deercountry | o4 . january catchall

Entry tags:

o4 . january catchall

Who:

clocktowers and CR.
What: A bit of drama at Clockhouse.
When: Early January
Where: Throughout Trench.

Content Warnings: Tagged in subject lines as needed.

Ozpin's Vampirism Timeline:
- [Ford] rescue from the Sleeper Farm
- [Qrow] not talking about it
- [Willow, Tara] rancid vibes
- [Zhongli] a fight
- [Willow] stalking
- [Willow] on the groupchat
- [Oscar] checking in
- [Ruby] the intervention pit
- [Ange] on the groupchat
- [Sayo] a wakeup call
- [Shannon] after the wakeup call
- [Faith, Willow] a confrontation
- [Willow] on the groupchat
- [Oz] on the groupchat
- [Qrow] after the confrontation
- [Willow, Ford] discussing options
- [Faith, Qrow] hostile stalking
- [PH house] meeting the inlaws
- [Qrow] an offer
- [Willow] reconciling
- [Ford] at the Red
- [Willow] wolf talk

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He'll understand.

[Qrow answers, and the immediacy of his response likely betrays just how close he and Xerxes Break have become in the past several months. Oz of all people knows that Qrow's trust is a hard-won thing, and there is no uncertainty to his voice when he says it.

Oz's next statement is puzzling--Qrow does not feel as though he has been inconvenienced; he is upset with Willow, but it's not as though he is materially affected by Ozpin being kicked out.

(He refuses to acknowledge the frisson of anxiety that crawls up his spine at the idea of not knowing where Oz will be)

But nonetheless, it's followed up with acquiescence, and any inclination Qrow might have felt to insist that he's fine shrivels up on the spot. There's an audible breath, and it sounds relieved.]

I do, yeah. It's a safe place. [A beat, and to lighten the mood a little, he adds:] And he makes a mean cup of tea.

[ The implication that his body would turn to dust, as though he's nothing more than a Grimm, does not help Ozpin's mood. These are the responses of frightened children, thinking they know best from what little they've learned. It will do no one any good to argue with them ad nauseam. He steps forward, telegraphing straight-spined indifference and not a speck of threat, to pass them for the door. ]

Yes, I would hate for anyone to do something they regret. [ He can be forgiven the tone, surely, under the circumstances. ] We'll discuss this later, Willow.

[ He pulls the front door open, and turns in the doorway, to fix Faith with an expression that does not even attempt to be a smile. ]

Welcome to Trench.

[ And he goes. ]

It's alright, Qrow. I'm sure we can come to an agreement as reasonable people.

[ He is not actually convinced, but Ozpin steps forward, walking cane still clicking on the cobblestones with every step. ]

Faith is a Vampire Slayer. Much like a Huntress, she is tasked with protecting people from monsters. The issue here, of course, is a disagreement over what qualifies as a monster.

[ Qrow exhales a held breath, and it feels like he's made the right choice. Even if that means he must bear a parade of concerned people asking questions he does not particularly want to answer.

Even if it feels as though everyone has barged into his business in unison and en masse. ]

Well, then. How could I refuse?

[ He says it lightly, but there is still tension in the line of Ozpin's shoulders, still a distinctly unhappy set to his eyes. Still, he gestures with his own cooling takeaway cup. ]

By all means, lead on.

[Ozpin leaves and Willow stares after him silently for a few moments. She can't help but recall a conversation that happened what feels like an eternity ago about how keeping secrets can put them all in danger.

Even under the compulsion of honesty, he still tried to lie to them time and time again, even when the truth was obvious.

There isn't time to process, or even be upset about the weight of all the implications of the confrontation, and what's potentially to come. There's too much to be done, and if she can throw her focus into looking for a way to set things right again, then she can ignore certain painful truths. All she can do is try to hold onto the excuse that this is all the influence of the vampirism that's seized hold of him, and not simply Ozpin being Ozpin. That has to be it.

She does not want Faith to see her upset.

Willow takes a deep breath and tries to bring her focus to the task at hand. She grabs her Omni and taps out a quick message to Tara.

Are you home? Can you come downstairs please? Something bad happened.

She turns her attention back to Faith and lets out a sigh.]

It's not usually like this, I swear.

Willow isn't willing to hurt him. If she was, he'd be dead. You know how ridiculously unusual it is to leave vampires alive back home just 'cuz you cared about who they were? Pretty fuckin' unusual. [Why is she getting annoyed on Willow's behalf of all people. Whatever.] The situation's a lot different here and she's trying to figure it out, she clearly cares about him for some reason, so we're treating it different.

[She lets the crossbow rest against her shoulder, her posture more relaxed. She turns to Ozpin.]

You're a vampire, so I'm keeping an eye on you for now. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

Edited 2022-01-13 11:26 (UTC)

[Faith watches Ozpin leave with a tightness to her jaw.]

No vampires in Trench, huh. [She raises an eyebrow at Willow.] How long's he been like that, anyway?

[Which could refer to him being a vampire or him being smarmy and dismissive, both are equally problematic in her mind. Faith is still on edge, like she's still expecting more of them to burst out and drag her into the basement or something.

Which is stupid, considering she's the hunter, not the prey.]

Oh?

[ With the kettle set to heat, he moves back to the two chairs by the windows, and once again sweeps a hand for her to join him. The free chair stands open, looking out over what in Deerington had been manicured lawns, and what is now a winding cobblestone drive. ]

What sort of exciting thing, if I may ask? I do love to collect stories.

Okay, okay, no vampires like at home in Trench. Or at least, I thought there wasn't.

[Willow sighs. Clearly, she's made a mistake in thinking that the absence of reports on the network of Sleepers needing to be staked, and reports of people being found completely drained of blood, with bite marks on their neck meant that there weren't any vampires here.]

He started acting a little weird about a month or so ago. It's been on my radar, but I wasn't expecting this.

You know, you did just kinda dump him onto the rest of Trench. Like, I get it, protect the pack and all, but it wasn't super responsible.

[If she'd encountered him out there, she probably would have gone straight for the kill, not knowing or caring if he had a soul. That's just the way it is. It's hardly like she's been pulling her punches when she kicks around the regular monsters here.]

Not saying it was the wrong choice, though. He's your friend and all. What do you need me to do?

['Something bad happened'. Much like in Sunnydale, that could be a very general statement where something bad always seemed to happen here. More and more, she's come to the conclusion that the Trench is really just Sunnydale sucked into the Hellmouth, but until she can manage to prove that, she's not going to raise the alarm.

That thought process isn't helped when Tara comes down the stairs and see a very familiar energy source. She'd never really seen Faith's face, so much as how her aura and energy read stuffed into Buffy's body. It's a bit of a shock, more so that she has to actually question whether this is who Faith really is or if she's just in another body again?

First assumption is this is the bad thing, right?

Tara tugged at her gloves, opening her palm and grabbing a dagger to spill her blood, ready to cast magic.]

Stand back, Will.

[Faith is right, of course. Willow just didn't consider it in the moment - she was more worried about their immediate circle, especially Ange and Shannon that Ozpin had been caught staring at.

She shouldn't have sent him out there alone.

No one else knows about Ozpin except for Faith, and she's fully expecting breaking the news is going to bring about a thousand questions, and right now, time feels like it's of the essence.]

Can you -

[She's interrupted by Tara's sudden appearance, and her second mistake hits her. She did actually warn Tara Faith was in Trench, even though she had every intention of it. So she quickly steps forward to interrupt and hold up her hands before Tara swipe the dagger across her palm.]

No, no, it's okay! Faith's not the problem. It's Ozpin. Tara, he's a vampire.

[Faith raises her hands in surrender with a grimace. That's Willow's girlfriend, who recognizes her, and is brandishing a knife at her to... cut her own hand?

Magic is fuckin' weird.]

Reformed. Or reforming, whichever.

[She shifts somewhat awkwardly.]

...Nice to finally meet you? Properly, I mean. [She'd offer her hand for a handshake but she's a little unsure how big of a grudge she's dealing with here.]

[Sayo stares at Ozpin like she's a deer in the headlights. Mostly out of incredulity. He's lived with Ange for how long and he didn't manage to pick up on the implications there? She officially adds "stupid" to his long list of crimes as she looks at the chair, looks at Ozpin, looks at the chair again, and sits down like a marionette being awkwardly maneuvered into a sitting position.]

Um... well... I- I don't really know all the details since, um, I was... murdered... pretty early on...

[Without knowing what kind of evidence was left after Eva had her way with the island, Sayo needs to stick to her story of "Shannon died in the first twilight" as much as possible.]

[ She goes like a girl to her execution, but she goes, which he considers excellent progress. They won't get far with her hovering uncomfortably; better that they sit across from each other properly, and he will give her a reprieve from the attention when the kettle whistles.

In the meantime, though, his eyebrows jump in genuine surprise. ]

Oh, dear. [ He actually says oh dear low and grave like this is tragic news about the passing of a relative, or some such; for all that he's lived it a hundred times, there really is no good way to discuss someone's own death. ] Very exciting indeed, I suppose, but not in the way that makes good teatime conversation.

[ The smile he quirks is a shade more apologetic, now, and his interest only more acute. (Perhaps it explains some of her clear anxiety; no wonder her protector had been so readily riled.) ]

I do apologize for bringing up unpleasant memories.

[Tara draws back, for a moment worried that Willow was about to touch her hand in an effort to stop her. There is a lot of sudden information hitting her all at once. Faith, Ozpin, vampire, etc. It feels like her mind just stalls somewhere between fight and...well, any activity.

She's kind of stuck on the whole "Faith isn't the threat." Being introduced to the subject of Faith, it was that she was a threat. The threat. Now she's here and Willow's just...spending time with her? Using her as backup? What exactly should she make of this?]

I- ['Reformed'.] How do you reform from stealing someone's body?

[Give her a second. She's still at the "angry, protective" stage.]

Oz is a vampire?

It's - it's kind of a long story. She just got here, and she says she's trying to do better - that she wants to help.

[Oh. Huh. That's not actually that long of a story. Willow glances back at Faith. They saw it in Ozpin too, it's near impossible to lie to Palebloods right now, thanks to the current effects of the moon.]

And I believe her.

[She looks back to Tara with a small, apologetic smile.]

I'll explain better later, I promise. But yeah - Oz is a vampire, that's why he's been acting so off lately.

[She's halfway toward bristling, and saying any number of defences. Angel's guilty of worse? Aren't you buddies with Spike now? How do you reform from anything?

And then Willow's saying that she believes her and Faith's... surprised. To say the least. It's a nice feeling, kinda, if a bit confusing.]

...Angel gave me a chance.

I can't take back what I've done, I can just do better in the future. I'm not asking for forgiveness from anyone. Least of all Buffy. But that's not what's important right now.

You've been living with a vampire, apparently, Willow just kicked him out.

Er... yes. [Sayo's shoulders curl inward, and despite knowing that Ozpin's staring problem has (hopefully) been rectified by now, she fixes her gaze on the surface of her drink rather than look him in the eye.

This is also to hide the schadenfreude in her eyes as she watches him flinch. Now look who's uncomfortable!]

It's no issue. You couldn't have- well, I suppose I expected you to know, considering that you've apparently known Ange-san for so long.

[She never really knew Angel, so the use of his name didn't elicit much of a response from Tara. The last time he came around, everyone seemed to think he was evil. It...wasn't the best endorsement for someone still incredibly wary of evil activity.

Tara shot Willow a look, clearly not happy and likely to express that more vocally later. She pocketed her knife and pulled on her glove again, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The blatant sign of "I don't like this."]

I don't understand. [An understatement for her.] Are vampires like the vampires in Sunnydale? Magic is different here, does that mean vampires are too?

[All Willow can do is muster an apologetic look. She didn't mean for things to unfold this way, it just sort of... happened.

Magic is very different in Trench than it is from home, and she has to acknowledge it might be the same for vampirism, in spite of her suspicions.]

I don't know. They might be. We have to find out, and find a way to make things right again. All I know for sure right now is that Ozpin hasn't been himself. He's been feeding on Sleepers, and staring at Ange and Shannon to the point where they're nervous of him, and his intentions.

[She sighs.]

It's Ozpin. He wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone, but I'm worried he's going to a really dark place really fast. We need to make sure everyone's safe, and find a way to help him.

[Faith similarly crosses her arms, less unsure and more slightly defensive and aloof. She doesn't care. The complete and total distrust doesn't sting even a little because of course she should expect nothing less.

Totally.

God, she's pathetic.]

Slayers can sniff out vampires. Sort of a sense that we've got. He's got enough in common with them that he triggered that at least. [She glances at Willow.] He kept lying about it, or trying to, even though he literally couldn't. But I don't know if that tracks for him or not.

Doesn't seem like he's lackin' a soul, though, at least not completely. Normally vampires don't just creep on girls, they kill 'em, so he's got that much going for his defence.

If two of our housemates are feeling uncomfortable, it's better to separate the temptation. It seems like a harsh measure, but we should be safe in this case before anything else.

[She glanced momentarily at Faith, acknowledging what she was saying. It was useful, given that Buffy wasn't here to offer the slayer perspective. As much as Faith made her angry and uneasy, she did have to admit it made her feel better for a Chosen One to help them.

Life without Buffy after death had been super difficult. It would be worse here.]

I don't know if lying is common, but I can see why he would. He's probably worried how we'll respond. And...if stories about corruption are true, it's probably playing a part. If corruption is part of it.

[She shook her head. Lack of a soul, she's seen that it's not always a problem.]

I don't know if a soul means that much in this case. Besides the Trench being different, not all vampires are terrible without a soul. I mean, Spike went out of his way to protect Dawn and stop Glory. Maybe Ozpin is good like that too?

Yeah. The last thing I want to see happen is for anyone to get hurt because it gets to be more than he can stand.

[She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before looking to Faith. She hates to ask, she normally wouldn't ask, especially since it's hard not to consider Faith a wild card, but she sees little choice at this point.]

Can you keep an eye on him when we're done here? Don't hurt him, just make sure nothing happens until we can get this figured out.

[She looks to Tara and raises her eyebrows.]

Well, Spike only turned around because he couldn't hurt people any more, and because he fell for Buffy. I don't think Ozpin's missing his soul, or anything, though - or, at least I hope not. Even if I could make the spell work, I have no idea if we'd even be able to get an Orb of Thesulah here. It could totally be a corruption thing, though.

Yeah, done. I was gonna do it anyway. I'll keep a lookout, make sure he doesn't hurt anyone. [No hurting him is a bit more complicated, but she's definitely not going to kill him. If he starts pouncing on people then that's a whole different story, but she's very much clear on the whole "no dusting thing."

She furrows her brow at the Spike comment. That's certainly news to her.] Yeah, didn't he turn up while I was around, kill a few people, kidnap you and threaten to kill you if... [She pauses, Willow's words catch up to her.] Wait. Spike fell for Buffy??

[Oh god. Is this because of the "riding you at a gallop until your legs buckled" speech? Did she seriously introduce more competition for herself in the form of loser vampires??]

Edited 2022-01-19 06:31 (UTC)

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o4 . january catchall

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