[X] Talk. He seems calm for now, and she doesn't have anything to lose by talking. She's not sure what common ground they could have, but maybe she'll be surprised. She's never really gotten to talk a stronger, older vampire; not that she feels like she needs to or anything.
Harmony was afraid, and she hesitated, but she was looking for something, wasn't she? "Umm, yeah, but I'm not sure. I got sent here-"
The older vampire was on her in a flash, his hand around her throat and jamming her against the wall. He moved so fast, and he hadn't even gone into game face; it was like seeing Buffy fight. "Sent by who?"
Harmony panicked, squeaking out the words through her constricted throat. "A psychic! I didn't know you would be here, I don't even know who you are, I swear!"
He seemed to relax, but only fractionally. "And why would a young little thing like you be dealing with someone like that for? Voodoo like that is dangerous stuff."
Harmony almost made up a lie reflexively, but stopped herself. Lorne might've had a reason to send her to this guy, and it wasn't like she was going to reveal anything… useful. Anything damaging. She wouldn't be like Amy, this was just her personal business. "It's about…" she trailed off for a second. It was hard to make herself say it like this, with him all in her space. "It's about a girl."
"About a girl, of all the things." He let off the pressure and took a step back, looking down and shaking his head. He continued, his voice calmer, less harsh, "Guess I can't rightly blame you for that. Maybe a spot of trouble with your sire, then? She doesn't feel the same way?"
"No. She's not my sire, I mean. My sire was a nothing, I never knew her," Harmony could barely even remember being dragged off to the side in the chaos of Graduation, and had woken up in the rubble of the school alone, blood on her mouth and ridges on her forehead. "But yeah, I'm pretty sure she's … not into that. I was just hoping. Maybe I could get her to really notice me, somehow."
He rubbed his chin, considering. "You tried showing off to her? Get in some blows with a big scary thing, that always makes the fangy ladies swoon."
"It does, yeah," Harmony said, a little dreamily. Buffy was so sexy when she was killing stuff. "I've been trying to get really good. She taught me everything I know about fighting. But I don't think I could really impress her. She's on a totally different level."
He had a more speculative look in his eye now. "Didn't know about any talent that special in the area. What about you try to get your bird to join up with me? I've got a bit of a scheme I'm cooking up, could be a lot of profit and murder to be had. I might even be able to play cupid for you, try to help you get her interested."
"I…" Harmony tried to think fast. Maybe she should try to learn more? But what if he wanted her to kill someone? Buffy would be so angry! "She's stronger than you, she does her own thing." Maybe that would be a good enough excuse. She edged along the wall, trying to get closer to an exit, just in case.
He laughed out loud, "Stronger than me, she says! Do you even know who I am? Name's Spike. I'm over a hundred years old, and I've iced two slayers. Your step-sire may think she's hot shit, but trust me, it doesn't get any hotter than this."
Xander had told her about Spike. There was the bleached hair, the English accent, the beat up leather jacket; it was definitely him. And sure, maybe he was tough, but Buffy was way better! "No way! She killed a dragon! And a Hacker Beast! And even the umm, the Dufasa! And that was just this summer!"
"All that in one summer? Two made up beasties and a dragon? Sure you don't want to add in a sea monster too? Maybe one of those Lovecraftian things." He chuckled again.
"The dragon was real! She was big and gold and wouldn't stop talking about her dumb pyramid scheme. We had to even wear these goofy glasses to stop the mind control!" He wasn't taking her seriously, it was so infuriating.
That brought him up short. "Wouldn't expect someone your age to know a detail like that."
"Well I was there!" she said, still building up steam. "And she's killed all sorts of other things too!" She tried to remember some of the stories the Scoobies had told her, "There was a giant praying mantis! And a necromancer mask! Oh, and even the Judge!" That would show him!
"The Judge! Now I know you're lying. Buffy Summers killed that walking sermon, I should know, I almost got caught up in the blast zone!" His eyes widened, and it was almost like she could see the thoughts racing around in his head. Whoops. "Oh, I see how it is now. That really is rich. The girl did it again! Made another vampire her little puppet. What, does she have old Angel boy turning a whole litter of you now? All housebroken like little puppies yipping at her heels."
"Oh my god no, eww! Angel sucks, he's a total jerk! Just the thought grosses me out. And Buffy is way over him." Buffy had cried in spurts for a week after she got back from the double break-up. She'd had half a mind to come down to LA just to dust him.
Spike was smiling now, and it was a little worrying. She would've thought that revealing she worked for Buffy would make him attack. "Well you've got the first part right at least! Couldn't be that bad a girl I suppose, with an attitude like that." Then his eyes widened again, "And you want to tear off a piece of her all for yourself too, do you? Fancy putting a slayer notch on your belt instead of killing one? I guess I can see why you would, a delectable little thing like Buffy."
"It's not like that!" she shouted. "Don't talk about her that way! Buffy's beautiful, and clever, and she's so fun. She's perfect." And Buffy didn't think any of those things about her. She'd think she was a stupid loser for blundering into Spike and accidentally telling him everything. She felt herself vamp out, and didn't have the willpower to force it back down. She let herself slide down the wall she'd been edging along until she was sitting.
She expected Spike to taunt her again, but he was just quiet for a little bit. Eventually, he sat down by her. "She's really got you under her spell, doesn't she, puppet? And totally oblivious. That's Buffy."
"Hey!"
"Just the truth. But I don't think things are quite so glum, really. Uncle Spike's full of advice about girls."
Harmony raised a brow ridge, "I don't see Drusilla anywhere nearby. Aren't you two-"
"Now, now, let's not say anything we'll regret," Spike silenced her. "Dru's just been a bit barmy lately, but we'll be back together soon enough. Was telling me I needed to go find some singing songbird, 'all for one and one for all', all kinds of nonsense, and not the usual useful type. Figured she needed some space."
"Fine," Harmony could notice an evasion when she heard one, but antagonizing him about his crazy ex wasn't what this was about, if it was about anything. "But Buffy isn't even like Drusilla, not at all, she's pure, and-"
"Little miss necrophiliac, pure as the driven snow!" Spike laughed again. "No, she likes to act that way, and she's good at it, but that's not what she's about at all. Likes some monster in her man, that one. Or well, you know what I mean. Fact she's dallying with a vampire like you at all should tell you that much."
"I'm a good guy!" Harmony complained.
"Oh really? What, did Red do a spell and stick you with a soul too?" Spike asked.
"Ugh, no, I'm not like Angel. The old Harmony was pathetic anyway, she wouldn't be useful to anybody," she wasn't sure how far all the talk about vampires being different people actually went, but she definitely wasn't eager to find out. "But I still have a perfect record! I never murdered anyone. They even did a spell so I can't drink blood from humans."
"Really now. And what did this 'spell' consist of exactly?" He smiled.
"Don't be all skeptical. There were all these colored lights, and then we tested it and it worked!" She'd never really resented it much, even though people smelled so tasty. They had so so much blood, she was totally sure she'd have gotten fat already without it. It was basically just like dieting.
"The blood had a burning sensation right? Like a chemical acid kind of feeling?" Spike seemed pretty knowledgeable about it.
"Yeah, so what, do you know the spell?" Harmony didn't really see what he was getting at here.
"Ever been burned by holy water, puppet?"
Sometimes it was hard for her to hold back, and people on the SDCW were kind of used to spraying holy water around everywhere. "Not really. Maybe just a little bit, there's live fire on patrols and it's gotten spicy a few times."
He looked a little inquisitive at her phrasing, but he didn't follow up. "Sort of a chemical type of burn, right?"
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, maybe? I'm not really sure, what does that have to do with anything?"
"Harm, it's the oldest trick in the book. Put a bit of holy water in something the fledge is drinking, convince him it's poison and laugh behind his back. That tosser Angel did it to me, had me convinced I couldn't touch Whiskey for months." He shook his head. "Human blood though, wow, that's a new one."
"It was all just a trick?" Harmony didn't know how she felt about that. Kind of pissed at Willow, maybe.
"Feel like going on a big romp with me then? Paint the town red, lose that murder cherry of yours? We could find a nicely anonymous blonde cheerleader for you to have your wicked way with, this campus is probably rotten with them." Spike got himself back up in a smooth movement and then offered a hand, pulling her back up to her feet too.
It was tempting. The tasty blood, the sweet screams, all the exertion and excitement by the side of an older, stronger vampire. And a blonde? Well, Harmony could definitely see it. If it was just some stupid diet, she would've bailed on it. But it wasn't. "No. Buffy would never speak to me again."
"Slayer's not here. Wouldn't ever have to know," Spike said.
So tempting. "No. It'd be wrong. I told her I wouldn't. She'd be so disappointed in me."
"Well, then, as I thought," Spike said victoriously. "You're just what she wants really, in a manner of speaking."
"Umm, no. The whole problem is she wants boys!" For all that Spike was old and experienced, he sure liked to talk in circles.
"A detail. No, what makes a slayer hot is the danger. She tells herself she's good, but she won't really get excited unless she feels bad. It's what that whole tortured romance with Angel is about, like Romeo and Juliet with less of the hamfisted metaphors." Spike made a dismissive gesture, working up a head of steam in his rant. "But that doesn't jive with her always being the hero, fighting the good righteous fight for puppies and all that rot. She could've loved Angel without the soul, but it would've made her puke after. Couldn't live with it."
Harmony still wasn't sure what to say, but Spike just kept going, "Always gonna be that way with Angel, dancing around that flimsy soul and the long ugly history, getting all hot and bothered with it ruined by the aftertaste. But not you. You're the vamp she's twisted all up in a knot from the start, all the heat and none of the guilt. You've just gotta give her a little taste, and she'll shed those puritan morals she puts on along with her shirt, sooner or later."
"It couldn't be that easy," Spike was probably just screwing around with her, looking to sew chaos in the ranks.
"You can believe me or not, puppet. But just one little kiss, and I'd bet you'll see some changes."
She'd been in vamp face too long for her taste, and shook it back down into her face. "Why did you even get so helpful all the sudden?"
"Oh, that's easy. Nothing to do with you or the slayer really, I just want to see the look on Angel's face when he realizes he's been had by a little chit like you. Worth a dozen massacres, that."
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Harmony had left soon after that, deciding not to push her luck. She still didn't know what Spike had been doing in the museum, but with him knowing she was sweet on Buffy it'd be impossible to talk it out of him. She wasn't going to risk sneaking back to try to spy either, he was too stealthy and unpredictable. She could tell just everyone about him poking around, and they might be able to figure something out, but that could make using his romantic advice pretty awkward. It was a problem, because she did kind of want to use his advice (if only to have an excuse to kiss Buffy just once.)
The highway back to Sunnydale was quiet at this early hour, and even though she'd beat the sun there wouldn't be time for much of anything else above ground; she'd have to get under cover somewhere. She had a crazy urge to just go find Buffy right now and do whatever it was that she was going to do. Maybe life could work like the movies; it did often enough in Sunnydale. Then again, that would seem totally desperate and also insane.
She could wait instead, and call her later, setting something up for tomorrow. That would be more normal, but without all the frantic energy she'd built up tonight she wasn't sure she'd have the same courage. She could even play it totally cool and try to wait for the best time to talk to her, but she didn't know how the date-like thing with Warren had went. If she ended up waiting too long, Buffy could be in a relationship again. She'd never cheat, Harmony knew that much about her for sure, no matter how much Spike said she secretly wanted to be bad or whatever. Harmony might not even have days to hesitate in before it was too late.
And on top of all this, there was one huge question she'd been avoiding. Could she really bring herself to do this big confession at all? Buffy might end up hating her or something, and that would suck. She could just act like she went to see Cordelia to hang out, and that her run in with Spike was lucky information gathering and not vampire dating advice.
Vote: What does Harmony do? Harmony needs to decide when she's going to see Buffy next, and she also needs to decide how much to tell her. Voting will be by task.
[][URGENCY] Harmony absolutely needs to see Buffy right now. It'll be 5 AM when she gets back, she'll drive to her house and throw pebbles at her window.
[][URGENCY] Harmony can wait until tomorrow night, but she has to keep a handle on things. She'll call Buffy during the day and set something up.
[][URGENCY] Harmony has to play it cool and wait for the right opportunity to make things seem natural. She'll try to scope out the Warren problem as best she can too. She'll definitely see Buffy within the next few days.
[][TRUTH] Harmony will confess her love and tell Buffy pretty much everything that's happened. She doesn't want to lie, and Spike being around could be bad news.
[][TRUTH] Harmony will make a move on Buffy but won't tell her about Spike. It'll be pretty hard to follow his advice if Buffy knows it was him that told her!
[][TRUTH] Harmony knows everyone wants her to spill but she just can't reveal her love yet. She'll mention Spike being active and what he was doing, but lie about why she went to LA in the first place. This will override the urgency option if chosen; Harmony will just share the information around as normal tomorrow.
