Chapter 8: Going Rogue - Part 1

[GATEGOD]

As Sam came over and restrained the little girl Faith backed up and went to look out the doors to see what was taking Xander so long. The air was cold now and it swept across her face blowing her hair to all sides of her head, but it didn't phase her. In the distance she saw a small, round bald man wearing what looked to be a brown monks robe coming running towards the guest house. He didn't seem 'oh no the worlds going to end' he seemed at peace with himself. She didn't buy it. But who was she to judge.

The monk nearly out of breathe leaned against the pillar to the house and breathed deeply then regained himself as Faith stared at him, unblinking, with the wind at her eyes. He turned to stare at the ground then back up at her as he came up the steps and into the house. "Where's Xander?" she asked looking back off into the distance seeing no one else coming. 'Being offered up to some demon.' she thought cheerfully then shook it off as the monk disregarded her question.

"Is she still alive!?" he said shooting a look at her as he swept past her taking out something from his robe. He soon found his answer as he saw the bleeding girl tied up bleeding through the couch. "What have you done to her!" he demanded.

"Uh... she tied her up." Faith deflected pointing towards Sam, wondering why the monk was so concerned. Obviously the intelligent Xander Harris was wrong. They obviously didn't see the the creature as a threat. 'Did they?'

Faith couldn't tell and the Monk started to chant something and wave whatever he had in his hand over the girls body as he sprinkled something on her. She guessed he was trying to heal her. But she had no idea what he was doing. 'Not much for the explaining, this one.'

 

[palabravampiress]

[Main Monastery]

Xander:
:: Even at the possible expense of the mission, Xander couldn't let a little yeti girl die, so he interrupted the creepy didgeridoo-like monk chanting with a loud knock. Then, he stepped back and waited. ::

Wow. Do I hope the monk who answers doesn't have a heart condition, he thought. Something tells me it's not kosher to kill a monk.

He was no doctor, but it wasn't a stretch to assume that the sudden appearance of a bloody, shirtless, eye-patched, axe-toting hooligan might scare the be-Buddha out of some kindhearted little monk man.


Abbot:
:: The abbot answered. ::

He looked a little taken aback, but then he motioned for the other monks to continue their chanting.

:: He stepped outside and joined Xander on the porch, his eyes wide behind his plastic rims. ::

Xander: "What has happened, Mr. Harris? Are you injured? Is the monastery under attack? Is it the Chinese?!"


Xander:
:: Xander held out his hands in what would have been a calming gesture if he wasn't carrying a big axe. ::

:: The abbot jumped back. ::

Abbot: "You got a medic on this mountain? Or maybe a monk who can make with the magic healy mojo? We got a hurt girl back at the guest house."

:: The abbot raised both eyebrows and stared. ::

Abbot: "Time? Kinda of the essence on this one. She's dying. So unless you want her to reincarnate sometime within the next half-hour or so..."

:: He gestured to himself. ::

Abbot: "This is all her blood. Every pint."


Abbot:
:: The abbot held up one finger, indicating that he wanted Xander to wait outside. He then disappeared into the monastery for what felt like a long time. The chanting never ceased. It made Xander sleepy. By the time the abbot came back, Xander was swaying on his feet. ::

:: The abbot, who held in his hands a small lump of"¦ something Xander couldn't see in the dark... passed Xander and walked swiftly toward the side of the building. ::

Abbot: " Please follow me, Mr. Harris."

:: His tone was unfailingly polite, but also urgent. ::


Xander:
:: Xander followed. ::

The abbot led him around the side of the monastery and into a cellar. Xander's heart thumped a little faster and his swear glands got a workout, but the cellar turned out to be nothing more than what it seemed: a root cellar. Goods and supplies were stacked neatly every which way. A set of stairs led up"¦ to a kitchen, he would assume.

Underneath the stairwell and against the wall, several crates were piled rather haphazardly.

Much to Xander's surprise, the abbot moved these aside easily. The crates swung on hinges. The pile jumble wasn't a jumble at all; it was really a door crafted to look like a pile of crates.

Abbot: "Wow. You guys really gotta introduce me to your carpenter."

:: Xander paused to examine the handiwork. Then, with his axe raised a little higher and his palms a little sweatier, Xander followed the monk into the hidden room.

Abbot: "A meditation room? Why do you have a secret meditation room in the basement? What are you gonna do, pray me to death?"

The room looked almost exactly like the main room of the guest house. "Almost" being the key word. What was painted in the guest house was gilded here. The walls were lined with shelves. The shelves were lined with books and scrolls. And, also, there was a giant golden Buddha in the center. So, okay, not even close to the same room, but it was set up similarly, at least.


Abbot:
:: The abbot smiled serenely and handed the package "“ clothes, robes, to be more specific "“ to Xander and indicated a nearby door of the regular old non-secret variety. ::

Xander: "We are monks. We do not advocate the taking of the lives of sentient beings, Mr. Harris. Please, clean yourself up. Blood is very difficult to wash out of silk cushions."

:: Before Xander could protest, the abbot held out a hand in a calming gesture. ::

Xander: "And do not worry; I have dispatched a healer to assist with the injured girl. But the injured girl is not the only one who needs our help. I believe I can help you find what you seek. You seek a wanderer who is far advanced on the path, yes? A pratyekabuddha: one who has put down the burden and transcended the samsaric realm? One who sees the world as it is rather than as it appears?"


Xander:
:: Xander squinted and cocked his head to the side. ::

Abbot: "If you mean a vampire with mush for brains and creepy future-reading abilities, then sure."


Abbot:
:: As if amused by Xander's simplistic description, the abbot nodded and allowed the corners of his mouth to turn slightly upward. ::

Xander: "I suppose that is one method of describing Pratyekabuddha-Drusilla."


Xander:
Abbot: "Something tells me she'd like your description better. A little birdie told me Dru has a thing for poetic types."

:: So saying, he stepped into the bathroom and, locking the door behind him, he started the bathwater. ::

As soon as he sat down in the tub, the water turned pink.

:: He looked around for shampoo. He found only soap. ::

Oh man! Congealed blood is hell to get out of hair. Maybe these monks are onto something with the Mr. Clean look... and yes, I have lived with too many women for too long.

:: He bathed quickly, but he kept the axe handy. Just in case. This guy knew about the little lunatic who could. That either meant that he would help the mission, or that he was one of Dru's minions. Or, you know, both, since Buddhists are all one-with-the-paradox. Either way, it was best to be prepared.

 

[Wanabee-slayer]

:: Dawn exited ehr's and Spike's room to find the remnants left in the wake of what Dawn could only presume had been one heck of a fight. Having no possible idea of how she could have missed such a rucuss Dawn walked over to Sam and looked around at the damage the offending disaster had caused. Objects and furniture were broken and thrown across the floor, blood was pooling at their feet. ::

Sam: "Hey. What the hell happened here?'

:: Okay so that sentence could probably have gone without the hell but it helped to get the point across. ::

 

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike had situated himself again when the loud crashing of a fight echoed throughout the guest house. "What the bloody-" He took off, throwing the door open to find the common room in shambles and Faith and Xander heading after something.

He hung in the doorway for a few minutes, dumbfounded look on his face. Well...balls. Lately, it seemed he kept missing all the good action. He shrugged. Oh well.

He turned back around and threw his back into the closet on his side of the room, and lit up another cigarette. They'd no doubt be looking for him to help.

As if on cue, he herd the clomp of boots in the hallway. He slid his gaze over to the door and counted down silently. Five...four...three...

Sure enough, one of the wannabe-Slayers threw his door open. "Sam told me to come," she said by way of greeting. He could never remember her name. "She wants you to secure a blood trail for the thing that attacked us."

Spike stared at her for a quick second, almost contemplatively. What the hell else was he going to do? Sit in his arse all night with the newbs and One Eyed Alex? Not bloody likely. He did roll his eyes a bit, though, rising to stand. He strode over to the newb Slayer. "Tell her Highness that the job's good as done, yea?" He exhaled smoke in her face. She coughed.

He chuckled to himself and left the grounds of the guest house, striding through a broken picture window. He inhaled his cigarette and exhaled, taking a long breath. There.

 

[GATEGOD]

The monk continued his chant in a low and seemingly relaxed voice under his breathe.

Faith looked on, blood on her hands as well as her face. Splatter patterns lined her shirt and blood droplets had stained her boots.

She looked down and her fingers started to shake. No one caught it so she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and the pack of matches she had taken from her room. With a flick of her wrist the match struck fire and she brought the flame up lighting the cigarette.

"So." she paused exhaling smoke through her mouth. "What's this mumbo jumbo crap you're spouting. Is she going to be alright?"

The monk turned, still chanting under his breathe then paused to answer her question. "My dear, it will be fine. Now let be get back to it, or things might not be." He gave a tiny head bow barely moving then turned back and began his chant.

'It? So he knows? And he isn't afraid.' Faith started pieceing things together as she backed up against the wall behind her. Leaning against it she continued to work on her cigarette, watching as the wound on the girls stomach slowly began to dissipate.

 

[Slayergal]

::Sam was holding down the injured girl as the monk continued to chant when Dawn came into the room inquiring what was going on.::

Dawn: "Faith and Xander they brought this girl/demon in from the woods. I guess they fought her. She's dying. Hopefully the monk can save her. So we can find out more about her or it and a what she's doing here and what she wants with us?"

::Sam took a breathe. Some how she had a feeling that whoever this girl was she was sent here for a for a reason. If it hadn't been for Xander and Faith they probably all would have been dead. Somebody besides the abbot and monks knew they were here. It wasn't a good feeling.::

 

[GATEGOD]

Faith leaned back taking everything in as smoke filled the air around her. Sam and Dawn were talking, but Faith wasn't listening, yet she still heard what they were saying. The monk did some fancy hand movement that got Faith's attention and then *poof* he blew the rest of the dust or sand or whatever it was (Faith didn't know) , onto the girls wound. A few seconds later the dust was gone and the wound was but a scar.

"Woah." Faith said from the wall. The monk had actually done it. "Damn he's better than Willow." she said moving in closer to get a better look.

The monk smiled and turned towards her. "Good as new, take a look." He then gestured towards the girls stomach with his hands.

"I can see, again Wow! You do know what she is though, don't you?" She asked trying not to make it too obvious if he didn't.

"Yes dear, I do." He said placing the piece of wood into his robe. "We have known about them for quite some time. They have roamed these parts for nearly three thousand years, and will probably roam them long after we are gone. They are what your friend Xander would call a 'Yeti'. They tend to stay away from the locals, in camps deep within the forest near the mountains."

"So you're like.. buddies with these things?" She asked with a confused look on her face wondering why they hadn't been informed.

"No" he chuckled "We are more like watchers. We have observed them for many years. They are mostly a peaceful race and usually remain in there human form unless frightened. I take it... you frightened it."

Faith hated watchers, she had very few good memories of them and didn't care on meeting any new ones. But that wasn't the point.

'What was it doing all the way up here then?' she thought, then realized Xander had been out right before it showed up. Most likely it followed him. She shook it off and smiled.

"Well thanks doc. So what now? Do we just leave her here?"

"My brothers can take care of her. We will take her back to her people tomorrow. For tonight we will have to bring her to the monastery and place her in a warm bed. May I?" He moved to pick her up.

"Uh.. yea sure. No prob. If you need help I could.."

"No no, that is quite alright. I can take her." he said as he lifted her into his arms.

"Alright..." There was an awkward few seconds then the monk was gone, heading back to the monastery with the girl in his arms.

"One crisis averted. Now onto the next." She said rolling her eyes at Dawn and Sam. Xander still wasn't back. It worried her.

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery "“ guest house]

:: Looking a little shell shocked, "“ from both his hippy dippy experience at the monastery and the changed nature of the guest house "“ Xander entered the guest house and looked around at the much tidier main room. ::

:: He pointed at the sofa. ::

Group: "Okay, I know I left something there. Where are you guys hiding the yeti?"

:: Uncomfortable with the, umm, inherent draftiness of his monk-supplied garment, Xander tugged at the high waist-band fold thingie of his"¦ skirt. ::

Yup. It was a skirt. And it was tight around the belly, too. Unflattering to the Nth degree. No wonder monks were celibate; no woman would look twice at a man in a glorified bedsheet"¦ unless she was a demon, of course.

He felt naked. Like he was in a nightmare "“ which, by the way, does happen every now and then. Everyone just kind of stared at him. He supposed he'd stare, too, if someone left bloody and torn and came back all monkified.

Xander looked around for Spike. Everyone else seemed to have gathered in the main room, but Spike was gone.

Just as well, he thought.

Group: "So, umm, I'd love to hear all about our recent hairy houseguest, but I have some news that's got one foot in the wow category and the other in the duh department: Drusilla's on Freak Street. I'd say I'm surprised, but then I'd be lying. Where else would she be?"

:: Before the group could ask any questions, he held up his hand as if to signal "Stop." ::

Group: "The abbot did his whole we-are-one mystic mojo thing "“ oh yeah, and apparently Drusilla's a Practi-Buddha of some sort. He reached out with his senses or something and told me she's working out of Freak Street. Which only makes sense, right? I mean, where else could she set up shop without arousing suspicion?"

:: Xander sighed and took a seat. ::

Group: "Also, the monks might be evil, so I'm not sure we can trust them. I mean, they do seem to have psychic vampire linkage."

:: He looked off toward the broken door of his room, then he turned toward the blessedly empty bathroom. ::

He may not be able to get much privacy in his bedroom, but he could at least change in the bathroom.

Group: "I'm gonna go change ino something more"¦ covering. Meeting when Spike gets back? Where is Fang Boy, anyway?"

 

[Slayergal]

::Sam was stunned by the monk's healing of the injured girl and even more stunned when he explained what she was. But even more confused by why they weren't informed of these creatures like her. But she went ahead, relinquished her restraint of the girl and let the monk take her on back to the monastery. But she was even more baffled when Xander returned from the monastery in what looked like monk robes. If everybody including herself in the room wasn't in a serious mood she might of laughed. But this wasn't a time to laugh. She sat still and listened while Xander talked about his meeting with the abbot. Well at least now they had Dru's whereabouts or at least a place to start looking. She did have to agree with Xander though she didn't exactly trust the monks either especially after tonight. She was about to speak up and report Spike's whereabouts when Xander excused himself to go change clothes.::

 

[GATEGOD]

Faith was putting out her cigarette when Xander trampled back in wearing a girly monk suit which he kept fiddling with. She was relieved he wasn't dead, for the moment.

Xander asked about what had happened, but when Faith began to answer the pirate monk cut her off and began going off on what he had found out. He had discovered Drucilla's location.

'Wow' she was quite shocked, she didn't know Xander could do things. Nor did she believe that he did.

"Damn Z, shut up." she interrupted "So you are saying that the monks told you where Drucilla is, and that they are evil and that we shouldn't trust them...?"

She rolled her eyes and asked again as he didn't respond.

"So.. should we believe them? If not then you can go get the little girl back, yes that's right, we gave her to them. SO I ASK again, should we trust them?" Her face turned to a grimacing angered look which bore into Xander's eye'.

'Why would Xander even say that the monks could be evil? He does realize that they are monks..maybe..' she broke mid-thought to ask him.

"You do realize that these are monks here Xander...don't you??"

 

[Wanabee-slayer]

:: Dawn tried to dtifle an inappropriate laugh as Xander strolled into the room wearing what appeared to be a skirt. The situation was a regrettable one which called for composure but standing there staring at her childhood crush, wearing a skirt Dawn couldn't contain herself. Of course she stayed quiet until everyone had finished their discussions of what had happened and what they were going to do but the situation simply called for a joke to be made. ::

Xander:'Xander are you wearing a skirt?"

 

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike strode back up to the guest house, blood trail securely...secured. He inhaled the last of his cigarette and stomped it out, not bothering to glance up as he headed in the direction of the broken picture window.

Of course, it'd been fixed since then, but Spike didn't know that. He rammed headfirst into the huge pane of glass, stumbling backward and falling square on his ass. Bloody hell!

He sat up and looked dumbly at the window. "Who the bloody hell fixed the sodding window?!" He yelled, shoving himself to his feet. He kicked the door to the guest house open and strode in to find everyone sitting around a cleaned common room.

"None of you wankers saw that, alright?!" He fumed, lighting another cigarette. He looked around. "Wasn't our home sweet home trashed by the bleeding Abominable Snowman less than an hour ago?" He inhaled, and exhaled.

"Does someone want to give me some sodding answers?" He flopped down on one of the empty chairs and kicked his booted feet up onto the table in the center of the room. "'Cause I get the feeling there's something Ol' Spike here is missing."

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery "“ Guest House, Main Room]

Faith was putting out her cigarette when Xander trampled back in wearing a girly monk suit which he kept fiddling with. She was relieved he wasn't dead, for the moment.

Xander asked about what had happened, but when Faith began to answer the pirate monk cut her off and began going off on what he had found out. He had discovered Drucilla's location.

'Wow' she was quite shocked, she didn't know Xander could do things. Nor did she believe that he did.

"Damn Z, shut up." she interrupted "So you are saying that the monks told you where Drucilla is, and that they are evil and that we shouldn't trust them...?"

:: Xander rolled his eyes, but otherwise, he made no response. Instead, he announced his intention to change. ::

Faith's questions could wait five minutes, especially if she wanted to preface them by telling him to shut up.

Which is it, lady? Shut up? Or answer the question? Cuz I can't do both.

:: Sort of pointedly ignoring her, he walked toward his room. ::

She rolled her eyes and asked again as he didn't respond.

"So.. should we believe them? If not then you can go get the little girl back, yes that's right, we gave her to them. SO I ASK again, should we trust them?" Her face turned to a grimacing angered look which bore into Xander's eye'.

'Why would Xander even say that the monks could be evil? He does realize that they are monks..maybe..' she broke mid-thought to ask him.

"You do realize that these are monks here Xander...don't you??"

:: Halfway to his room, Xander stopped and turned. He glared at Faith. Unfortunately, in his current getup, it was hard to produce a truly effective glare. ::

Stupid monks! Why do they have to be all peaceful and composed and non-threatening with their weird chants and their girly man robes?!

Faith: "Yeah Faith, I know they're monks "“ says he in the monk-esque man skirt. The reason I think they might be evil is because, well"¦."

:: On his fingers, Xander checked off the list of all of the evil religious fanatics they'd encountered over the years. ::

Faith: "The Bringers, those crusade guys, the anointed guy's followers, Caleb"¦ the list goes on. In my experience, uber religious types with ties to bad guys are usually, you know, evil."

:: Xander raised his hands defensively. ::

Faith: "And before you go telling me to be all open-minded and zen-like "“ because hey, when in Rome "“ this monk guy reached out with his mind and told me where Drusilla is. He thinks she's enlightened. That being the case, don't you sort of question his motivation for sending us straight to her? Cuz that's sending me some giant flashing red light warning signs."

:: Xander put his hands on his hips and glared at Faith. ::

Did somebody take her stupid pills today, or has she always been slow? he thought. Of course, he didn't mention it out loud. Faith could break him with her pinky.

:: Dawn tried to dtifle an inappropriate laugh as Xander strolled into the room wearing what appeared to be a skirt. The situation was a regrettable one which called for composure but standing there staring at her childhood crush, wearing a skirt Dawn couldn't contain herself. Of course she stayed quiet until everyone had finished their discussions of what had happened and what they were going to do but the situation simply called for a joke to be made. ::

Xander:'Xander are you wearing a skirt?"

:: With his hands still on his hips, Xander turned his head in Dawn's direction. He couldn't keep his hostile posture, not with Dawnie. He still tried, though. All it got him was a sort of red face as he stifled a laugh. ::

Dawn: "Hey! It's a man-skirt, Missy. All the guys up at the monastery are wearing them. Get with times![/i]

Then, like so many birds before him, Spike walked into the window and bounced off.

:: Xander could no longer restrain his laughter. He laughed so hard that he doubled over. ::

He rammed headfirst into the huge pane of glass, stumbling backward and falling square on his ass. Bloody hell!

He sat up and looked dumbly at the window. "Who the bloody hell fixed the sodding window?!" He yelled, shoving himself to his feet. He kicked the door to the guest house open and strode in to find everyone sitting around a cleaned common room.

"None of you wankers saw that, alright?!" He fumed, lighting another cigarette. He looked around. "Wasn't our home sweet home trashed by the bleeding Abominable Snowman less than an hour ago?" He inhaled, and exhaled.

"Does someone want to give me some sodding answers?" He flopped down on one of the empty chairs and kicked his booted feet up onto the table in the center of the room. "'Cause I get the feeling there's something Ol' Spike here is missing."

:: Xander stopped laughing and, confused, addressed the rest of the group. ::

Group: "Yeah, who did fix the window? Who does glass pane delivery this late at night"¦ in Nepal?"

:: He coced his head to the side. ::

Group: "And why didn't they fix my bedroom door?!"

 

[GATEGOD]

It was nearly daybreak, the sun would be up any minute. This would put a major crimp in there plans for a while but it would give them some time to do some scooby fact finding on Dru and her whereabouts. A much needed fact finding mission. According to Xander, with the information the 'evil monks' had given him Dru was on Freak street. 'Ironic I know' That is where they would have to start.

"Alright," she said addressing the group. "Here is what we have to do. We'll have to split up into teams, to cover as much ground as possible." She looked on and saw that most were in agreeance with her. Sadly no one else was taking charge, so she did.

"Sam, Riley," she turned facing them to make sure they were alright with this. "You two will take Freak Street, scope out the area, knock a few heads around, you know the drill find out where she is and why she's here."

"Xander, Spike. You two will take the sewers, look for any sign of vampire activity, they would know more about Dru's plans then the street urchins. Cool?" She waited for everyone to respond, then looked around.

'Dawn.'

'Damnit'

"Ah, yes, and Dawn... uh.." She considered the options. Stay here with three slayers in an unprotected house. Go into the sewers and get eaten by Vampires, or go into town and experience the day life of the weird and weirder. 'Hmm..'

"You can go with Sam and Riley to Freak street, just be careful. I don't want B stabbing me again got it.." she paused, the joke didn't exactly go off well. If it even was a joke. "You got it?" She asked trying to be compassionate while she looked at her. Hoping Dawn wouldn't go all 'I'm not a little kid anymore' Faith knew that.

"The three slayers will stay here and mend the guest house, make sure we are secure incase they decide to attack. We need to make sure we aren't an easy target.. and at the moment... we are."

She waited for the rest of the group to respond, ignore her, slap her, make a joke, anything. She knew some one would have a problem with her plan, they always did.

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery "“ Main Room]

:: Xander heard the words "sewer" and "Spike" and his nose reflexively crinkled up. ::

Oh Right. Cuz that's my idea of a good day: go stomping around in the icky sewers of some third world country with the guy who"¦ what would he call it? "Tupped?""¦ my dead fiancé. Erm, when she was alive, I mean. Not dead. Not that he'd care either way.

Then, something occurred to him.

Although"¦ open up the right manhole cover and POOF! No more Spike. All right!

Not that he'd really do that. Well, at least he didn't think so. Probably not. Almost decidedly not. But there was that one time when he did almost take off his head"¦.

Just the thought gave him a happy.

:: Xander smiled continued toward his room with a skip to his step. ::

Faith: "Count me in! I could do with a little sewer schlepping. 🙂: Pause. :🙂 But I really gotta change first."

:: He stopped and glanced at the broken doors and felt a little shudder of dread run up and down his spine. He glanced at ¬¬¬¬Lisa, who seemed to be nearly healed already after her bout with Big n' Hairy, and pointed at her rather sternly. The effect was less stern than comical, of course, but he gave himself mega super bonus points for trying.

Lisa: "You can reinforce doors and windows as needed, but do not under any circumstances mess with these carvings. Understand me, little missy? Also, the hinges are very delicate. They're hundreds of years old. Take your time with them."

Slayers were hell on the structural integrity of a building. He'd grown up with one slayer, and he'd ended up rebuilding her house twenty times over.

:: He shuddered again. ::

Imagine what three slayers can do.

:: Xander marched off to his room, collected a change of clothes, and then marched back to the bathroom to change. ::

His thoughts stayed with the walls while he changed out of the girly man clothes and into regular pants and a not-so-favorite shirt. If he hadn't already agreed to go into the sewers, he'd opt to hang back. It didn't seem right, leaving inexperienced slayers alone with such nice walls. Slayers didn't have good track records with walls. Or furniture. Or artwork. Or, really, anything built by any craftsman"¦ ever. Leaving these girls behind, well, it was a disservice to his guild.

But he was a watcher, now. Leaving Spike alone to deal with Dru"¦ that could be a disservice to the Scoobies, especially if she got his hooks in him again. And passing up the chance to at least be in a position that might give him the opportunity to accidentally-on-purpose wipe Spike's dust off his clothes? Well, that would be a disservice to cuckolds everywhere.

Nope, Xander was in.

Just a few more cans of caffeinated goodness to get me on my way.

:: He exited the bathroom and quickly went to the kitchen to collect a couple of cans of soda to go with his usual arsenal of axe, stake, flashlight, and cell phone. ::

:: Everyone else was just sort of standing around when Xander popped the top of his soda can and chugged half of it down in two gulps. ::

Ahh"¦ that's right; feel the buzz. Stay awake. No sleepy sleepy time for me.

:: Glad to have something to do "“ and eager to get away from the distaction of worrying about the walls "“ he smiled blithely at the group. ::

Group: "So, when do we ship out?"

 

[Slayergal]

::Sam perked up when Faith gave out the orders. She was kinda getting tired of sitting around here anyhow. And outside of Dawn. Riley and her would be on their own for the recon mission to Freak Street. She would feel better less nervous not like she had been for days now. She just hoped Riley would snap out his little funk and get with the program. She wanted to laugh at Faith for her bad attempt at a joke but stopped herself short before doing so. What if it wasn't even a joke.

Faith: "Are you sure you want Dawn going with Riley and I? Not that I have anything against Dawn going but are you sure that is the safest?"

::Sam turned to Dawn before she could go into her litte "I'm not a little girl anymore" tirade.::

"I'm not putting you down Dawn. I know you are not a little girl anymore and I am sure you can take care of yourself. But I also don't want to see you getting hurt if we run into trouble."

::Sam also aware of the fact that Faith hadn't included herself in the missions at hand. As much as she really didn't want to have a confrontation with Faith. Sam wanted to know what Faith's role was beside just giving the orders. After all Willow had been the one that volunteered her to come to Nepal cause she had the most experience as a rogue slayer. She wasn't forgetting Faith had a hand in saving their lives from the Yeti girl but she here for the mission alright.::

Faith: "So we all have our orders. But what about you? I haven't heard you volunteer yourself yet Faith? Who's group are you going to be in? Or do you have a secret mission all of your own?"

 

[GATEGOD]

Faith was thankful that Xander responded first. She was shocked she was, but she was. He actually agreed, which was again, another surprise. She leaned back and gave a tug on her bloody shirt pulling it from her skin, it was beginning to stick and that was disgusting. Xander headed into his room and the next to speak up was Sam. The woman who's husband she had slept with. 'Don't hit me, don't..' She stopped as Sam's words came out.

'Sam did have a point, but where else could Dawn go. It was a mistake bringing her in the first place, but I can't say that.'

"Yea, I know. I'd send her with Spike and Xander but then again danger danger danger. We can't leave her here." Faith paused realizing she was talking about her as if she wasn't there.

"We can't leave you here Dawn because it isn't safe, If Xander is right who knows what the monks are up to and that Yeti broke through the perimiter was too easily. The safest place for you to be would be on Freak street, in public, in the light of day. Not in a sewer covered in Vamps." She paused again and turned back towards Sam who asked another question.

"Yea, me.. While your two teams find out information on Drucilla's whereabouts and plan, I'll be heading out to search for the missing slayer Willow mentioned before we left. If there is a girl here, someone will have noticed her I mean come on, look at us." She said posing her elegant physique.

"Minus the blood stains of course, but that's not the point, If Dru is here and Willow's suspicions are correct then this slayer will be our best lead to Drucilla. That's what I'll be doing.... after I change out of this ofcourse." She smiled and looked back down at her bloody attire.

"I don't think I pull off the red look, do you?" Before anyone could answer Xander came back in wearing new digs.

Group: “So, when do we ship out?”

"Well you and Spike, Id say 5 minutes ago, If you plan on getting there in time that is.The sun should be rising soon and we don't want Spike going up in flames ... Do we?" She asked as Xander began to smile.

"Nevermind" she said smiling back at Spike. "So are you okay with Dawn going with you Sam? What do you want to do Dawn?"

 

[Wanabee-slayer]

"You can go with Sam and Riley to Freak street, just be careful. I don't want B stabbing me again got it.." she paused, the joke didn't exactly go off well. If it even was a joke. "You got it?" She asked trying to be compassionate while she looked at her. Hoping Dawn wouldn't go all 'I'm not a little kid anymore' Faith knew that.

:: Dawn decided it was best to just agree with whatever Faith told her to do, for now at least. Besides, it's not like Faith was sticking her in a play pen and asking her to stay put. ::

Which is something Buffy might do.

:: Wherever Dawn went she was bound to run into trouble, everyone here was. It was her life now, she hadn't chosen it, the monks had, she was meant to be part of this world, she was created to be part of this world. ::

Faith: "Are you sure you want Dawn going with Riley and I? Not that I have anything against Dawn going but are you sure that is the safest?"

::Sam turned to Dawn before she could go into her litte "I'm not a little girl anymore" tirade.::

"I'm not putting you down Dawn. I know you are not a little girl anymore and I am sure you can take care of yourself. But I also don't want to see you getting hurt if we run into trouble."

That was it Dawn really hated Sam, she'd attempted to be nice, to like her, for the sake of Riley but Sam just irritated her. Not only did she have Riley, but she acted as if she was the boss. She'd been here for little over 48 hours and she was acting superior.

Sam: "Oh right, so you can put yourself at risk and I can't? In case you haven't noticed nowhere is exactly safe anymore. And I can handle myself, I was created to be part of this tuff, which is more than I can say for most people in this room. I'm not even human, let alone a kid."

 

[DarklyDreamingDrusilla]

::Meanwhile...In Kathmandu, Nepal underneath a little shop on Freak Street sat Drusilla with her cronies. One in which was a rogue slayer named Indra they sat discussing their current situation.::

Demon: Are we sure that the cloaking spell is sufficient because I can feel them. They are close and they are powerful.

::The demon confirmed that he had the mystics double check the spell and that it was working. Only the people who Drusilla cleared to go through the spell were allowed in which would make it tricky for the others.::

Indra: Indra, I have seen that the travlers have brought what we have been longing for, the sythe. It is said that with your heritage as a slayer it will bring you great power. We must get it from her. The girl that carries it, *she paused putting her finger tips against her temple* I can feel that she is not as good as the others. She has done bad things in the past. You must feed on this weakness to obtain the sythe because without it we will not be able to finish what we have set out to do here. You know the plan now go. They are weaker now that they have split up and she is alone. Now go find her, but be cautious your best plan is to be sneaky because she is a strong fighter.

::With that Indra grabbed a few weapons and left the dark damp underground and went out of the shop where thousands of people were noisily walking up and down Freak Street.::

 

[palabravampiress]

[Monastery – Main Room]

Faith actually smiled. And joked. And seemed like a not-completely-repulsive person for half an instant.

Of course, Xander had seen her not-completely-repulsive side before. But it was rare.

:: Xander smiled back. ::

So that’s what she wants in a man: acquiescence, he thought with a little internal chuckle. Figures.

:: As for the Spike thing, well… he caught Faith’s eye and held it on that one. ::

That woman always could read my mind.

He very pointedly refrained from verbally committing to one side or the other on the question of whether or not he wanted Spike alive, but he couldn’t hide what he liked to consider a “devilish” smirk that pretty much broadcasted the answer to any person with half-a-brain. He wouldn’t waste any tears on Spike. He hadn’t last time.

:: Xander grabbed the keys to one of the jeeps and looked at Spike. ::

But I won’t kill him, either – at least not today. If only because Buffy and Dawnie would never let me hear the end of it.

Spike: “Looks like you’re with me, Smoke Signal. Grab a blanket and hunker down in back. We’ll pretend you’re a leper. Oh – and I sooo get control of the radio.”

:: Without waiting for Spike, Xander strode out into the jeep and hopped into the driver’s seat.::

Inside, he could hear the others try to figure out what to do with Dawn. He also heard Dawnie stick up for herself.

:: He smiled. He was kind of proud. ::

Sure, Dawn was a little annoying lately with her constant refrain of "I-am-not-a-kid." And she was a lot terrifying with her also constant hitting on Xander. But she did have a point. And, more to the point, she had skills -- translation and language skills -- that could definitely be of use to the team on Freak Street.

Yup, he was glad Dawn was learning to stand on her own two feet instead of always being sheltered by the group. He missed little kid Dawn, but he was starting to like grown-up take-charge Dawn, too.

:: Xander drank the other half of his soda while he waited for Spike. ::

I am so gonna have to piss soon. Well hey, bright side: where better than in a sewer?