circle_daybreak | When the Daybreaks for a Slayer

"Sure thing. Want to send me a text now so I can save your number in my contacts?"

Buffy did just that.

"If it keeps you safe? Delete it all."

"Got it. And here we are! I'll save your name in my phonebook. Good luck and happy hunting. Unity."

"Yeah..."

That was a weird sign off, but she wasn't going to address it too much right now. She needed to keep her head on straight to find the one she was tailing.

Decent mall crowd; despite being after sunset there were a fair number of teens. Or, you know, immortal creeps that happened to look like teens. She'd be able to spot someone that might be him heading up an escalator to the second floor.

Oh she spots him, and is quick to follow behind as sneakily as she can manage.

She'd lose him in the crowd soon after getting to the second floor, but the last she saw of him was him tapping a red headed teenage looking girl on the shoulder. A guy came up to her, glaring after him, and between the pair she lost sight of him for just one crucial moment too long.

Both of the teens however, the redhead girl and the brunette guy both had something of the unnatural about them. The guy looked ticked, but the girl rested an hand on his arm. "Could be worse, could have been Ash."

"Poppy..." he growled just loud enough to be heard. Poppy, one of the ones she had been warned about by name.

Poppy smirked. "It's fine, Jamie. You worry too much."

"Given you're about to slip off to see Phil and grab a bite, as it were..."

She rolled her silvery green eyes. "Like you're not going to grab a bite with... what's her name this week?"

"That's different and you know it. Look... just be careful."

"Don't you worry, I got Phil wrapped round my little finger. Just." she poked his nose. "like" another nose poke. "You." when she went to poke again he snapped his teeth at her finger and yeah her reflex in pulling back was faster than human. The finger she had poked him with? She had been wearing a gold band with a black rose over a sunrise design on it.

"Uh huh," he said. He pulled out his wallet. "There is an area behind the Cinnabon that is quiet, almost no one goes back there."

"You are not paying. No way Phil will let be buy him a Cinnabon if it is your money, James!" she protested. "And without that how am I supposed to get him back there?" she arched a brow.

"Be creative. Besides. I'm giving you money to get a six pack. For me."

She laughed and took the money. "Well then. You hitting up the music shop while I'm gone."

He nodded.

"Good, get me"

He cut her off. "Throat singers and the new DJ Hangman drop. I got it."

"Whoops. Phil's here. Gotta dash."

He nodded. "Be careful, Poppy."

"As careful as I ever am," she singsonged as she danced away from him, going away from where Buffy was.

Another teen, a boy this time slid over to the one she'd been talking to. This one was blond, just has handsome, and looked like a fairy tale prince stepped off the cover of a book and into a dark velvet track suit that set off his golden colouration like it was made just to ornament him. There was something almost feline about him as he sat on a bench, right between Buffy and James, leaving him in profile for her.

(Icon is for the boy who just arrived because somehow I don't have icons for Poppy or James >.<)

Edited 2025-06-22 15:21 (UTC)

Buffy wasn't sure what to make of everything she just heard. It sounded... like normal stuff? It could be code, maybe, but... maybe not?

Did make her want a Cinnabon, though.

And that music... Throat singers and DJ Hangman?

Trying to process all that, she looked at the blond. There was something about him, she just wasn't sure what it was.

"You got roped into all this mess too?" James asked him, wryly.

"Blame Keller," he said with a laugh. "Don't mind me, just here to people watch."

James snorted. "Sure, cause royalty always spends its time bumming around the mall, people watching. You look a little too princely for anyone to buy that, Galen."

"You'd be surprised. Besides how I was born hardly matters."

"To you maybe."

"I mean it," he said, leaning forward. "It comes down to me or the end of the world I am expendable. And I know it. Besides, I don't mind helping out. I actually enjoy it. At least out here I'm useful. Not like I had much to do but wait for an arranged marriage till I joined up with all this. So an all hands goes out, I'm in."

James shook his head. "I better get Poppy her CDs. I don't have time to think about how weird you... oh! Right, did you hear? I was going to bring it up at the meeting but..."

"But?"

"Not sure I should now. Not with Lord Theirry out of town. Probably not the way Thea should hear it."

"You're not making any sense, James."

"Sorry, you're right." He winced. "Okay so heard this rumor when I stopped into the Black Iris for a drink..."

"You ever take Poppy there?"

"Not a chance. Who knows what poison Ash has been spreading. I swear," quieter voice, "If not for ML I'd be half ready to stake him myself." He shook his head, then back to normal volume, "anyway, heard from a contact there that some girl in Midnight has declared war on Blaise."

Galen whistled. "So... someone in Midnight is highly suicidal?"

"More or less. Or just terminally stupid. Going after one of the queens of the forbidden when all the.... when everything is rising?"

"Well, maybe that's why," Galen said, leaning back. "Overconfidence from a new surge of power. Add that to the fact that Blaise is probably on track being the only daughter of Hellwise Midnight is likely to get before the final battle... They still think they're going to be the ones on top at the end of the world." He shook his head.

"Not the only daughter of Hecat.... never mind. Right. They have Roseclear don't they?"

"One presumes. Ever since Hunter and Lilly have been stepping back, who knows where she is."

"Stepping back? Pretty sure we killed them... Didn't we?" asked more softly, with genuine fear.

Galen frowned. "Rashel and Quinn had been pretty sure that they killed them in that house fire on the island. And yet they popped up again to make trouble for the WPs. I wouldn't count either of them dead without a corpse at this point."

James shuddered. "Yeaaaaah. I'm just gonna... go get Poppy her CDs. Hopefully this tail shakes soon so we can all head back to base."

"We can only lay out so much bait at once without spooking the prey. Go. I'll be here."

James nodded and headed off for one of the music stores.

Okay, wait, what was that about royalty?! That had never been a thing that she had heard of before. Queens mentioned...

None of the names makes sense. That she expected.

End of the world? Again? She sighed. Okay, so she had more stuff to stop, what else was new?

Galen leaned back, resting his hands on the legs of his pants. He seemed to be doing just what he said he would, people watching. But when his glance settled briefly on her... his people watching wasn't casual at all. He was sizing up each person as he looked them over. But there was an odd... mix of things in his glance. He somehow pinged predator to her instincts but also... harmless? Like looking at a large cat in a too small cardboard box looking pleased with itself for fitting. Like you knew it absolutely could be deadly but at the same time... he seemed almost the definition of the phrase "my last words will be pss pss pss here kitty kitty". His smile was warm and seemed genuine. But there was absolutely something deadly about him. He was... an odd mix.

Oh, Buffy felt the eyes on her quickly. That sense of being watched by a vampire never did disappear, and she was always glad of it. Still, she'd been a Slayer long enough that one eyeing her up wasn't going to make her worry now.

She raises an eyebrow in his direction. Who would make the first move...?

Seeing that he offered her a smile and a small nod to the seat on the bench beside him.

She nodded, and sat down beside him.

"So, am I cutting to the chase, or are you?"

"That's one way to start a conversation. I generally start with 'Hi', myself," he said with a warm smile. "But I don't mind when people are direct." His smile faltered a moment in a wince. He rubbed a finger at his far ear, but then put the smile back on.

"Hearing something you didn't like?"

Vampires had sensitive hearing, at least in her experience.

"Well, on the topic of cutting to the chase, it might be my girlfriend yelling at me for letting you sit close enough to me to stab me," he said with a small pleasant smile that showed he was not actually annoyed by that at all. If anything his smile was fond.

"Cute," she shrugs. "Haven't decided on the stabbing part yet."

"And what are the factors you are considering, if I may ask?" he asked, pleasantly. "I am pretty certain I haven't done anything recently that would warrant a stabbing. But I could always be mistaken."

"Talks of vampires and the end of the world tend to make me a little stabby."

"Sadly, that sounds like a join the line and take a number these days... So I guess the real question here is... what side are you on?"

"The side that keeps the world going."

"Then we have a lot in common. What remains to be seen however is if you are on a side that cares about a specific faction rising to pow...." he stopped dead, sitting upright, looking alarmed then ticked. "We're going to have to table this," he said to her as he stood. James rushed back.

"Slayer," he said quietly, looking panicked.

"Yes, I heard," Galan said. "We'll get everyone out safe don't wor..."

"Did you hear who she was following?" James asked, voice sharp but quiet. "Ash."

Galen's expression became more serious and worried. "You and Poppy need to get out of here. Morgead is going to meet Poppy and go with you. Take Phil."

"What about Mary-Lynette and her brother?"

"They're here too? No wonder Keller is having kittens. I didn't think they'd go out alone at this point, knowing he's here."

"Or maybe that's why they did. But not alone. Jade is with them."

"Fine have them rendezvous with you and get out of here."

"Poppy and I took the bus, we're not all going to fit in one car."

"Nissa has the limo, you'll all fit. Go."

He nodded, started to go, hesitated. "What about you and Keller? What will you do?"

"Our jobs. Go get everyone to safety, James."

"I can help..."

"Go. Now."

He hesitated then nodded and moved swiftly but carefully through the crowd.

Galen looked at Buffy. "Probbly safest if you stick with me for now."

Buffy listened carefully. So they knew about the Slayer, but didn't seem to realise it was her?

That could work to her advantage.

"... If you say so."

Galen nodded. "We'll keep you safe, then get somewhere to talk."

A teenaged girl dressed all in black, looked like a velvet shirt and pants, black sneakers, long black hair. Her face was set and serious but there was a wildness to her eyes and there was almost a feeling to her, like you'd almost expect to see a tail lashing behind her.

"Why didn't you go with them?" she demanded.

"Backup. I have your back if this gets hairy," he said flatly.

"We don't have time to fight, but we will have this out later. I don't need protecting, I'm expendable," she snapped.

"As much as I am. Let's just get to work," he said. "Who IDed the slayer as a slayer?"

"Faiyth," she said, flatly. "Saw it over the feed and called it in just after I noticed Ash."

"And she's hunting him? For sure?" he asked.

"Not for sure, but we have to stop the mall from becoming a bloodbath."

He nodded. "Agreed."

"And her?"

"She'll stay close, we'll keep her safe."

"We will?"

"You will," he said firmly. "I trust in you."

She growled. "Let's just haul Ash out of here." She pivoted on her heel and stalked off another way. Galen grinned and followed.

When the Daybreaks for a Slayer - a Night World and BTVS psl

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