unnamed } { but my heart told my head, this time no

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

It starts with a dead Slayer.

She had been off the reservation. Went AWOL on her squad, wandered into New Orleans and got in over her head. Maybe it was being unable to handle it, maybe she's looking for some kind of payback, but at the end of the day, a Slayer is dead and that is all that it takes to get Buffy's attention, whether she's welcome there or not. It isn't about trying to clean up the mess or getting revenge either. She just wants her Slayer back, so that her squad can say goodbye. It's the reason why she has to do it, because if those girls were to go into the Quarter as they were - upset, emotional and angry - then they'd just have an even bigger bloodbath on her hands. Buffy isn't in the mood to be the cause of a turf war either, which is why she goes in herself - especially after she hears that "the Originals" have resumed control of the city.

She's also supposed to leave once the deed is done, but for some reason, she can't quite bring herself to walk away yet.

She's not hiding. Any vampire who knows her face is going to notice her there - and a lot of them know her face, thanks a bunch, Harmony - and while she doesn't pick any fights or throw any fuel on the fire, she's definitely being watched. Where she goes, what she does, who she talks to, all of it being funneled back to a compound on the other side of town. She's gotten pretty good at tracing the flow of information and isn't surprised to find that the people watching her are vampires - not werewolves or witches. Vampire Slayer does tend to attract a specific kind of attention, especially if someone is worried about their relative peace being threatened.

She spends about a week minding her manners, not getting into any fights that weren't picked with her first, and generally being the picture of a perfect tourist. And when that week was up and her tails still hadn't gone away, she decides to attack the problem head-on. She's always been a confrontational kind of girl, anyway. She makes her way down to the Original compound, walks right through the front door into the courtyard, and pauses as she stands in the middle, letting out a low whistle as she does.

"What, I don't even get a welcoming committee?" She's speaking loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to be obnoxious. "Don't tell me you didn't see this coming. You've been following me all week."

Comments

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

"I've never really been Caution Girl." She clasps her hands behind her back as she takes a few steps closer, not really feeling the intimidation that most probably would. She's the Slayer. She doesn't flinch. "And I don't put too much stock in what I hear either. I've been doing this long enough to know that stories tend to get ... distorted, the older they get. Second hand sources, all that."

[trapsfortroubadours]

Elijah tips his head slightly and watches her approach closer. If he's honest, his interest is mildly piqued. While he wouldn't expect most to exactly be shaking in their boots in a literal sense, most would be wary about getting so close even if they knew logically distance wouldn't matter. If Elijah wanted to end them, they would be dead. Though he has to wonder if some of this talk is only there because Buffy is dealing with Elijah and not Rebekah or Klaus. His siblings' tolerance for such talk is at a much lower threshold than Elijah.

"Are you challenging me?"

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

"Challenge is a strong word."

She's not looking for a fight, not unless he's intending to start one. And for the record, she'd probably be just as mouthy with Klaus or Rebekah there would just be a lot of punching and kicking in between. Her mouth doesn't really stay shut when there's an opportunity for witty banter.

"I would have gone more with 'observe.' I'm observing you."

[trapsfortroubadours]

Elijah would prefer to avoid a confrontation if it can be helped. There is enough fighting and bloodshed in the Quarter as it is and the situation is precarious enough without adding a full-on war between even more factions.

"And?"

Please, enlighten him with your keen powers of observation, Buffy. He is, at the very least, a little curious.

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

"Still assessing. But from what I can see? Things keep going the way they're going and you're going to have a pretty big problem on your hands."

Not that he doesn't already know that. The factions in New Orleans have been building for a while. Werewolves, vampires, witches - it's all swirling together and the only way that Buffy can see this ending is with a bang.

"I don't think you're going to get the peace you want."