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[not_that_spike]

This all feels familiar.

Spike stands in the corner by the door, his jacket slung over his shoulder, gun peeking out of its inside pocket. He looks around the room, then laughs -- but only to himself.

It's what he did the first night he found himself here, completely clueless, all alone, no idea where the fuck this bar was.

This night, he heads over to his favorite table by the fire and sits, warming his hands. This is home now.

What a concept.

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[forbiddensailor.livejournal.com]

Hotaru descends from upstairs.

She checks the room, cautiously. She is absolutely amazed to see no traces of the battle from a few days ago. No traces of fallen trees, or injured people. Merely a normal, (to the extent that this place is ever normal), bustling bar. As she scans the room, all she sees is people, talking, dining, or drinking, among their various groups.

Then she sees Spike.

She walks over to him, stopping once or twice in hesitation.

"Hello," she says quietly when she reaches him, taking a seat opposite his at the table.

[not_that_spike]

"Hey, Hotaru. How's it going?"

The whole connotation of home brings a lot of baggage with it. Some good, some bad, but Hotaru is definitely one of the people he's glad to see.

She's his imoutosan, after all. His little sister. For the first time in his life.

[forbiddensailor.livejournal.com]

"Were you here when... um," she pauses, "Trees... started... attacking everyone?"

Then she smiles. It sounds ridiculous, as a question.

[not_that_spike]

His befuddled expression pretty much says it all.

"Shit." He lights a cigarette. "Stay upstairs for an evening and look what happens."

[forbiddensailor.livejournal.com]

"I guess not..." She says, looking away.


Tea would be good, now.


"Would you like to have some tea with me?" she asks, gazing elsewhere.

[not_that_spike]

"Yeah, if you tell me about the attack trees."

He shakes his head. Some shit just isn't meant to really happen, is it?

[forbiddensailor.livejournal.com]

Some of the last words from Arithon linger in her mind...

"You should learn to let others help you... Life is hard and painful, but if you hold with others, it is less so. ...If you carry the loads of others, everyone heals..."

...And she nods.

"What are you having?..." her question comes with her lingering gaze, shifting to him.

[not_that_spike]

Vodka. Lots of it.

"Green tea. Sound okay? Did you eat tonight?"

Someone's got to take care of her.

[stbethadettes]

Beth makes a point of walking by where Spike is sitting. Unlike the very first time she spoke to him, it's completely intentional when her elbow gives his back a gentle bump.

"I'm so sorry." A sly smile accompanies her apology.

"Nice hair," she adds. She knows for certain that it isn't the first time he's heard that.

[not_that_spike]

"Goddammit, how many times have I told you: don't fuck with the hair."

Spike bursts into a laugh, catching Beth's hand as she goes by. "Hey, Slim."

She looks beautiful tonight.

[stbethadettes]

"I wouldn't dream of it." She spreads her fingers wide, pretending to be aghast.

But she happily lets him catch her hand. His fingers on hers. She's always liked that.

[not_that_spike]

"In a hurry?"

If you are, I'm going with you.

He doesn't let go of her hand.

[stbethadettes]

She can barely remember the last time she had anywhere to be in any kind of hurry, but she's not terribly torn up about that.

She steps right up beside his chair, and her shoulders shrug slightly. "Only in a hurry to see you, bounty hunter. Spare a cigarette?"

[not_that_spike]

"For you?"

He looks up at her in an appraising sort of way, then breaks into a grin. "Feel like sitting?" Finally letting go of her hands, he takes a smoke out of the pack and hands it to her.

[stbethadettes]

Beth raises her eyebrows at his appraisal, her smile not fading.

"Why not?" She deposits herself into the seat beside him. She also takes the offered cigarette. Her left hand disappears into her pocket, fingers closing around her new lighter, but she doesn't take it out immediately.

"I did some target practice on my own today," she mentions, almost conversationally. The truth is that she hasn't been practicing nearly as often as she originally intended to, even after getting a gun as gift. But today she did brave the snow alone with practice in mind.

[not_that_spike]

His eyes light up in an I'll be damned, she actually used the Barak kind of way. "How did it go?"

Out of habit, he flicks on his own lighter and holds it up for her. He likes the way it makes her eyes shine. There are a million questions he doesn't ask. Not just now.

[shadythief.livejournal.com]

Shadow strolls by on her leisurely course to the bar and slows.

This one's got the look.

And not by cultivation.

"Evening."

[not_that_spike]

He's seen her here before, or maybe not. He's not sure. Doesn't matter, doesn't care.

"Hey."

He lights a smoke and turns back to the fire.

[shadythief.livejournal.com]

She places a hand on one of the chairs opposite him.

"Care for a little company?"

[not_that_spike]

"It's a free country."

He gestures to the chair. "Knock yourself out."

[shadythief.livejournal.com]

A brief smile and she's in the chair, one leg curled under her and the other dangling over the edge.

"Shadow. Shady to friends. And you?" she asks, drawing a flask from her beltpouch.

[not_that_spike]

"Me? I'm just a humble bounty hunter, ma'am." He slides the cigarette pack and lighter across the table to her, just in case she smokes. "Spike. Spike to friends, hey asshole to enemies."

[shadythief.livejournal.com]

She draws a cigarette with a smile and shakes her head. "No ma'am, please. Just Shadow for now."

She picks up the lighter next and examines it for a moment before successfully producing a spark, then a flame.

"At least there's some sort of verbal warning before they shoot at you. One day it'll be a swift knife in the dark from the more clever of my foes."

[2woolongdatadog.livejournal.com]

Ein follows Hotaru down, sticking closely to her. When she settles at Spike's table, he even lies down right next to her chair instead of next to Spike's as he might normally.

Spike still gets a lick in greeting, though.

[not_that_spike]

Out of habit, he reaches down and pets Ein as the dog passes by.