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Cordy has a vision about a girl in need. Buffy wants to go it alone, Faith and Cordy aren't having it, Angel temporarily forgets about happy wife happy unlife and sides with his friends...
5/11/2017
Hyperion Hotel San Francisco
The Hyperion Hotel[]
The lights are on, illuminating the area.
The California-Spanish building known as the Hyperion Hotel was built in the 20s. Through the cast iron gates from the sidewalk is a small front courtyard with a rectangular fountain and a mythological figure holding a bowl from which water flows. Greenery frames the walls and a large set of glass double doors open into a high ceilinged lobby. Dark red carpet descends the four steps to the lobby floor and climb the two sets of stairways that lead to the second floor. The green marble floors are accented with wavy red inserts, as are the walls have a complimentary red border running their length. A set of doors identical to those of the entrance lead to a small enclosed garden.
Cream-colored pillars line two sides of the room, holding up the second-floor balconies that look out onto the lobby and creating arches. Underneath one of them is a large plate glass window that looks into the hotel office - now used as the office and nerve center of Angel Investigations. Nearby, there's a wraparound counter with dark wood paneling and a top the same color as the floor. Behind it are filing cabinets and a pair of desks pushed together. A navy blue circular couch harkening back to a 50s design sits near the back of the lobby. A large wooden, glass-doored cabinet pushed up against the wall holds a large assortment of weapons.
Outside, it's foggy and cool.
It's another Netflix night! And with two Slayers about, there's pizza in abundance! The quest to educate the 290 year old on movies continues with all sorts of fun stuff. Particularly since the hole in his cinematic education is so huge, almost everything is a first time experience. Which makes life in front of that massive TV Colt left for them interesting indeed...
The VP of client relations (self-proclaimed) has been out most of the day. Some of that was crucial supply gathering, coordinating deliveries and the like, and the rest...well, that's Cordelia's leisure time. She's sure she'll have much less of it very soon, what with the filming ramping up for the season to air later in the year. It'll be a pretty fast-paced summer, and she wants to get in as much fun as possible between now and then.
So accordingly, when she walks in from outside, she's carrying a bunch of bags in both hands and looking very much like the cat who got the cream. She affords a single glance to the movie area that has apparently been set up as she takes her packages to one of the seats in the lobby, setting them down carefully, one at a time. She's practiced at this, and not a single bag slips from her fingers.
Though she does set the remaining ones down hurriedly when suddenly the sassy actress stiffens, eyes widening. Then she gasps, reaching out to lean heavily against the top of the seat...and then she frowns, and what might have been dramatic surprise turns to a kind of amused confusion.
Faith has curled up on one end of the couch, a bit away from Buffy and Angel, munching on a slice of pepper and mushroom pizza. "This is one I hadn't actually said."
Buffy sat beside Angel, watching this movie that she had never heard of before. It might have been a lesson for him in movies but she was learning too. Clearly she hasn't had enough time in her life to watch a movie like this before now. Oh well, she didn't mind. Buffy heard the door open and knew it was Cordy walking in. "Cordy, you're missing the movies..." She heard a gasp coming from behind her and she turned and looked at Cordy. "What did you see?" Buffy watches her look not sure what that could mean, but hoped it wasn't that bad.
Angel has a lot of experience rushing over to Cordy when a vision hits. It's amazingly smooth how quickly he gets to Cordy when this happens. Practice, lots of practice from the days when Cordy ended up on the ground. "Where do we need to go, and who do we need to save?"
By the end of it, Cordy just looks...puzzled. She looks around at Angel and the two slayers, then just sits down carefully. She wouldn't want to accidentally sit on one of the things she just brought back from the outside world.
For a while, there's just only sounds of the movie and the resonant echoes of the questions addressed to her. She looks up, once she has her mind in order, and opens her mouth, pauses, frowns again, and then closes her mouth, shaking her head.
A few seconds later she clears her throat, holds up a finger, and tentatively asks, "Has anyone here seen Carrie?" And then, after a beat, she adds, "The movie. I don't think we know anybody named Carrie."
"Yes, but it's been a while. Let me guess, we may have an uncontrolled psychic to track down and deal with?" Faith inquires. By deal with, she means help, of course, not anything more violent if it can be avoided.
"So you're saying there is a girl going to prom who might get pigs blood poured on her dress and then kill people with her magic powers if we don't stop her?" It was a movie she recognized and summed it up as best as she could to help Cordy. "We don't know anyone named Carrie. What about a location? Maybe that will help." Buffy shrugs at her.
Angel seems clueless. "...Apparently I need to watch more horror movies. Somebody find the movie you're talking about on Netflix before we go in. Unless this happening right now and we need to get in the car and go."
By now, Cordy is more sure than unsure that Faith generally can be trusted to do what's right, but she still looks a little too long at the slayer. Half-shrugging it off, shaking her head, she waves a hand. "Well there was blood, a ruined dress and telekinesis, and honestly what could possibly follow that but mass homicide?"
There's only a second before she speaks again. "Unless of course you're *trained* and enlightened enough to where that isn't a concern." Cordelia gives Faith another look, this time a slightly more sympathetic one. Oops. "It's...not happening right now, but the lead-up to it is. There's some girl in a high school who has a gift. She's about your usual frumpy nerd type. Not popular. To be fair," she adds, holding up a hand, "if she had somebody else to dress her in the mornings? Probably be at least sixty percent more popular. Just saying."
Sitting back with a sigh, Cordelia picks up one of the bags and starts to dig around in it, pulling out a particularly bright-patterned top. Something only she could really pull off. It seems to give her some modicum of comfort as she continues to explain. "We have a couple of weeks until even the earliest prom in the area. Are we...going to infiltrate? Because I can *totally* still pass as a senior."
"You can, I don't think I can. What about the juniors?" After all, they do have high school age girls available. Not the most experienced, but they can let the adults in when needed...
Buffy stood up. "I'll go. I'm the least likely to send her into overdrive. You are judging her based on clothing choices and well I've been both popular and the not so popular. I'll fit right back in. And I need to get out." Buffy was more than willing to go back high school to stop this girl from losing it. "We don't need the Juniors. She needs someone who is more understanding."
"Eva is pretty understanding, but I also haven't seen her lately. She was the one who gave Mikhail a chance against all odds, after all." Which wasn't the best plan, but...well, can't be helped anymore. "Well...I look exactly the same as I did the last time I was brought to a prom. I won't fit in any worse than I did last time."
"We should *all* go," Cordelia counters Buffy immediately, and shoots her a *look*. "Faith, I mean...if you don't think you could fit the image, you could always be a PE substitute. I can get you the records you'd need." Then she smiles again. She's learned a thing or two, over the years of working for Angel Investigations. She's not so bad at going undercover. "But since there's at least one frumpy, unpopular girl at every school...we're gonna need to get going. I'll start looking over all the yearbooks. Maybe I can recognize her."
"What high school am I heading to? Give Angel a description of what this girl looks like. He can sketch her out for me." Buffy looks at Angel and smiles at him. She liked his sketches; they looked so realistic so she would be able to find this girl without a problem. The rest would be dealt with at the school. "This isn't a field trip. If it's as serious as you say, she is not going to be easy to convince. I'm going alone on this one. Stay here and keep me updated on it if the course changes. Do background checks here. I'll get other information while at the school."
Angel thought about that for a while. "You're dealing with a troubled girl who feels like an outcast...an outsider. She also has great power. The last time you ran across that..." Well, that was Faith. Buffy didn't handle that so well...
"I'll go find those yearbooks," Faith says. Sigh. Well, they can pause the movie. Avoiding a real life horror movie is more important. With a glance at Angel that says 'don't let her do the solo hero thing again' the dark slayer slips back upstairs.
Cordelia's gaze returns slowly to Buffy. In a smooth, singular motion, she's standing again, the blouse let loose to fall into its bag. "Hi, I'm Cordelia Chase. Have you met me?" She gives a light gesture in Angel's direction, as he speaks, and then picks up once he's done talking. "I'm *Angel's* VP of client relations. Not your secretary. This isn't Buffy Investigations. And I don't answer to you." She could point out that she too has psychic abilities, telekinesis even...but this was just made personal, and not by her choice.
Cordy folds her arms on her chest. It would be a Mexican standoff if they were...you know, in Mexico or cowboys or anything. How is it that Cordelia and Faith are on the same page more often than not, these days? But apparently old grudges have been forgotten.
Some of them, anyway.
"You're forgetting that I was labeled that walking into Sunnydale. I burnt down my high school in LA before transferring. My parents got a divorce because my father couldn't handle me. Trust me, I've got this Angel. She needs someone who understands what she's going through. I never had someone to hold my hand while I encountered vampires. I didn't know what was going on with my powers. I can relate." Buffy watches him. "I'm not going to kill her. She needs my help. It's my job. We're not dealing with a rogue vampire slayer here. Don't compare the two and don't you dare start this with me, Angel." Buffy wasn't happy. She never was once people brought up her and Faith in the past. Buffy crossed her arms at the comment made by Faith as she stares at Angel silently.
Angel is in one of those places no man ever wants to be...caught between an angry lover and his best friends. But sometimes, Angel has to put his foot down. "...This is going to be a team effort. Among other things, the last prom we were at, we didn't do so well. I think I owe you a better dance than one steeped in tragedy, wouldn't you agree?"
If Cordelia were more magnanimous, she might have left her expression unchanging. But as she turns to gather her bags, she's smiling. She doesn't say anything -- blessedly, she has grown that much since high school -- and she takes the bounty of her shopping to the front office, settling the bags down again around her desk and then seating herself. Smoothly, she turns on her computer and starts to work. Sure, she'll do the checking. She'll gather the information and do all the investigation she can do from her desk. But she'll do it on her terms, which are at the moment the terms of her employment at Angel Investigations.
"The only thing you owe me is to let me do my damn job without trying to please your friends in the process" Buffy was still not happy but she said nothing more on the subject since she knew she was out numbered. She loved the prom she had gone to. Angel showing up with enough for her the first time, even though it didn't last. He didn't really owe her another prom. She was too old for that and didn't need to go back. She just sat back down on the couch staring at the screen. She wasn't really watching the movie.
Angel halfsmiles at her, "Buffy, you went to a lot of time and trouble to get rid of the 'one girl in all the world' problem. You succeeded. The side effect of that is that you're not alone anymore. You don't have to do anything alone anymore. Not even your job. One girl doing the job is the old way that doesn't work and never did."
"Angel trained me in fighting and I shoot a crossbow!" Cordy calls out from the office, scrolling down the page and then clicking a couple of times. "I think I may have found the school, too. Go me. I'll print it."
"Are you talking to me like I'm an employee of yours?" Buffy looks at him. "Don't lecture me like that. Save that for them." Referring to Cordy and Faith. "I don't work for you, even after we're married. I will be a slayer for as long as I'm alive. You need to come to terms with that. I've been one long before Angel Investigations was around and I didn't do it out of redemption. I was chosen." Buffy heard Cordy's comments. "What's the address for the school?"
Angel shakes his head. "No. Just pointing out teams aren't a thing you're a stranger to. That's why you have Willow and Xander and Giles. You never did anything alone, really. You were part of a team all along." Adding, "So, we can do this together. Okay?" He's not saying don't do her job, he's saying let other people help.
The sound of the printer can be heard, and then Cordelia's footsteps. Soon she steps up to the front desk, from behind it, and stacks the papers in her hands against the desktop. "Oh, well...truth is, I'd *tell* you...but you don't work here." Her thin smile returns, widening for just a second. "So I'm afraid I can't divulge confidential information. Too bad -- might be easier if you had a team." She waves the papers in Angel's direction. "I'll just keep these for you." Then she's back in her chair.
Buffy glances at Cordy. "You'll fit right in high school again Cordy. You sound like you haven't left yet." Buffy then looks at Angel. "While you two figure things out, I'll be downstairs training since that's confidential." Buffy could easily get the information herself but she would just let them deal with it. Clearly both Faith and Cordy didn't want her involved so she was stepping back. Buffy got up and walked over to the basement door.
Angel glance at Buffy, who walked off, than at Cordy, and, "...Have I mentioned I really really hate being caught between my friends and my fiancée? I've gotta figure out a better way around that."
"I know." Cordy leans on the desk, setting the stack of papers down. "Seriously, she could just...put her pride aside, for once, and admit that she works best when she's working with people that have strengths she doesn't." She folds her hands, looking to the top sheet, then over to Angel. "I wasn't there, but I heard it was kinda like that when Sunnydale...went down. I guess she just...forgot. I dunno."
"I thought I was making sense. I thought I sounded like I was making sense..." Brood. "Well, trouble in paradise aside, there's still a girl that desperately needs help. From all of us. A powerful psychic could take out a single warrior. And we never know who's going to the be the one to reach her. It might be Buffy. It wouldn't be the first time she's right. It might NOT be, though, and I can't take the chance of letting her go it alone."
Cordelia shakes her head and pushes off the desk to stand upright, walking over to the door and out again, over to Angel. She reaches out to pat his shoulder and offers a smile. It's a more genuine one, this time. "You were making sense. I mean, seriously, I *have* psychic powers. And I *know* how they pick on people. It hasn't changed, ever, and it's not gonna change anytime soon. With all of us in the school as students, we'll be able to figure it out in no time! For real."
"I don't know if I can pass for a student any more than I did the first time around...I was obviously Buffy's older boyfriend even back then. Maybe community college. That's what Buffy told her mom, at least..." Well, that's the least of his worries.
"Well," Cordy replies, "since Faith might not be able to do this one...you could always be a student teacher. It's only a couple of weeks until prom, so...it'll take them at *least* that long to figure out you're not who you say you are. If they even care enough to. Right now, there's a big shortage of teachers in the area. I don't think they'll look too closely." Because she knows how to do the undercover thing, and she obviously really wants to do it!
"Oh Angel, this is gonna be so exciting! I can put my acting skills to *great* use." Cordelia bounces in place, then freezes. "Oh. Oh, do you think anybody's gonna recognize me from TV?"
Angel didn't think about that...but upon further thought..."Claim the obvious. You're going out of your way to model your look on Cordelia Chase. Then ask if you're doing a good job."
Cordelia nods energetically. "Right. Good idea! Good idea. The show's popular..." She clears her throat and primps her hair a bit, then nods again. "Okay. Okay, this is great. Okay." Hurrying over to the bags at her desk, she starts to pull out one piece, then another, replaces one, takes another out and holds it up, turning. "Okay! How about *this* blouse...and!" Then she lifts the other hand, with sleek pants. "These pants."
Angel gets a sort of blank look at the fashion statement, "I'm not sure what you're going for. I mean, I think you look good in anything, so I'm not especially valuable when it comes to figuring out of the outfit will suit the undercover agenda."
Cordy stops herself and shakes her head, chuckling as she puts the clothes back in their bags. "It's not like I keep *forgetting* that, I just...get caught up in the moment, I guess. I'll come up with something." As she starts to turn, she pauses and turns back, holding up a finger. "But *you*...will need some different clothes for your undercover work. I know, I know, before you say anything...just going around in all black might be a little...incongruous."
Angel is about to say something, when he realizes. "Wait a minute. Last time I didn't actually GO to school. I was just an older boyfriend that showed up to the bronze and social events."
"Right, but *this* time, we can really use your heightened abilities. We can't really count on my telekinesis unless it's the only option. And while I will begrudgingly admit that Buffy can take care of herself," Cordy gestures to the dojo door, "time is kind of important. We have two weeks, and that's a lot of time...but it's also kind of not a lot of time?"
She leans back against the front desk, after stepping over to it. "I mean, I assume it's high school students being high school students but also kind of gross and excessive because who *does* that with blood, really?" Her expression is one of disgust and bewilderment. "But you remember what happened when Wolfram and Hart were after me. And this girl's not lucky enough to have you as a bestie."
"It could be anything from Wolfram and Hart paying kids off to do this sort of thing...to kids being cruel just because kids are cruel. That last one is...well, most and least likely. If it is just that, we'll have to decide how to deal with it. Cruelty can't put people in prison, but..."Wait, blood?" Hmmm. "I definitely need to be there. I'll smell a large quantity of blood long before it can be used for anything."
"Hey, that's right!" Cordy snaps her fingers. "Good call! See? This is why we need you there. If they're gonna be dumping blood on people, you'll be able to sniff it out before they even get it out of the...bag...into the...bucket...or whatever..." Her expression slowly, gradually sours to one of fairly strong disdain. "Okay, so enough about *that* topic."
"They might have a back up plan for humiliating people, but...you said it was like a movie, right? I think we need to Netflix that movie...very very quickly. If there's a bunch of variations, we need to see all of them. Nothing is ever like the movies, but if you're getting a vision, this girl is capable of doing a lot of damage to lot of people...and probably violating the Accords while she's at it."
Cordelia slowly nods. "Well, it's on there." She waves at the large screen nearby. "The girl was picked on, had a horrible home life with a crazy religious nut mother...thought she was getting what she always wanted, but turns out they all really were gonna laugh at her. She went crazy and killed 'em all. So I'm hoping we can try to avoid that part."
"If the original plot went like that...yeah, I think we can do better. Particularly if we sabotage the blood thing. That should be the weakest link of the plan, under the circumstances.." Angel is still talking with Cordy, apparently about the case.
"They didn't have a backup in the movie," Cordy replies, nodding. "Seriously, kids like that wouldn't have a backup because nobody would expect it not to work. So we can probably bank on them putting all the eggs in the one basket." She drums her fingers on her arm, having folded them on her chest again. "I'm sure Lydia's crazy busy since she's actually *in* school right now, but I'll call her up and ask her to give me a quick crash course. Just so I can be sure to notice as much as I can."
Buffy returned from the basement. She had beat up the punching bag to take out all her anger, but believe me, she was still angry. She wasn't paying attention to their conversation since she was no longer involved. It was best for her to just stay out of it and let Angel Investigations handle it. If they needed her, they would tell her. At this point, she didn't want to make things harder for Angel. Buffy just walks over to the couch and flops down on it keeping quiet.
"One basket's easy to disrupt." But then Buffy's back, and hopefully, feeling a little better now. "Are you okay?" Putting the professional stuff on hold for a moment to be an attentive fiancée. He never said she couldn't come, just that she shouldn't solo it.
Cordy might normally have a clever rejoinder to Angel's comment, to make them both laugh, but she figures this is a moment she needs to let the two of them have. "You know...I'm gonna just...go powwow with Harmony for a while. I need to get her advice on some of these ensembles, I am just *not* sure if I should go with a wedge or just stiletto it all." Dress codes be thrice-damned, as far as Cordelia's concerned. She gathers her bags and starts up the stairs with a spring in her step.
Buffy answered Angel without looking at him. "I'm fine with your case." She was being honest. Buffy laid back on the couch getting comfortable. She had no idea what exactly they were discussing now that she was paying attention but figured she would be filled in when the time was needed. Buffy looked at Cordy as she left, not really wanting to be left alone. At least with witnesses she would behave then Buffy sighed to herself.
Angel didn't need or want Buffy to behave, he wanted her to be everything she was. And he knew when she was holding back. Since Cordy's vacated..."...Out with it. There's a lot of things you're not fine with..." And then he braced himself...
Buffy had to turn away because if she looked at Angel, she would lose it. She had to remind herself to stay calm, but it wasn't working as well as she had hoped. Her fingers tapped on the couch as she listened to Angel. "You knew and still did nothing about it." Buffy was at that point a scary calm. He was right, she wasn't fine. But it wasn't with the case, it was all directed at Angel. She knew if she said any more to him, it would turn into a yelling match.
Well. Making this right was going to be tricky. His future plans included spending forever with this woman next to him now. That included dealing with her when she was at her worst. For better or worse the line goes. Well, he was probably going to get the worse part about now unless he could diffuse it somehow. "...You'll have to point out which one you mean. I've done a lot of that."
Buffy loved him and hated fighting with him. She didn't want to put him into a corner and make him feel like she didn't trust him when she does. Buffy got up off the couch and faced Angel. She wasn't ready to start pointing out what he did wrong. She was just too angry right now and knew that if she started, she would say a lot of things that she would regret later. "One?" Buffy half laughs to herself. "How about you pick which ones I'm pissed off about." She was testing him to see if he knew what was bothering her. At least this way she wouldn't lose her cool as much.
"I knew you were downstairs venting and didn't go down. I know I overruled your go it alone plan, although that doesn't qualify as 'did nothing.' That was a decision on my part to include the whole team. It wasn't what you wanted, but I'm betting it's what the girl needs. We don't know which of us will reach her. It might be you. You might reach her and prove yourself right. You've only done that hundreds of times already. But you might NOT be the one, and I need everyone available in case it isn't you."
"This has nothing to do with your decision to have everyone go and overrule me. Keep going." He was missing more, but he was accurate with the basement. She didn't know if he would get the others. It would depends on how observant he is but Buffy gave him the chance to think about it anyways.
"...Cordy leaving you out because it's 'confidential.' She didn't include you as part of the team. I should've spoken up there..." That sort of thing was something he'd apparently missed when the ladies started sparring. Well, he isn't perfect.
"And there's one more you're missing. Bonus points if you can remember it." Buffy crosses her arms at him just waiting to see if he can recall the other day with Faith. It was similar to Cordy but with threats because of something between the two of them that has nothing to do with Faith or her opinion.
Angel is blessed, or cursed, with a perfect memory, and, "Faith interfering with your desire to be turned. Even if I'm also uncomfortable with it, it's not really her business either." Which Angel still thinks is a terrible idea and he's probably going to kick that decision Waaaaaaay down the road nearly indefinitely anyway.
"And if she ever tries anything, I won't hesitate to kill her. Not you or even Angelus is going to stop me from doing that. You may trust her, but I'll never trust her as far as I can throw her." Buffy then had to add. "Well now that we've covered who has your balls, it's about time you took them back. They are probably locked up in the safe. Cordy and Faith kept them in a jar for you." He wasn't getting off easy but she wasn't nearly as mad as she was before. She's calmed down. Most people wouldn't consider this calm, but for Buffy it is.
Taking a rather amused point, he adds, "I should probably point out you can throw Faith pretty far. She's lighter than I am, and you've thrown ME across the room more than once." Because yeah, he trusts Faith a lot, and Cordy too. Then it occurs to him what else is going on...which is comically missing the point, but hey! On the other topic. "They're technically on the payroll of an organization I'm in charge of. They've just also been my friends for a long time, too."
"I don't care if you pay them or not, I will end her." Buffy was referring to Faith. "If I can throw you across the room without hesitation then just imagine what I'd do to her. Don't think you can save her this time. Friends can betray you. You've been around long enough to know that Angel. I'm sure she is just waiting for me to do something she doesn't like so she can come after me. I have no problem, bringing Angelus back from Hell just to ensure that she doesn't return."
Angel shakes his head. "Let's not do any violence here. Faith's been reformed for quite some time now. I've been working very, very hard to keep it that way. So don't try to provoke her just to prove yourself right and do something you'll regret. You may not like Faith, but she is still human, and you won't forgive yourself easily if you take a human life." Pause. "Take it from me. I know a few things about never forgiving myself."
"God, she has really done a number on you huh?" Buffy shook her head at him. "You actually believe the crap that comes out of her mouth? You know exactly what that's like and yet you believe her. The only regret in my life was not getting her when I had the chance last time. Rouge vampire slayers shouldn't be here. If she is as reformed as you say then she shouldn't find it easy to resort back to her old ways knowing her history."
Angel thinks about it for a while. And then says, "Maybe you just need to take her measure yourself. Invite her into the sparring arena sometime. You can vent your frustrations and find out, from her fighting, how it really is."
"I've got a better idea. How about I tie you up and put you outside in the sunlight!" Buffy glares at him. "Why don't you just hand her a weapon and order her to kill me. Are you insane?!" She wasn't impressed with his ideas but she was still mad so that wasn't helping right now. The more he defended her, the worse it got.
It's about then that Cordelia makes her way back downstairs, empty-handed this time but now accompanied by Harmony. The two chat pleasantly as they get to the landing, then Cordy seems to notice that there's definitely trouble in paradise. She listens for a few seconds, then gestures to Harmony and the two reach the lobby seconds later. "I could get the crossbow, you could try to dodge." Chuckling softly, she shakes her head, waving a hand. "Seriously, putting Angel out in the sunlight wouldn't do anything anymore. Remember? He's a knight now."
Angel takes Cordy up on that, adding, "And we do enjoy those daytime picnics whenever you get an urge for one." Which does happen often enough to be notable. But maybe that's the point. Maybe the idea is Faith isn't any more likely to hurt Buffy than the sun is to hurt him at the moment. ...Or maybe she just needs find some inner peace. "Buffy, I'm more likely to be overprotective than I am to hang you out to dry in actual danger." Which is true. Being protective of a bunch of people who really don't need it is just something Angel does.
Buffy sighs as Cordy ruined it for her. The sunlight threat was one of her favorites and now it was useless on him. "There you go Cordy, more practice for you with the crossbow." Buffy looks at Cordy as she speaks. "Don't miss." Buffy crosses her arms. "I forgot about the knight thing. It's so much easier to threaten a normal vampire." She looks back at Angel. "I can still punch you in the face if you keep talking about her. You may know what you did wrong, but continue to make it. You're lucky you have someone in this damn room who will protect you, you might need it."
Harmony steps up next to Cordelia, looking Buffy down and up again, raising an eyebrow but not saying anything. She ends up deferring to Cordy...who tilts her head to one side and looking...amused? Confused? Some combination of the two.
"I wasn't seriously going to try to shoot you, Buffy." Cordelia ends up flatly stating. "Is it really a healthy relationship where one party threatens another one with physical violence and death? I mean, far be it from me to cast aspersions..."
"Yes, let's discuss healthy relationships. Like the ones my fiance puts above me? Let's start with Faith. He will jump at the chance to defend her but when it comes time to defend me, he forgets." Buffy looks at Cordy then at Angel. "It's just amazing how those things work, isn't it. I clearly thought wrong on where I was placed in all of this, but I've been corrected." And she was now back to being angry with him. "Shall I continue or is everyone all caught up?" Buffy looks at Cordy. "I'm not going to hurt him. You would stop me. Its how all three of you are. Buddies protecting each other. I got it." She had some sarcasm to her voice.
Angel....sighs. He's going to have to resolve this later. She's too angry to deal with right now. He'll set it right soon.