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Post by Connor Reilly on Feb 15, 2010 5:31:16 GMT -5
Cemeteries were a dime a dozen in Sunnydale. There were a bunch of them, but none of them really stood out. They all looked like any other cemetery: grass, tombstones, crypts. Southside Cemetery was one of the smaller ones. It had a large stone wall surrounding it. Large iron gates stood at the North and South ends.
Connor sat on a large square tombstone drumming his fingers on the sides of it. He wore an over-priced pare of pre-worn, ripped jeans and a white button-up shirt. He had no idea how much they cost, but he was pretty sure it was more than he ever would've spent on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He stared down at the open grave a few feet in front of him, waiting, and wondered if this is what Buffy and Faith did when they patrolled: hang out in a cemetery and wait for someone to crawl out of the ground.
"What a boring job," he muttered.
He looked around casually, searching the area with all his senses. Glory had sent him here "alone," but he wondered if he really was alone. He wouldn't have trusted him to go get a Slayer and go back to the mansion. Then again, he wasn't an all-powerful Hell-god who could kill someone with a thought. Maybe trust didn't matter very much in the grand scheme.
Connor heard something that sounded vaguely like a train, a slight whooshing sound. He straightened, alert. There was a bright flash of light from within the grave and he raised his arm to shield his eyes until the light dissipated. He blinked. Was that it? Was she here? He hopped down off the tombstone and took a few cautious steps toward the edge of the grave.
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Post by Faith Lehane on Feb 15, 2010 5:46:28 GMT -5
FaithFaith found herself on her ass at the bottom of what appeared to be an open grave. She looked up and could see the night sky through the opening.
What the fuck had just happened?
Faith started to wondered as she stood up, instinctively dusting herself off. It was just a hole, there wasn't a coffin in it or anything, which on one hand was a good thing, but on the other hand, there was nothing for her to stand on to help her climb out. This part was not such a good thing. "Shit." She mumbled to herself as she made a little circle around, not that there was much to see. Just a whole lot of dirt. In frustration she kicked at one of the walls of dirt and watched as chunks flew out and fell to the ground. Finally she kicked it again, this time digging her foot into the dirt to make a foot hold. Then she reached up and forced her hands into the dirt above her head. Slowly she clawed and crawled her way up.
Making it to the edge of the opening she hauled herself up and rolled onto the ground. Laying on the ground she looked up to see a person standing there. Startled, she jumped to her feet and landed in a crouch. Just about that time she recognized the guy who was standing there. Still in her crouch, not quite ready to get let up her guard she stared back at him in disbelief. "Connor? What the fuck are you doing here?"
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Post by Connor Reilly on Feb 15, 2010 5:56:52 GMT -5
Connor kept a distance from the grave, not wanting to get dragged down there himself. He could hear a female voice coming from below, but he couldn't make out the exact words. The tone was definitely irritated, and Faith wasn't someone you wanted to catch in a bad mood.
He circled the grave slowly and stopped when he saw a hand appear, clutching the grass at the top of the grave. He watched as Faith emerged from the grave with an effort. He thought about helping her up, but, again, he didn't want to get dragged down there himself. Plus, last time he'd seen Faith she'd kicked his ass. He probably wasn't someone she'd be too happy to see.
She crawled out of the grave, rolling onto her back as she caught her breath. He looked down at her, slightly stunned. Holy shit, she did it, he thought. Glory had actually brought Faith here like he asked. Connor took a step backward as Faith jumped up in a guarded stance.
"Connor? What the fuck are you doing here?"
One corner of his mouth turned up in a subtle smirk. He didn't even know how to answer that himself.
"Oh, you know. Just hangin' out. Waiting for a Slayer to crawl out of a grave, apparently."
He shrugged.
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Post by Sam Winchester on Feb 15, 2010 6:00:38 GMT -5
-SAM WINCHESTER- --- Sam closed his eyes for a moment and took a few deep breaths as a feeling of nausea swept over him. It dissipated quickly and he sighed, taking the keys out of Impala's ignition and grabbing his iPod from the stand on the dashboard. He shoved the iPod in his jacket pocket and climbed out of the car, shutting the door more forcefully than necessary. He started to circle around to the trunk and stopped mid-way when he saw the cemetery gates.
"What the hell?" A moment ago, the cemetery gates had been a rectangular shape connected to two tall stone pillars. The fence had been made up of several pillars connected by iron fencing. These gates were taller with a gothic point at the top and the entire wall surrounding the cemetery was made of stone.
Sam turned around, vaguely wondering if there were somehow two different gates, one of which he hadn't noticed when he pulled up. The other side of the street was surrounded by trees. Sam wrinkled his brow. Clearly, something wasn't right.
He headed to the trunk in a few quick strides, unlocked it, and gathered supplies. His handgun, which he tucked in the back waistband. A lighter he shoved in his jacket pocket. A can of lighter fluid. A shovel. He thought about taking the shotgun and some rock salt rounds, just in case, but he slammed the trunk closed and pocketed the keys. Satisfied, he made his way to the cemetery gates.
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Post by Faith Lehane on Feb 15, 2010 6:10:56 GMT -5
FaithFaith blinked her eyes a few times. Like she was trying to clear her vision. Something was definitely wrong here. She eyed Connor warily before she took a quick scan of the area. Everything was different. This was NOT the same cemetery she was in before she fell into the hole. This place was familiar. She frowned and narrowed her eyes as Connor's voice brought her attention back to him. "You're what? Waiting for a Slayer? For me?" Taking another quick look around, she saw the stonewall surrounding the graveyard. Then she looked toward the front entrance. "Oh shit." Faith said quietly, then turned back to Connor. "This can't be possible. This looks just like the Southside Cemetery in Sunnydale. But, Sunnydale is nothing but a crater now... What the HELL is going on here?" Faith glared at Connor. Instinctively she reached for the knife she had tucked in her boot. Standing up straight she held the knife loosely in her hand prepared to fight if needed. Something was not right here and she wasn't taking any chances.
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Post by Connor Reilly on Feb 15, 2010 6:23:57 GMT -5
Faith eyed him warily.
"You're what? Waiting for a Slayer? For me?"
She looked around, probably realizing she wasn't where she had been a few minutes ago. He saw the recognition in her face as she turned back to him.
"This can't be possible. This looks just like the Southside Cemetery in Sunnydale. But, Sunnydale is nothing but a crater now... What the HELL is going on here?"
She bent down to pull something from her boot. When she stood she held a knife at her side. Connor held his hands up calmly, palms out.
"Woah, chill out," he said. "No one's gonna stab you... I don't think." He looked around again for one of those scabby minion guys. "Then again, I didn't think anything was gonna stab me either, but I guess you never know," he muttered.
He rubbed his leg where the Jinx had stabbed him earlier. The wound was healed, which was still weird.
"Anyway, long story short, you just got ripped through a portal, and now we're in this, like, 'alternate' California." He made air quotes with his fingers. "So... this is, like, Sunnydale, but not really... and I think we're in the future? Or... for me, anyway. It's a whole big thing, there's a Hell-god involved... Yeah."
He raked a hand through his hair and shrugged.
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Post by Faith Lehane on Feb 15, 2010 6:28:12 GMT -5
FaithFaith squinted at Connor as he spoke. She watched as he held his hands out in a gesture meant to put her at ease. Listening to him she tried to take in and process what he was saying. If she hadn't been a Slayer, hadn't seen and been aware of all the supernatural things in the world, she would have thought he was completely insane. As it was she still glared at him uneasily. "We're what? Huh? A portal? The future? Sunnydale? Hell God? Don't fuck with me. Seriously?" Faith looked around once more, taking in the scene. This was definitely one of the cemeteries in Sunnydale, she had patrolled it enough times to know it well. "So... Then... Why are you here? And why were you expecting me?" Faith straightened up out of her crouch, she kept the knife in her hand but let it drop to her side, still available but in a non threatening manner.
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Post by Connor Reilly on Feb 15, 2010 6:33:37 GMT -5
As Connor was talking he knew he wasn't explaining things right, but he was having a hard time relaying something that was still blowing his mind. He didn't entirely understand it all either. How was he supposed to explain it to somebody else? When Faith's response was less than thrilled, he wasn't surprised.
"We're what? Huh? A portal? The future? Sunnydale? Hell God? Don't fuck with me. Seriously?"
Connor shrugged. "You just said Sunnydale's a crater. What do YOU think?"
She looked around again. "So... Then... Why are you here? And why are you expecting me?" she asked, seeming to relax slightly.
Connor smiled broadly. "Me? I've been chosen," he said. "Glory, the Hell-god responsible for this place, brought me here because... well, I'm awesome." He chuckled. "She's trying to build herself an entourage... or, she wants ME to build her an entourage. And I was like, 'Hey, you know who'd make a great addition to our team? The Slayer that DIDN'T kill you.' And bam. Here you are." He laughed. "I still can't believe she actually did it. That's pretty badass, if I do say so myself." He took a few steps closer to her. "Anyway, I'd love to hang around and catch up. I've really been wondering what you've been up to since you beat the shit out of me. But, Glory's gonna want to talk to you, so you're gonna have to come with me."
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Post by Sam Winchester on Feb 15, 2010 6:39:01 GMT -5
-SAM WINCHESTER- --- When Sam got to the gates he was about to open them when he heard voices. He paused to listen, unable to make out the words, before carefully opening one of the doors and slipping through. He walked along the perimeter of the wall, not wanting to be noticed by whoever was in there. He could see two people standing several yards away and as he crept closer, sticking to the shadows and ducking behind crypts, he could hear them better.
"...Sunnydale? Hell God? Don't fuck with me. Seriously?" A woman with long brown hair looking decidedly pissed off was talking to a man who looked kind of like a boyscout in douchy jeans.
"So... Then... Why are you here? And why are you expecting me?" Sam crept closer, holding the shovel at his side.
"Me? I've been chosen," the boyscout said. "Glory, the Hell-god responsible for this place, brought me here because... well, I'm awesome. She's trying to build herself an entourage... or, she wants ME to build her an entourage. And I was like, 'Hey, you know who'd make a great addition to our team? The Slayer that DIDN'T kill you.' And bam. Here you are. I still can't believe she actually did it..." Sam stood behind a crypt a short distance away from them feeling more than a little confused. Apparently this woman had just been brought here... to Sunnydale, wherever that was. And this guy was some kind of errand boy for a 'Hell-god,' whatever that was, and he wanted this woman (who he'd called a 'slayer?') to go with him to meet someone named Glory.
"What the fuck?" he muttered.
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Post by Faith Lehane on Feb 15, 2010 6:57:58 GMT -5
Faith Faith kept her eyes glued on Connor. "What do YOU think?" He questioned her. That was the problem, she didn't know what to think. Obviously things were going haywire. She didn't really doubt what he said, weirder shit had happened. The problem was, what was she supposed to do now? As Connor tried to explain she noticed his attitude seemed to change. What was up with that? She couldn't help but shake her head, he was getting cocky. Well... at least he seemed like he hadn't really changed since their last encounter. But this whole Hell God thing... What was he thinking? Faith raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh really? You were chosen? BY A HELL GOD?!" Smirking she gripped the knife a little tighter but didn't raise it as Connor stepped toward her. Her defenses were up now. She didn't want to hurt Connor, but she would if she had to. "Oh, I think I'll pass on the whole Hell God entourage thing. I'm more of a free agent these days. You have fun with that though. And since you brought it up, I did kick your ass before. You might want to back off. I don't want to have to hurt you Connor."
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Post by Connor Reilly on Feb 15, 2010 16:07:02 GMT -5
Connor chuckled softly. He hadn't expected Faith to go willingly. Hoped she would, sure, but he hadn't expected her to.
"Ah, the good old 'I don't want to hurt you' line. If I had a dollar for all the times I heard that one." He shook his head. "Sorry, sweetheart, but backing off isn't an option. I have to take you back to Glory. Don't worry, it's a nice place. I've seen your room, and it is saweeeet!"
God, he sounded like such an asshole. He wanted to tell her what was really going on in his head, but he had no way of knowing who was watching him. If Glory knew he wanted to take her down she could kill him without thinking twice and find herself a new champion. So, he had to play his role. He hoped he was at least a convincing asshole.
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Post by Sam Winchester on Feb 15, 2010 17:18:49 GMT -5
-SAM WINCHESTER- --- Sam watched as the man got closer to the woman. She told the boyscout to back off. Clearly this little meeting, whatever the hell it was, hadn't been planned on her part. He hadn't planned on it either. He didn't know what the hell was going on here, but he didn't like it. He put the shovel down carefully, leaning it against the crypt, and pulled the gun out of the back of his pants, cocking the hammer quietly. He didn't want to jump in on this if he didn't have to, but he didn't want to be unprepared either.
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Post by Faith Lehane on Feb 15, 2010 17:37:56 GMT -5
FaithFaith shook her head. "No, no... I don't think so. I'll take my chances, I just need some time to think. Figure something out." Faith tilted her head to the side, sizing Connor up again. She was going to just start moving toward the gates. Keeping Connor in front of her she took a couple steps to the side, forcing him to circle around if he wanted to stay in front of her. Now she was facing the entrance. She paused for a moment. A thought crossed her mind. Maybe a little gesture of good will on her part. She took the knife and tucked it back into her boot, pulling the leg of her pants back down over to cover it. Then she held up her empty hands. "See, I'm good. I put the knife away. I'm gonna walk out of here now." Slowly she to a move forward, intent on heading straight out the front gate.
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Post by Connor Reilly on Feb 15, 2010 23:36:53 GMT -5
Faith shook her head. "No, no... I don't think so. I'll take my chances. I just need some time to think. Figure something out."
Connor narrowed his eyes at her. Figure what out? How to get out of here? How to kill Glory? She took a few cautious steps to the side, eying the gates behind him. He watched her, wondering what would happen if he came back without Faith. Would Glory break his kneecaps? That would suck. He really didn't want to have to fight Faith. He'd have to get a rock or something and knock her out to drag her back. That was, if she didn't knock him out first.
Connor didn’t have time to intercept her because she stopped walking and bent down to put her knife back in her boot.
"See, I'm good," she said. "I put the knife away. I'm gonna walk out of here now."
Keeping her gaze on him, Faith started to move cautiously toward the gate. Connor gritted his teeth. He really didn't want to have to fight her. He jogged up beside her, cutting in front of her and turning around to talk to her as he walked backwards, not stopping her, but placing himself between her and the gate. Giving her time to stop and reconsider before he had to get physical.
"Come on, Faith. I'm trying to throw you a bone here," he said. "It's not what you think. I mean, people hear the word 'Hell-god' and they lose their minds. But this isn't a Hell dimension. It's California. And the place we're going isn't a prison. It's this big ass mansion, and you can get anything you want. Seriously, you want something, Glory snaps her fingers and you have it. It's insane! And I haven't told you the best part yet. We're in charge. We hang out with Glory, get anything we want, and we're the ones running things with her. No one's trying to end the world. We're just making our own."
He had no idea what he sounded like to her, but he sounded downright scary to himself. He sounded like he believed this stuff, like he was doing her a favor by having her dragged into this dimension. Like he wanted this. Maybe on some level he did. Who didn't want to have a mansion and have everything he wanted at his fingertips? He just had to remember what side of things he was on. There was a catch here. There had to be. He just had to make sure this act stayed an act, that he didn't get sucked in for real.
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Post by Sam Winchester on Feb 15, 2010 23:43:01 GMT -5
-SAM WINCHESTER- --- Sam was confused. One minute he'd been in one place, the next he'd somehow ended up somewhere else. Apparently the same thing had just happened to this other woman. She sounded just as confused as he felt. Then this guy was talking about time travel and Hell-gods? What was a Hell-god?
The woman tucked something into her boot and tried to leave peacefully, but the guy circled around her and kept talking. Sam moved along the wall to follow them without being seen. The guy was talking about a mansion, being able to get anything he wanted, running things. Whatever this thing was he was talking about, it could create dimensions, and make things appear out of nowhere. The only thing he'd come across that could do that was the Trickster. He sighed. He did not want to deal with that bastard again. Ever.
He kept his gun ready and kept up with them, moving stealthily along the wall and between crypts and tombstones. Whatever was happening, he wanted answers, and whatever had just yanked him into this place was going to put him back where they'd found him. Or die. That was all there was to it.
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