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Crowley approaches, offering to make Wolfram and Hart's case go away for a Soul Contract. Faith shuts him down. Integrity is maintained.
12/05/2016 7:00 PM
Beacon Hills
West Hills North[]
This collection of quiet suburban streets is primarily residential in zone with scattered patches of light commercial properties. The streets make up a generally ordered grid, featuring quaint names like Mountainview Court and Woodbine Lane. This place is the picture of classic small-town American life, made up of reasonably orderly yards and classic two-story houses on mid-sized lots, varied enough to have character but regular enough to feel like cohesive neighborhoods. It seems like a nice, safe place to live, even with the occasional curious call or howl from the nearby forest.
The Beacon Hills Public School occupies the north end of this area, nestled near the highway and bordering the woods. The local animal clinic can be found near the center of the area, just against the long, swooping curve of Circle Street, which separates orderly suburbia from the more widely spaced country houses that border the actual woodlands to the west. Just at that border, the highway separates the town from the forest as one long, winding barrier. To the east, both Northern and Roosevelt Bridge span the East Hills River.
The evening's stars are mostly hidden by dark clouds above. In winter, nighttime temperatures do not generally reach above 35?F. With the coming of winter, the trees are bare of leaves and there's a cold bite to the air. It's snowing heavily.
So, Angel and Faith (in glamour) walk along, pondering ways in which to make this annoying court case go away. There's more of a plan in place now, but they still have to come up with a way to plant a weapon in the hands of a man now dead for close to a month.
With the weapon, Faith can tell the truth. That she genuinely believed Eva to be in real danger. "So...still need to get other stuff to be conveniently forgotten."
Angel concedes, "That is a concern. Even if the current charges get dropped, you did escape from prison, jumping right through prison glass at Wesley's request." Which led to her saving his soul with some help from Willow, but even so...
Faith Lehane nods. "And while what I've done once I can do again...they'd know where to find me." She frowns. "I still don't quite know what to do."
Crowley may or or may not have been standing behind the pair for a few minutes. The well dressed businessman, or businessdemon at it were clears his throat, "Gent, lady, pleasure. Heard about a legal project recently, nasty bit of business, the kind that doesn't quite end with a gold star and mommy's praise."
Angel turns to...whoever that is. Who...doesn't smell entirely human. "And...who are you, exactly?" And why would he be approaching them when she's under a glamour and he's a PI. Unless he's seeing through it somehow, which some demons would.
Faith Lehane whirls. Hands in her pockets. Don't sneak up on Slayers. Especially ones that are already on edge. And her favorite knife might be gone? Faith is NEVER unarmed.
Crowley smiles with practiced flair, "Name's Crowley, solver of problems, semi-philanthropist, but mostly all businessman. I know who you two are, especially the vampire with the most ironic name in the universe. I'd say that Angelus sends his regards but.. well.. we don't quite walk in the same circles."
Angel glares now. "...Well, I know where my alter-ego is, and if you've made his acquaintance recently, I'd say you're from downstairs. And just how do you mean to solve a problem that comes from people supported by the Senior Partners? They aren't small fry, even Hell can't push them around lightly."
"Go back to hell," Faith says. She doesn't seem particularly inclined to hear the businessman out, although the knife disappears again. No point killing this breed of demon. All it does is piss them off.
Crowley raises a brow, "True and. true. But there's one kind of magic that even the Senior Partners can't trump: Soul contract. Before you go the way of Saint Peter, jump on the no-wagon down to a rock pit, and harmonica, consider what happens if you aren't out here granting Darwin Awards and dunce caps to the nightly monster movie lineup."
Angel looks incredulous. "You gotta be kidding me. Very few people know the value of a soul the way I do. Well, except people in your line of work, or Heaven's. I know exactly what I'm like without one. You've got the result as your new roommate down there." Not the same circles aside, of course.
"It ain't yours he's after." Faith makes a wry expression. "Should have known somebody would try making me an offer."
Crowley grins, "Sharp lass.." He straightens his tie, "It all comes down to priorities. I can't force anyone to sell their soul, indeed most of the time they come a'knockin, not me. But the prestige of a Slayer's soul? Hard to pass up, and your options are about bupkiss all at this point. I can help.. for a price."
Angel rolls his eyes. "Right. The court case is your bait on the hook...but the fish aren't biting today." Angel seems so confident in his partner he's not even looking at her.
Faith Lehane shakes her head. "Tempting, but no." She *smiles* at Crowley. "I get that you have to try." But the worst case scenario is she has to go fight bad guys somewhere else.
Crowley shrugs, "Temptation is the root of all our best decisions. I could give you.. fifteen years, twice the amount of time most clients get before the devil gets his due, and your problems simply go away, nothing to link you to this mess you're in. But.. like I said.. priorities. Not everyone says yes."
Angel goes silent, for a minute, and lets Faith make her statement more emphatically, if that's what needs to be done. Integrity doesn't grow on trees...it grows in moments like this.
"I already said. Go back to hell. Get that you're doing your job, but I can't do mine if I'm compromised. Besides, I'm a Slayer." 15 years? She doesn't expect to live that long.
Crowley snickers, "Was worth a shot anyhow." He sighs, "Fred.. Velma.. pleasure." He vanishes with the snap of is fingers.
"I think that was a reference I didn't get...." Well, whatever. He's really proud of Faith for not taking the easy way out. There might've been a time in the past where she'd have considered it, but she'd grown so much then.
"He...called us Scooby gang members." Faith lets out a breath. "He's really gone.."
"Scooby gang? That's what Xander always called the team back in Sunnydale. Or did he mean something else?" Angel, possibly the only one who knows what Xander's talking about who never watched a cartoon.
"He meant..." A pause. "After this is all fixed, we have some TV to watch." Because Angel needs to get the reference and be insulted or not.
"If you say so." Pause. "...If we have time to watch TV together again, I will watch every show." Because things like this remind him how precious time. And even 'wasted' time is precious when friends are involved.