yeah that happens if you turn into a vampire

[cross_and_bow]

(prologue)

Bella slips into the school by a side door; she just saw a thing and she thinks she's seen it in a book before and thinks it's supposed to be mostly harmless but before she wakes Giles up over probably nothing or kills a likely neutral demon she wants to check.

And she pushes into the library.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

"If I had two, I might give you one, but this is my only nerve disruptor and anyway I really don't think we have a sufficient foundation of mutual trust for me to successfully teach you its safe and proper use."

[cross_and_bow]

"More complicated than point and shoot?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Point and shoot will probably get you as far as successfully killing things you wanted to kill. It won't get you as far as not killing things you didn't want to kill. Plasma arc training accidents are more memorable but I've always hated the nerve disruptor ones more."

[cross_and_bow]

"There might be more of these and my stupid powerset does not seem to give me anything with which to kill them."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I don't yet have the funds to fly to South Africa anyway. I can stick around long enough to help you out," he offers.

[cross_and_bow]

"Okay, where do I find you if I learn these come in swarms?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"I've been coming by that butcher's shop back there pretty reliably just after sundown. If it's urgent - Zeke, can I tell her where you live?"

[burning_gold]

"You're kidding me, right?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"If you're not careful your face'll get stuck that way."

[cross_and_bow]

"Do you maybe have a phone."

[burning_gold]

"No."

[cross_and_bow]

"Look, I don't kill vampires because I'm racist, I kill vampires because they eat people. You seem to be not eating people, good job, me knowing where you self-entomb will not affect matters."

[burning_gold]

"That's great for you, but like, you're the Slayer, I'm still not telling you where I live," says Zeke.

[cross_and_bow]

"Okay. So I will hope they don't urgently come in swarms, I guess."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Good luck," offers Miles.

[cross_and_bow]

"Thanks." She seems to be free of shards now. "Later." And off she goes.

[thisvorlunatic]

So they steal some cash from the mattress shop and also a mattress because why not, right, and maybe they get a little distracted testing mattresses, it's important to be thorough, but then they go back to Zeke's place and Miles rereads the chapter and Zeke gets bored and goes to the Bronze and doesn't hunt because he's full anyway but does kiss some cute people in alleys and then he goes home and distracts Miles some more and they sleep through the day and in the evening after the sun sets they're back at the butcher's shop.

[cross_and_bow]

Bella's there, pacing, looking pretty recovered from her glassy misadventure. "Nest," she says.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Talk tactics to me," says Miles.

[cross_and_bow]

"Followed one of 'em, under an orange grove a drive from here there's some holes in the ground. I didn't jump in because apparently all the ways known to kill the things involve stuff I can't get. I don't know how many there are but if you cover me I can kill whoever's controlling 'em."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I'm not totally sure I shouldn't just be running a solo infiltration and assassination, if all this person has on their side is lots of the big lumbering things that wipe the floor with you in a fair fight but go down to nerve disruptors," he says. "At least assuming that this person would themselves also go down to a nerve diruptor. I can cooperate you if that's what you think would be most effective, but it sounds... awkward."

[cross_and_bow]

"I don't know if it's a human, a demon, or what," she says. "No idea if it goes down to nerve disruptors or not. Almost certainly knows magic besides 'summon lumbering things'."

[thisvorlunatic]

"So you're the expert in local phenomena and I'm the expert in military operations and the only available weapon that works on lumbering statue people. That doesn't point to an obvious answer for who should be commanding this mission."

[cross_and_bow]

"Is this the sort of problem I solve by suggesting that you are a mercenary and I'm hiring you for your pick of the perp's loot or what?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Normally my employer doesn't take field command. Normally I'm also a genius at field command. I'm still pretty good, I haven't lost every relevant skill, but there's definitely an edge I'm missing. I am interested in discovering how to maximize our combined effectiveness and I genuinely don't know whether that looks like me in command, you in command, or establishing no firm structure and hoping for the best." Pause. "Full disclosure, even when my social skills aren't broken I have a huge insubordination problem."