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Post by Whistler on Jul 3, 2011 18:58:44 GMT -5
Los Angeles. The city of angels. Ironic, considering what it looks like now. Everywhere you look there's something trying to kill some innocent passerby. As far as L.A. is concerned the days of the supernatural being a big secret are over. With all the evil running around, naturally the general public took notice. Fortunately for our more supernaturally inclined heroes, the media's been reporting the insanity in L.A. as mass hysteria caused by turf wars between gangs. It's amazing how people rationalize things they don't understand.
Angel's been in a tough spot since the final battle with Wolfram and Hart. His team's a little broken up and they're all feeling a little hopeless. They knew going in the battle was a suicide mission. They'd expected to win or die trying. They didn't expect to survive and lose.
Luckily for Angel he's got the Powers That Be looking out for him. He's about to get more support than he ever dreamed of.
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Whistler had only been to Boston a handful of times. It was a lot like L.A. with less botox and silicon. It was also harder to navigate. It was like if you didn't grow up there you didn't have a prayer in the world finding your way around. Even having a general idea of where to find Faith Lehane, Whistler spent a good couple of hours driving around the city. It didn't help that all he had to go on to find this chick was a few flashes of buildings and streets courtesy of the Powers That Be. The headache was wearing off, which was a good thing. Otherwise this slayer scavenger hunt would've been that much more miserable.
When landmarks finally started to look familiar he relaxed. At least he was in the right area and he could focus on what he was going to say once he found Faith. He didn't know much about her, except that she was a little less balanced than the other slayer Angel had been so sweet on. Angel had been easy. Telling a vampire with a soul you were a good demon was a little less risky than trying to explain that to a slayer with a hair-trigger stab reflex.
Whistler pulled up to the curb of Murphy's Pub and parked. It was a little hole-in-the-wall place and he wondered what kind of crowd it catered to. There was a chance he'd walk in and get ambushed by a bunch of hunter types. He dug some change out of his pocket to feed the parking meter before walking though the doorway. A few people looked up when he came in and scoped out his outfit, but other than that he didn't turn too many heads. The place was crowded, but not so packed it was overwhelming. Whistler looked around and approached who he hoped was Faith. He'd only gotten a quick flash of her face in his vision.
"Wow. I'm surprised I found you here," he said. "I got so lost trying to find this place I figured I'd miss my window and you'd be gone by the time I got here."
It was a little forward and probably confusing, but it was better to get right to the point. And at least if she was confused he'd catch her attention. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Jul 4, 2011 15:06:47 GMT -5
Faith hadn't planned on settling down in Boston, but she'd stopped in just to make sure her hometown hadn't been overrun by vampires or something. She was staying at a cheap motel and she'd spent the last few days patrolling the city, dusting vampires and killing demons as she came across them. Surprisingly, Boston wasn't nearly as active as other towns and cities she'd visited. She wondered if there were other slayers hanging around the area taking care of business.
After a few hours of boring patrol, Faith decided to stop into Murphy's Pub to have a few drinks. She always felt edgy if she geared herself up for a fight and didn't get one. Normally she'd pick a fight with someone who deserved a good beating or find a guy to give her a good roll in the sack. Hopefully a few beers would take the edge off so she wouldn't have to do either.
Faith was sitting at the bar watching a baseball game on the TV mounted in the corner. She was drinking a beer, trying to relax, letting her mind turn off for a few minutes.
She glanced up as some guy walked up and started talking to her. She would have expected some kind of pick-up line, but this dude was talking to her like they knew each other. He was surprised she was still here since he'd taken so long to show up after getting lost. Was he meeting somebody here or something? Faith turned her attention back to the TV.
"Sorry. I think you got me confused with someone else."
She took a sip of her beer and considered the conversation over. |
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Post by Whistler on Jul 7, 2011 17:35:04 GMT -5
Whistler leaned against the bar, studying Faith. He was confident she looked like the woman he'd seen in his vision. She was a slayer, a pretty badass one, too, if his sources were reliable. And they usually were, when he didn't misinterpret their signals. She'd started out as kind of a loose canon, but she'd found her way back to the right side, when it counted. He just hope she stayed that way.
He wasn't surprised when Faith blew him off. After all, she'd never met him. To her, he probably looked like some weirdo in a bowler hat trying to pick her up. He smirked as she turned her attention back to the game and sipped her beer. He sat down on the stool beside her so he could lower his voice and talk to her.
"Yeah, you're probably right," he said. "I'm probably confusin' you with that other slayer who went off the deep end and got convicted of murder. Happens all the time."
He waved the bartender over to ensure she had a second to process that statement. Of course, punching him off his bar stool was always an option. He hadn't thought of that. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Jul 7, 2011 21:10:37 GMT -5
Faith did her best to ignore this guy, figuring he'd take the hint and walk away. She wasn't in the mood for weirdos tonight. She sighed heavily when the guy sat down. It looked like she was going to have to get nasty for him to lay off. She almost choked on her beer when he spouted off something about her being the slayer that got convicted of murder. She glared at him, her grip on her beer bottle tightening as he waved over the bartender.
Faith wasn't one to disassociate herself from her past or make excuses. She owned what she'd done. But, it wasn't something she went around advertising. How did this guy know about her past and who the hell was he to catch her off guard with it like that?
She waited until his exchange with the bartender was over before she leaned in to talk quietly to this guy.
"Look, I don't do smalltalk. You think you know something about me? Well, you better tell me somethin' about you or this conversation's over."
She gave him a hard stare, ready to get up and leave in a few seconds if he didn't give her a good enough reason to stick around. |
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Post by Whistler on Jul 7, 2011 21:35:39 GMT -5
The bartender smiled as she came over. She was kind of young, probably in her twenties, with hair way too blond to be natural.
"Hey. What can I get for you?"
Whistler gave her a nod.
"How's it goin'? Can I get some Jack Daniels on the rocks?"
"Sure thing."
The second the bartender walked away Faith turned on him, which wasn't unexpected. Whistler was well aware he wasn't exactly being subtle, but at least he'd gotten her attention.
"Name's Whistler," he said.
Actually, his name wasn't Whistler, but no one in this dimension could pronounce his real name. She didn't need to know the details yet.
"I'm kind of a... messenger."
The bartender came over, sliding a coaster over the bar and setting a glass of whiskey on top of it.
"Thanks, doll," he said.
He picked up his drink, tipped his glass to the bartender, and took a sip. He wasn't really looking to get plastered, here, but the longer the sip, the more time he bought himself to figure out how to go about explaining this.
He set his drink down and cleared his throat.
"Alright, you seem like a no B.S. kind of girl, so I'm gonna give it to you straight," he said. "I'm not here by accident. I'm supposed to help you figure out where you're supposed to be."
He gave Faith a moment to process this and respond before he continued. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Jul 8, 2011 1:10:57 GMT -5
The guy introduced himself as Whistler. What the hell kind of a name was Whistler? She guessed it was some kind of a nick name, or maybe a last name. Whatever, if that was what he wanted to call himself, that was his business.
Faith wrinkled her eyebrows when Whistler said he was a messenger. She rolled her eyes while the guy took his time sipping his drink. She was about two seconds away from getting up and walking out the door.
Whistler finally cut to the chase and told her he was supposed to help her figure out where she was supposed to be. What the hell did that mean? Faith raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"No offence, but last I checked I was a grown ass woman and I'm pretty good with figuring things out for myself these days."
She took a sip of her beer, deciding she was at least curious enough to hear this guy out for a few more minutes. |
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Post by Whistler on Jul 8, 2011 14:31:23 GMT -5
Whistler chuckled at Faith's response. She was a feisty one. And he'd been right to peg her for a no B.S. kind of girl. He guessed, for a slayer, it was a good quality to have. But, for him, it was going to make his job a little more difficult. Giving guidance to someone who didn't want any was never an easy task.
"Hey, if it were up to me I wouldn't be here taking up your time," he said. "I could be at home watching the game in my underwear."
He shrugged. That was probably more information than anybody needed to hear, but it was the truth. He would've been perfectly happy sitting on his couch in is boxers with a beer. He might have been a demon, but he had more in common with all the other guys in this dimension than most people liked to think.
"But, like I said, I'm just a messenger," he continued. "The Powers That Be don't really care if their orders are inconvenient. You just gotta do your job. Mine's to get you to Los Angeles."
Normally he didn't like to come right out with his goal. It tended to work out better if he could drop a few hints and let people figure the rest out on their own. But sometimes he had to make an exception. With Angel he'd had to practically drop him in the slayer's lap. With Faith, he'd probably have to come right out with what she needed to do right off the bat. She didn't seem like the type to respond well to cryptic messages and mysterious field trips. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Jul 8, 2011 14:55:25 GMT -5
Faith rolled her eyes when Whistler mentioned wanting to be at home in his underwear. There was a lot Faith would rather be doing, too, but she wasn't about to share with the class. Especially when the class was some random dude who seemed like he was about to ask for a really big favor.
She listened carefully as Whistler told her he was a messenger from The Powers That Be and he needed to get her to L.A. Faith blinked in surprise. She was no stranger to L.A. She could even say she had friends there, or at the very least allies. She was already curious enough to give Wesley a call.
"Okay. That might be doable if I got a good reason," she said. "Why do the big guys upstairs all the sudden give a rat's ass about L.A.?"
The last time the Powers That Be had paid any attention to that city one of their crackpot friends had almost wiped out the population. She was a little skeptical. If this guy did work for The Powers That Be, she had a hard time believing anything to do with them would end well for the people involved. |
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Post by Whistler on Jul 8, 2011 15:14:34 GMT -5
Whistler was relieved that Faith seemed receptive to the idea. He wasn't necessarily surprised. She had some history with Angel. She still seemed a bit wary of Whistler, which was understandable. He wasn't even sure he wanted to break the news that he was a demon. If she figured it out herself he wouldn't lie about it, but telling a slayer you were a demon was like shoving a bloody wound in a vampire's face. Not a smart move.
He took another sip of whiskey.
"The Powers care about everything that goes on in this dimension," he said. "You of all people should know that."
Weren't slayers supposed to be servants of the Powers, too? Didn't they get told bedtime stories by their watchers about how the Powers That Be were watching over them and had chosen them for a special purpose?
"Anyway, I'm not too clear on the details, but let's just say L.A.'s seeing more action than the Hellmouth did and it could really use a slayer."
Or ten, he thought.
But it wasn't his job to voice his opinions, so he was careful to keep them to himself. When it came to his missions, anyway. Faith needed to do her own thing without being biased by his own thoughts. It was bad enough he was being so up front about what her next move should be. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Jul 8, 2011 15:27:29 GMT -5
Faith snorted a laugh when Whistler said the Powers cared about the world.
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered.
She took a sip of her beer while he continued, saying L.A. was more active than the Hellmouth. Faith's eyes widened. How the hell had that happened? She figured Angel and his group had everything under control.
"Woah, wait a second. What the hell are you talking about?" she asked. "And what do you know about a Hellmouth?"
She narrowed her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. She really didn't like that this guy seemed to have a ton of information while he wasn't really telling her anything. If he was a messenger for the Powers it would make sense that he'd have a lot of inside information, but at the same time he wasn't giving her any details. If he didn't start making sense soon she was going to have to break his nose. |
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Post by Whistler on Jul 8, 2011 15:45:48 GMT -5
Whistler studied Faith as she reacted to his statement about L.A. He'd hit a nerve and she looked a little like she was about to hit him in the face, but in a way that was a good thing. A strong reaction meant she cared, which gave her more reason than he ever could to pay the city a visit.
"Depends on which Hellmouth we're talkin' about," he said. "The one I mean isn't there anymore."
He paused.
"Well, I guess it is. It's just not really open anymore, thanks to you, Buffy, and a whole bunch of newbies."
He downed the contents of his whiskey glass and set it down on the bar.
"What happened in L.A.'s a long story. It'd be easier to show you than tell you about it."
That was a risky move. But, this job wasn't any fun without a little risk. Also, if he was going to have to go back and forth with why she should listen to him and how he knew what he knew, they might as well do it on the way to L.A. so she could see what was going on for herself. He wouldn't mind seeing it himself, outside of quick flashes of mayhem in half-remembered dreams. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Jul 8, 2011 16:18:48 GMT -5
Faith studied Whistler. The fact that he knew what had happened in Sunnydale wasn't surprising, but it wasn't reassuring either. Anybody who knew anything about the supernatural knew about Sunnydale. It didn't mean they were on the same side.
She laughed when he said it'd be easier to show her what happened in L.A. instead of telling her. Ah, there it was. This situation screamed "trap" to her and she wasn't having it. She polished off her beer.
"Yeah, okay. Look, if you're gonna try to kill me, man up and we can take it outside. I don't have time to screw around with some lame road trip."
She stood up and took a ten-dollar bill out of her pocket, leaving it on the bar under her empty beer bottle. She leaned over to talk quietly to Whistler, whispering through her gritted teeth.
"I'm not a hundred percent on where your heart is, but try following me out of here and you better believe I'll shove something sharp into it."
He wasn't a vampire, she knew that much, but she was pretty sure he wasn't human either. At least, not entirely. She turned and walked out of the bar without giving him a chance to respond. She listened carefully as she walked down the street, listening for any footsteps behind her. She'd been dead serious about what she'd said back there. |
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Post by Whistler on Jul 8, 2011 16:33:17 GMT -5
Faith pretty much laughed in his face when he suggested taking her to L.A. He wasn't surprised. He hadn't really expected her to go for that, but he had to give it a shot. He watched her finish her beer. He could've said something, but he didn't. He'd said all he needed to. Whether she went to L.A. with him or not, he was confident he'd given her enough to think about for her to take an active interest.
Whistler smiled when she accused him of plotting to kill her. The truth was, he wasn't really the murderous type to begin with. But if he was he wouldn't plan some elaborate scheme just to bump somebody off. There were much faster, less complicated ways to kill someone.
"Hey, that's your call," he said. "Don't say I didn't offer."
Faith stood up and dug some money out of her pocket and left it on the bar. Whistler didn't say anything to convince her to stick around. Honestly, he was kind of glad she was leaving. She was a little abrasive, even for his taste. She took a second to threaten his life before walking out. She'd made him for a demon. He wondered if it was a guess on her part or if there was something about him that announced what he was.
He waved down the bartender.
"Another whiskey, please."
Now that his job was done for the moment, he was going to relax and watch the game. If Faith was really Angel's pal, he figured she'd head to L.A. on her own just to make sure the world wasn't ending. If not, he'd have to track her down again.
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There are times in your life when you have to make choices. Some of them are big ones, scary ones you know are important. Other ones are so small you barely notice 'em. But every choice steers you in one direction or another, whether you realize it or not.
You'll see what I mean. |
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