wookie. Have I mentioned lately how much I love it when you save my life?"

:: In the background, a very shaken slayer stood and limped off toward the bathroom. ::

"Have I mentioned lately that I don't care." She secretly did, but how the hell could Xander let this happen. 'How are we going to have a meeting if he wants to go makeout with a snow monster.'

:: Excited and now free of slayer patch up duty, Xander held the tranq gun and the camera up to Faith and grinned. ::

Faith: "So howsabout I make it up to you? Wanna go get rich with me? I know this crypto-zoology website"¦ one that I never, under any circumstances, post on under a geeky screen name, of course"¦ that would pay a fortune for this thing."

She shook her head and ran her hand across her face then back through her hair. 'Did Xander already forget the fricken mission' "Are you on something?"

:: Raising his eyebrows and smiling eagerly at Faith, he held the tranq gun and the camera higher. ::

Faith: "Eh? Come on. You know you wanna."

"You do? What I want is for you to shut up, put down the ....camera. And get this place cleaned up. Did you forget the mission? The whole save the world trip. We aren't going yeti hunting for money. We are going to be planning the mission to come. Can you handle that or would you like to go hunt the yeti, by yourself, alone, in the woods?"

She already new Xander's answer, but it was funny to see him willingly place his life at risk without realizing it. 'Anyway, we can always hunt the yeti afterwards' she grinned.

"So... life threating danger alone, or cleaning up the monastery for the meeting?"

'If anyone willingly volunteered to go with him, then they could both be killed, the mission was priority now. They had to see that.'

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery]

:: Xander listened to Faith's rant kinda like he used to listen to his mom's rants "“ or Willow's mom's rants "“ when he was a kid. ::

Just let it pass, he thought. In one ear, out the other. Hmm"¦ at least I still have two ears. Faith's chronic bad moodiness could be a real killjoy. And what wasn't to love about a close encounter of the yeti kind "“ minus the danger aspect, of course?

Besides, as much as she tried to make with the bitchfest, he could tell she was secretly all ready and rarin' to go. Her body sort of leaned toward the door. And that smile"¦ she tried to hide it. But when he suggested that they go off on a yeti hunt, her first instinct was to smile. A new monster to fight; it made her adrenaline pump, same as his. Same as all of theirs, really. Scoobies were nothing if not danger junkies.

Faith's tirade concluded, Xander finally had his chance to unleash a rant of his own. He was"¦ well, he was angry. Hopping, jittering, stuttering angry. He had a legitimate point, damnit, and he was tired of being Faith's whipping boy "“ figurative, verbal whipping, of course.

Faith: "Listen, lady, I was Mr. Mission back on the plane when all you wanted to do was listen to"¦ the bust-your-eardrums band. And I'm still Mr. Mission. In case you didn't notice, a mythical demon creature thingie just busted right into our top-secret hideout. And stole my shoe. That's generally not of the good."

:: Xander pointed off toward the busted door and the trail of blood. ::

Faith: "Who's to say it's not affiliated with our favorite big bads? Dru seems like just the type to keep a pet wookie. And even if it's not working with them, it's got our scent all over it. It's out there advertising our scent wherever it goes, which I'm assuming isn't to the monks' pancake social. So unless we want more surprise visitors to waltz on through our busted door "“"

:: He sighed and looked sadly at the beautifully carved door, which was now splintered in several places. ::

*Such* quality craftsmanship!

Faith: "Which *I* will have to fix because none of you know which end of a hammer points up "“ I suggest we go stop this thing before it advertises our whereabouts to every demon in the Himalayas."

:: He crossed his arms and glared at Faith. ::

Faith: "So, no, I'm not up for the life-threatening danger alone option. But I'm also not up for the sitting duck special."

 

[GATEGOD]

"Damn Z, you sure got something up your butt today. Fine, we'll go and track down your Yeti." She said as she walked over patted him on the back. Too hard maybe.

Faith motioned around at the three slayers and addressed them.

"Me and the great Xander Harris here, will be trekking out onto the vast unknown in search of a Yeti. You will sadly be stuck here, but no worries, I'm sure something exciting will happen" She lied and continued. " Take guard around the perimeter in case anything else decides to invest in Xander's room."

They nodded their heads in unison and headed out the doors to take up positions. Faith didn't want to leave, have a bunch of demons attack, and come back to find everyone dead.

"Sam, think you could take charge while I'm gone?" She smiled as Riley turned away embarrassed.

"Alright, It's settled, lets go Xander. Off to find the Yeti..." She rolled her eyes and shook her head as Xander headed out the front doors ahead of her. She knew this was a bad idea, but he could be right, the yeti, who can't seem to speak, could be part of Ansara's evil plans. 'Yea... right'

 

[palabravampiress]

[Mountain]

:: After grabbing his axe, his flashlight, and a fresh can of soda, Xander marched out ahead of Faith. He followed the blood trail haphazardly, struggling to find a comfortable way of carrying his gear while he hiked "“ somewhat gingerly, given his woefully half-shod state. ::

It was a good five minutes before he had his camera in his shirt pocket, the tranq gun in his belt, the axe and the flashlight in one hand, and the Pepsi in the other.

:: Desperate for another caffeine fix, he chugged the Pepsi like a frat boy with a can of cheap skunk. ::

Faith (Whispering): "You think Nepal has a fine for littering?"

:: He shrugged and stuffed the can into one of the pockets of his cargo pants. ::

Before long, they were deep into the forest. The moon shifted in and out of view through the trees. The blood trail "“ and sharp sticks and rocks (Ow!) became harder and harder to see. Eventually, they were obliged to make use of the flashlight.

Xander didn't talk much. He was too focused on stepping gingerly. That, and he didn't want to tip off their prey anymore than he had to. Oh, and talking to Faith was also becoming less fun by the hour. Not that talking to Faith was ever happy hour at the Bronze.

Why'd she want us come alone, anyway? Not like alone time with the Xan-man has ever been on the top of her event planner "“ or mine, minus that one day.

The blood trail ended, abruptly, at a tree.

:: Motioning for Faith to be quiet, Xander stopped and listened. ::

Half-blindness has its perks.

:: Then, picking up on a decidedly human sound, he looked straight up. ::

There, whimpering in the tree, was"¦ a girl?

Okay. Not what I was expecting.

The girl, who looked like any other Nepali girl except for the long red hair and the nudity and the nasty-looking gash across her torso, cried out something in"¦

Nepali? Neplese? God, I wish Dawnie was here.

:: Xander looked at Faith and shrugged. ::

Yeti: "Don't, uh, cry Ape Girl. We're not gonna hurt you"¦"

:: He shook his head and added, quietly: ::

Yeti: "Any more than we already have, I mean."

:: He cast a sympathetic look at Faith. ::

Something tells me Little Miss Changing Her Ways is not gonna take this little detour on the road to redemption very well.

In the tree, the girl cried out again and threw something at Xander's head. It was soft and spongy and"¦

Xander: "Ow."

:: He rubbed the back of his head. ::

His hand came away slick with blood. But it wasn't his blood.

:: Confused "“ and mildly wigged "“ he shone his flashlight on the object, which had landed about a yard away. ::

Xander: "All right!"

:: He hopped over and, shaking the object off, stuck his foot into it. ::

It was his shoe. A little gore-i-fied, yeah, but still his shoe.

:: Xander looked at Faith and then pointed upward. ::

Faith: "Guess we know why no one eer caught a yeti. What do you suggest we do about Shapeshiftella up there?"

 

[GATEGOD]

[Mountain]

Faith (Whispering): “You think Nepal has a fine for littering?”

"Wha.. who cares." She said, still pissed Xander wanted to go hunt the yeti.

As if he actually cared that this thing could be linked to Dru.

:: He shrugged and stuffed the can into one of the pockets of his cargo pants. ::

Before long, they were deep into the forest. The moon shifted in and out of view through the trees. The blood trail – and sharp sticks and rocks (Ow!) became harder and harder to see. Eventually, they were obliged to make use of the flashlight.

Xander didn’t talk much. He was too focused on stepping gingerly. That, and he didn’t want to tip off their prey anymore than he had to. Oh, and talking to Faith was also becoming less fun by the hour. Not that talking to Faith was ever happy hour at the Bronze.

Why’d she want us come alone, anyway? Not like alone time with the Xan-man has ever been on the top of her event planner – or mine, minus that one day.

The blood trail ended, abruptly, at a tree.

Faith could see the blood trail ending up ahead but Xander nearly walked by it so she pointed to it.

"Stop." Xander obviously was visually impaired, she needed to give him all the help she could.

:: Motioning for Faith to be quiet, Xander stopped and listened. ::

Half-blindness has its perks.

:: Then, picking up on a decidedly human sound, he looked straight up. ::

There, whimpering in the tree, was… a girl?

'What?' She looked around to find out if she was being punked then back up at the girl. She seemed to be crying and holding onto her stomach.

"Are you .. alright?" She asked still clueless to what was going on.

The girl above was clearly a native of the Napali people and started screaming something fierce.

:: Xander looked at Faith and shrugged. ::

Yeti: “Don’t, uh, cry Ape Girl. We’re not gonna hurt you…”

:: He shook his head and added, quietly: ::

Yeti: “Any more than we already have, I mean.”

:: He cast a sympathetic look at Faith. ::

'Ass'

Just then the girl threw something covered in blood at Xander's head.

Faith nearly chuckled but then she saw it. What she had done, a deep gash lined the girls stomach and blood was slowly dripping to the ground.

Xander: “Ow.”

:: He rubbed the back of his head. ::

His hand came away slick with blood. But it wasn’t his blood.

:: Confused – and mildly wigged – he shone his flashlight on the object, which had landed about a yard away. ::

Xander: “All right!”

:: He hopped over and, shaking the object off, stuck his foot into it. ::

It was his shoe. A little gore-i-fied, yeah, but still his shoe.

:: Xander looked at Faith and then pointed upward. ::

Faith: “Guess we know why no one ever caught a yeti. What do you suggest we do about Shapeshiftella up there?”

She pushed Xander out of the way and with all his killing gear on he stumbled off and grabbed onto a tree. "Are .." 'Are you okay, of course she's not okay you idiot.'

"Come down, please... please... we can take you back to the..." Just then the girl turned towards her.

Then she tried to say something which Faith couldn't understand. Faith tossed her scythe over to Xander and started to scale the tree. She wasn't too high up.
"Come down, we won't hurt you."

'idiot' she thought of herself, how could I do this to .. a girl.

'Should have just let it kill Xander'

'Wait a minute... it did try to kill Xander.. oh my..' Suddenly she began to realize how stupid she was for tossing away her weapon.. "Crap"

 

[palabravampiress]

[Mountain "“ Forest]

Faith tossed the slayer scythe off to Xander "“ Fat lotta good that'll do *me* "“ and climbed up the tree. Unarmed. Toward a frightened girl with claws the size of a Grizzly Bear's.

Couldn't those shadow guys have included slayer smartness in there with the super strength? Just sayin'. Woulda been kinda nice.

:: Dropping the scythe, Xander pulled out the tranq gun and covered Faith. ::

Just in time, too. Faith was reaching out to the girl when she pulled an Oz and morphed into her mystic demon mojo form. Quite understandably, Ape Girl roared and sent a claw sailing out at the person who had split her belly open.

:: Xander gave her a moment to get a bit of her aggression out. Just a swipe. That's all. Half the time, he wanted to do the same. ::

I'm a bad, bad man.

:: Xander rolled his eye and shot the tranq gun. ::

Oops. Dart in the neck. he thought with a snicker.

The yeti teetered; the girl fell down.

:: Xander knelt beside her and felt for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. ::

:: He looked up at Faith, who was making her way down from the tree. ::

Faith: "You okay?"

:: Without waiting for an answer "“ she's more okay than yeti girl, that's for sure "“ Xander took off his shirt "“ the only thing he had handy "“ and used it to bandage the girl's wound. The fact that he could tie his shirt around her torso wasn't exactly a confidence booster, but it was handy. ::

:: Pretending not to shiver as the chilly air hit his too-bare-for-comfort skin, he turned his back to Faith and then lifted the girl. With his shoe squeaking with every icky, squishy step, he started back toward the monastery and wished he'd dressed in more layers. ::

:: He called over his shoulder to Faith. ::

Faith: "Anyone asks, I dropped her on the"¦ oh, hey, wanna pick up the scythe?"

He wasn't feeling particularly chivalrous or anything with the blame-taking. It was just"¦ well, every time Faith started feeling all guilty, the closest non-super sort of man ended up on the receiving end of a whole lotta pain. For Xander, once was way more than enough. And besides, it was kinda his fault. He did track yeti scent into the monastery.

 

[GATEGOD]

"I'm fine" she answered jumping from the tree. "I could have taken her."

She walked back over and picked up the scythe Xander had decided to drop to the ground, getting it all dirty.

'What a shocker'

Next thing could be an actual shocker though. Xander doing the whole hero thing , he picked up the girl who was near death,or so Faith thought, and nearly toppled over himself. But he wouldn't let Faith do any heavy lifting, even after what he said about her 'that's all you're good for.'

'Ironic no?'

She walked back trying to wipe off the dirt from the Scythe while Xander leaded them back through the woods following the Yeti's blood trail. It wasn't the happiest of walks back. Xander barely spoke. And Faith wasn't offering anything up either.

'You'd think he'd be all gitty and snazed up now that he's with his prize'

It's all Xander's fault, that idiot! What the hell was he doing out here in the first place. He led it right to us. All those thoughts kept coursing through her mind as another thought sprung up louder then the rest.

'Making me do it. Making me!!' "Shut.." 'Shut up! You didn't know.'

The monastery was cold and broken, as they had left it when they headed out on their search. Thankfully no yeti clan had come and killed everyone. That was a possibility.

Bringing her here might not be the best idea, but they had to do something, it was there fault after all. They didn't understand these people, they didn't know any better. 'Hopefully the monks can do something'

"Here" Faith pointed towards the couch, then walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a white cloth from the counter. She wet it and walked back over to them. Xander was trying to prop up her head, and Faith nearly felt a tear form behind her eye. Thankfully it didn't. She needed to be strong. She was strong. "Get the monks, maybe they can help." she said stepping over a small table thing then kneeled down next to her and squeezed the wet cloth. She began to try to clean out the wound, but she didn't know what good it would do. The gash looked deep.

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery – Main Room]

:: Faith took over first aid duty while Xander just sort of uselessly hovered. ::

He wasn’t so sure this Faith helping thing was a good idea. He didn’t know how long a tranq dart could keep a yeti under. If Tall, White, and Hairy opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the chick who’d planted a scythe into her gut, well, that seemed like the perfect invitation for a presto chango. And then they’d be right back at square one.

:: Xander shivered as a breeze wafted through the guest house. The monastery was still minus one door and he was still minus one shirt. Not a good combination. ::

Also, I’m not exactly pining to see which article of clothing I’ll lose next.

He wanted to duck out and change real quick, but, under the circumstances, that seemed kind of petty.

"Get the monks, maybe they can help." she said stepping over a small table thing then kneeled down next to her and squeezed the wet cloth. She began to try to clean out the wound, but she didn't know what good it would do. The gash looked deep.

:: Xander folded his arms across his chest. ::

Faith: “Actually, not so sure that logic is of the sound variety. I mean, monasteries are sort of the cryptozoologist’s treasure trove when it comes to beastly body parts – not that participate in any of that stuff, of course.”

:: Faith shot him a look of total non-comprehension. Or, at least, that’s what he thought it was. It could have been something meaner. It was hard to tell with her. ::

Faith: “Rrright. What I mean is that I’m guessing these monk guys and girly girl here aren’t the best of friends. Monk types like to display yeti scalps and hides and other snow man parts in the front foyer… plus the abbot said he didn’t want the other monks knowing we’re here. You know, the whole protect-our-cover thing.”

:: Xander looked up at those scoobies who were still assembled in the main room. ::

Group: “Anybody bring any super-strength restraints along? She wakes up, she could go all Donkey Kong on us again.”

Spike! If anybody’s into the super strength bondage, it’s… okay, I don’t like where that thought’s leading.

:: Still, he swallowed his pride and went over and knocked on Spike’s door. ::

Spike's Door: "Spike? Dawnie? We, ah, we got a situation out here. We could use some of your respective expertise."

Pride could wait. Wasn't like he had much of it, anyway. They had a situation. The sooner they figured out what to do, the sooner he could get crackin’ on repairing the doors.

Ah, carpentry… an essential Scooby skill and the one thing I actually know how to do.

 

[GATEGOD]

"Xander, what you don't seem to grasp is this little girl is going to die unless we get her help. See.." looking back down at the girl she continued. 'The work of a slayer, aint it grand' "So the bright thing to do would be to go tell the monks there's a hurt little girl in here and not a killer shape shifting yeti. Is that to much for you to do? Do you want her blood on your hands. It's already on mine. Now get me a god damn monk!" she yelled staring deep into Xander's eye then turning away to squeeze the blood soaked rag onto the floor.

'Who gives a shit if these monks want privacy, life and death takes the front seat. He knows this!'

'Lieing is easy, telling the truth is what's hard.'

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery]

:: Xander looked up from Spike's door. Faith managed to catch his eye while she verbally excoriated him. ::

Do you want her blood on your hands?

What did that even mean? Her blood was already all over his hands. And his shoe. And the shirt that he'd wrapped around her as a bandage. And probably all over his skin, not that he wanted to check out the view in the nearest mirror. He never completely got that expression, blood on your hands. Never really clicked. Kinda like algebra class. It seemed to him that blood got there just as often when you tried to help as it did when you tried to hurt. It wasn't symbolic; it was just in there, being all flowy and healy and stuff. And sometimes it came out "“ sometimes a whole lot of it came out, as for instance, Example A: yeti girl dyeing the monks' nice beige couch a new shade of red.

:: He looked at the girl. ::

It was painful, looking at her with that huge diagonal gash cut across her belly. Two guesses who that reminded him of. And the first one doesn't count.

:: He looked back toward Faith. Locked eyes "“ or, rather, eye "“ with her. ::

Faith was panicked and emotional, which translated to colder and bitchier than usual, but Xander got it. He hadn't dated Queen C. and a vengeance demon for nothing. The madder they were, the more hurt and vulnerable they were.

In this particular moment, Faith was pretty darn mad. She cared about the girl, sure, but she'd said it herself with the bloody hands comment: mostly what mattered to her was keeping another notch off her body count belt. Is that what matters to me, too? Not that I'm particularly notched up, but still.

:: His jaw clenched. ::

Faith: "Ok. Fine. I'll go get the abbot if you get Gorilla Girl restrained before the tranq wears off. Deal?"

Why was that so hard to understand? Awake, frightened, drugged up freakin' Snow Monster = all kinds of dangerous and bad for the structural integrity of the building and possibly even deadly.

:: He trudged toward the door, and then he turned back to "survey the troops," so to speak. ::

Riley, Sam, and the three slayers "“ one of whom was hurt "“ were still just standing around the main room. Dawn and Spike were still in their room "“ a situation he did not particularly want to ponder at the moment, although the repressed soldier boy in him wanted to order their asses back on the line like yesterday.

:: He rolled his eye. ::

Faith's right"¦ kinda. Sorta. God, I hate it when she's right!

Group: "I'll be back. I don't care who does what, but I need somebody restraining that girl. Also, I need somebody guarding the perimeter in case her friends show up and nobody speaks yeti for "we come in peace."

:: He pointed at Spike's door. ::

Group: "And for the love of Buffy, could somebody "“ preferably somebody with enhanced olfactory senses and an eye for blood trails "“ please get to work making sure we're not advertising our whereabouts to every demon from here to Kathmandu?"

:: With that, he grabbed his flashlight and marched "“ shirtless, eye-patched, covered in blood and wielding an axe "“ up the trail"¦ to a monastery. Where they, like, pray and stuff. ::

Because this plan is good how? Oh, right: so I can blow our cover on the first night out "“ to save the life of the demon who crashed our hideout. *Now* it makes sense.

But she wasn't a demon, at least not totally. Maybe half demon. Or possessed. Or a shapeshifter. Or something. And even with the mission in mind, Xander still couldn't leave her to die.

 

[GATEGOD]

Faith trailed off in her own thoughts, while Xander marched towards the monastery to get help. The slayers around her were all moving about making sure the perimeter was still secure, while Faith continued to clean the wound. Xander wanted her to tie up the girl, but tie her up to what? The couch wasn't exactly hand cuff friendly and she didn't think moving her would be wise. To be blunt she didn't think she was all that dangerous.

She was so hurt and drugged out it would be quite astonishing if she could still go all yeti and kill everyone. Either way, Faith could handle her. She nearly cut her in half a half hour ago, and at that time the little girl wasn't mortally wounded and bleeding all over Faith's new sexy boots.

'Xander can be so ergghh!! sometimes!' She didn't know what was worse, the fact that Xander jeopardized the mission by leading this thing here, or the fact that he doesn't see it that way.

'He sees himself as god and all his mistakes are deflected because Faith's here. Is he right? '

'No.'

'He left the premises, he lead her here, he had the hinges of his door ripped off, and he planned their stay. And yet it's my fault in his eyes.'

She rubbed below her eye and blood spread across her cheek as she looked back down at the girls broken body. She could remember back, she could see each of there faces, mistakes, accidents, murder. Everything. She rubbed again and even more blood touched upon her face. The cloth she had which was once bright white was now cherry soaked red with not a spot of white left on it. She lifted herself up onto her feet and brought the cloth back over to the sink and threw it in. She turned on the water and let some of the red fade away, but it wouldn't vanish completely.

'It never does'

She reached up to a cubbard and found it empty, so she checked the next and the next until she found a clean rag and a small pan. She filled the pan with some water and walked it over to the girl and placed it on the floor next to the couch and kneeled back down. Xander still wasn't back, and she was only getting worse. Faith wet the rag and placed it on the girls head, after a few moments she removed it though and twisted it up then went back to cleaning out the wound. 'Where are they!'

"Damnit! Where the hell is he!? She's dieing here!!" she yelled at the others around her. There was nothing they could do but she was still upset! He should have been back by now. 'They better help her.'

 

[Slayergal]

Sam looked around the room before moving or speaking up. This was unlike a commando mission where her and Riley would be in command. She felt uncomfortable in Faith's presence. If what she had heard about Faith was true she sure didn't to be on her bad side. So she was sitting back letting Faith give all the orders. But somebody need to get the rest of the troops busy. Sam sighed, rolled up her sleeves, moved toward Faith and the dying girl.

Faith: "Here let me restrain her. It will make things easier for you."

Moving over to restrain the girl. She gave out orders to the others.

Riley: "Perimeter patrol soldier. It's an order."

She motioned to the 3 slayers.

Slayers: "One you go wake up Spike and Dawn. We need Spike to go cover the blood trail."