milliways_bar | (no subject)

Feels like forever since he was down here, just hanging out. But he gets those moments of longing for solitude, or at least for being left mostly alone. Or at least for less crowded conditions, and so he takes time off and deals with it and then comes back when he's ready.

Of course, Beth doesn't equal a crowd and taking time for solitude doesn't mean being all alone.

But it's been long enough and by way of acknowledging his own dual nature -- or maybe that's all a load of crap and it's just time -- Spike wanders down from Room 8 and opens the door to the bar and blinks hard a couple times, because there are new people. Always new people and that's cool. Never a dull moment anyhow.

Besides, he's starving. A guy can only go so long being fed by things other than food, and so he stops by the ever-present buffet and grabs a plate of whatever's there, not noticing and not caring particularly, just... hungry. And it's gone before he even knows it, so he gets a cup of coffee and lights a cigarette and hangs out at his favorite table by the fire, just watching everyone, wondering if anything asteroid-shattering happened while he was being a hermit.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Never one to back down, Haruka stands fast, staring back up at the "humble bounty hunter" with complete fearlessness. Nobody gets between Haruka and family, even when they think they're doing it for the right reasons.

After a few minutes of standoff, a slow glance is spared for the equally-bristling Hotaru. The pale, frail-looking... Hotaru?

Haruka's eyes meet Spike's again, but instead of the fierce determination of an incipient hurricane, they reflect a thoughtful puzzlement... thoughts turning over the way fallen leaves do in a gentle, steady breeze.

"Hotaru-chan, you seem to be safe here... for the moment. You..." Haruka directed at her antagonist, "You don't feel like a threat to her. I have to consult my friends about this situation, so I must leave her under your guard."

With a tiny bow and one last wistful look at the young sitting stiffly in her chair, Haruka departed through the front door.

He takes his hand off his gun and takes a cigarette instead, lighting it slowly as he watches Haruka's retreating form.

What the fuck.

"Hotaru... did you know her?"

Because she sure as hell seemed to know you.

"Because if you need me to back off, just say so. Otherwise I don't know to do it."

He figures it this way: there are the people he knows and cares about, and the people he doesn't, and if someone's a threat -- real or perceived -- to that first group, he's going to act first and ask questions later.

Just like always.

Hotaru manages to calm down, just a little; at least she won't be glaring at Spike when she looks at him, but...
"I have no idea who that woman is."

Why was she talking about me like that?

She looks at him, cautiously, still surprised. Hesistantly, she says, "Thank you."

Happy for Spike's reaction, but disturbed with everything else. Who was she? Maybe she came from Hotaru's world. Why did she call herself her papa??

...And Hotaru's papa is fine!!

She frowns, in contemplation on all of this, and hugs herself, absent-mindedly.

"I wasn't sure..." He scratches his head, puzzled. There's a lot of shit that goes on here that just doesn't make sense to him.

But with all these people from different times and places converging, that's bound to happen.

He shakes his head, lets out a few smoke rings, and just wonders silently what the fuck he's doing. He doesn't even like kids.

Hotaru is still standing, gazing off with a furrowed brow.

It would be an awkward moment, but it's not really registered with her that it should be.

Her look darkens.

"I... should go."

"Yeah."

That's probably the best thing all around. It's been a hell of a weird night.

"See you later, imoutosan. You take care of yourself."

He just shakes his head.

It makes her happy to hear him say that, but there is too much on her mind to smile just then. So all she does is nod, in acknowledgement.

Her arms remain wrapped around her, and she walks, driftingly, towards the stairs and up to her room with Edward.