11191/The Case of the Missing Slayer

The Case of the Missing Slayer
Date of Scene:	12 March 2020
Location:	The Tunnel - Midtown Manhattan
Synopsis:	Buffy is rescued. Thomas is angry. Nick makes a confession.
Cast of Characters:	Buffy Summers, Thomas Raith, Phantasm (Drago)
Tinyplot:	Blood of the Ancients

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Buffy Summers has posed:
It's already been a day or two since Dawn was rescued from The Scarlet Lounge, but the rescue did not come without a steep price. And perhaps it's becoming clearer by now that Dawn may not have been the ultimate goal of the cult. Buffy has not returned, had not responded to any phone calls or texts sent her way. No one had seen her since the rescue, which meant if they're gonna get any leads on what happened, they're going to have to go back to where it all started. The club is less crowded today and it may not be as hard to find the last person who saw her and possibly knows where she is - The vampire Trudy.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Being told that Buffy was in danger was not something that Thomas needed to hear. He'd intended to join in on the raid, but some jelious husband had stabbed the man who was at the Blue Lady with his wife (who turned out to be his own gay lover who was sleeping with them both). and by the time everything had calmed down... He sighs and tries to put it out of his head standing in the nightclub. He and buffy had been lovers for weeks. He'd fed on her multiple times. He had, in a very real way, been feeding on her soul. And so he is closing his eyes. Trying to focus. Trying to let that bit of her inside of him, lead him to her.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well, the rescue with Dawn was eventful and the group did eventually acquire the person the group set out to rescue. Considering the split team approach and the general overusage of ability, it was a bit of a surprise to find out that Buffy hasn't shown up. And well, based from his talks with Buffy prior to the rescue scene, he knew one person who should get the news. So, here he is now. Following Thomas back to the scene of the rescue.

He's incredibly dressed down. A sharp contrast to the higher end attire Thomas is likely favoring. Jeans, a hooodie, hood pulled down low, and gloves. Definitely not super hero attire but well, If you could only see it.

Seriously.

Because he's technically not even supposed to be here, Nick has opted to go back to the form he was a few nights ago. Not visible. But with a few stakes stowed away in his unseen pockets. Just in case. Looks like Thomas will be the one doing the talking. Which, is fine by Nick.

Buffy Summers has posed:
To be fair, Buffy has been emotionally close to Thomas for far more than a few weeks; More like several months. So a bond had definitely been forged between them, although it wasn't exactly a brilliant beacon of light in a dark tunnel, but more like a whispering in the ear, a subtle suggestion. If someone could point him in the right direction, it would make it easier for Thomas to find her..

But as it is, he may just be able to sense her somehow, somewhere, far away from here...She's definitely alive, but weak, hurt...And quite angry...

But his thoughts may well be interrupted by the appearance of a certain dark haired, goth looking vamp girl who flashes him a charming smile as she saunters up to him, "Well well, you're a bit tardy, but all the same, I trust you e come to repay your debt? I did Afterall, protect Dawn from Riven and a I hid her from being shipped off with the others..." but she's saying too much as is, so she extends a hand for him to take, unaware currently, that he's not alone.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith's eyes snap open. They are silver and his skin has a touch of luminessence to it. "Where. Is. Buffy?" he asks in a slow clipped tone with the woman, not touching her hand, "And bare in mind an honest answer might be the only thing that keeps you alive tonight,"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The phantasm remains quiet, stepping back a bit to get a clearer view of the scene unfolding. Making note of anyone who might get too close to the talking pair. He has no intent to disrupt the familiar looking goth as he already told Buffy previously he'd let that call go to Thomas.

The unseen head does lift at the word usage however. Is there something more going on beyond recruitment?

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Tsk, tsk.." she clicks her tongue in disapproval, shaking her head, "Are you or are you NOT a man of honour? I promised you I would keep little sister Dawn safe, but I made no such promises about Buffy.." eyes narrow dangerously, glancing around, "Don't forget, you're on MY territory now, and this place is just crawling with vampires, friends who won't hesitate to come to my aid." still she smiles sweetly, resting a hand on his arm, "Now, what will it be, the easy way or the hard way? Just Give me one dance and I'll tell you as much as I know.."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith would take any 3 of these "Ash-Vamps" over a single Red Court any day. The proble with figures like that is they aren't really exponential. 3 Ash's might only be as tough as 1 Red... but 4 are easily the match of 2, and 5 more then three. He could /probably/ take them all... but he'd have to kill them all, including his not-so-secret admirer... and then he'd be no closer to Buffy. "One Dance." He says through gritted teeth. "And you pop a fang I swear you will regret it."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well there she goes pointing out that Thomas is outnumbered. How mean. The phantasm reaches into a pocket, tugging out on stake to be at the ready, his contact with the wooden object being sufficient to allow the energy to keep it hidden as well.

He continues to look to the forms around them, making note of which ones are taking the most interest in the exchange going on between the two. Those are probably going to be the first ones to get involved if things go downhill.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Trudy smiles sweetly, pulling him nearer and towards the dance floor, "Now that's better, let's have a little chat, mm? I was starting to worry when you didn't show up the other night.." eyes narrow, peering around, "Did you come alone? Cant have you breaking your oath, even if one of your cronies try to stab me in the back. They made quite a scene the other day, nearly got me into trouble..And after all the hard work I did in protecting that little brat.." she attempts to hold him close, too close for comfort as they dance, hungrily eyeing his neck..

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith waggles his finger in her face lightly in her face, holding her slightly away. "As Sister Mary Catherine used to say, save some room for Jesus." He says placin his hand on her waist and his other on her shoudler. His strength far more then a normal human to keep her from closing the distance to bite him. "Now talk.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The corner of phantasm's lips quirks upwards at the mention of the scene. Well, there were a lot of vamps in the way of Karrin's gun. Can you really blame them for the heavy ash count?

He shakes his head, keeping his watch.

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Awwe, is that any way to treat a fellow predator? Or are you really just that shy?" she pouts a bit, reaching up to caress his cheek with a cold hand and sighs, swaying slowly to the music. "Okaay, fine. If you don't wanna have a bit of fun first. I am curious though. Do you even KNOW what she did to the last person she supposedly 'loved?!' sacrificing him to 'save the world', a bunch of strangers! Do you really want to throw your lot with someone who will do the same to you eventually?" she smirks, "Wouldn't you rather join the winning team?"
    he other vamps keep a close eye on Thomas, ready to defend Trudy if need be.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith rolls his eyes slightly, but doesn't rise to the bait. After all he's /met/ Angel. Done business with the man. He's hardly been sacrificed. "Why don't you let that be my problem." He says casually, "See i prefer to ally myself with the Alpha predator. After all isn't she the one that keeps you tossing and turning in your coffins?" he smirks just a bit and touches her cheek, sending pleasure through her body in a rush. "Now tell me where she is?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Hearing the description of what happened to one of Buffy's exes, phantasm's head tilts. He's not as privy to details to the Slayer's love life so he doesn't really have the information to connect the dots but if the description of what happened is true well- Dang. That's got to be a rough decision right there.

As a few vamps seem to stand out more as being 'extra attentive', the phantasm makes his way a little closer to them.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Trudy just laughs, "Oh sure, he's alive now..But only after she sent him to hell dimension that drove him mad..Guess she chose to save bunch of strangers over her first love..lWhat a fool..And so are you for...!"

And that's when he sends a wave of pleasure down her spine and she closes her eyes, shivering at the touch, "Mmm, now that's more like it!" but it makes her more co-operative at least, clutching his hands more tightly, desperate for more..

"Mmmmokaay, he, Lord Armastus was once an unstoppable vampire, before he was cursed by a witch to hunger more quickly than your average vamp.." she sighs, "As you can imagine, it was hard for him to remain at peak strength for any sustained amount of time. Once he heard of the slayer, he set a trap, luring her younger sister, calling to Buffy in her dreams. He knew she couldn't resist coming to him, believing it was her destiny to defeat him..Realizing that there was sooo much more at stake than just her baby sister.."

She laughs coldly, "She really is a selfish little bitch..Choosing to split from the others, believing only she could do this.Abandoning her friends to stop Armastus herself..Only she fell right into his trap.." she grins wickedly..

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith smirks just a little bit as the girl apparently decides that a taste of the White Court's hunger is enough to spill her guts. Fine if thats what it takes. He traces his finger down her throat, along her collar bone. "And where are they now" he asks, softly. Flooding her body with pleasure...for now.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
So rather than bring others into matters, it seemed Buffy decided to handle things on her own and now she's in trouble. Dang it. Why couldn't she have asked for help on that matter too?

Not even registering the irony of the thought, the phantasm tugs out a second stake, getting the general impression that the mood in the room was going to be changing soon enough. He eyes the pair near him and then checks to see if there are any that may have wandered into Thomas's blind spot.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Trudy groans softly, finding it hard to think straight, and it's so much easier to give him what he wants, whatever will give her a greater reward. "Mmmm...Don't I taste sooo much better than her!" she grins wickedly, arching her head back, clutching his shoulders tightly, "She's here, on the top most floor..No, not the crimson lounge in third. There's a secret fourth floor, but only a select few have access to it. He's been feeding on her for several days now, letting only his most exclusive members in to guard the place.." She sighs, reaching for her pocket, slipping a gold key card into his hand. "She's not really worth saving but if you wanna waste your time, go right ahead..And when you tire of her, I'll be right here, waiting for you.."

Thomas Raith has posed:
"No Trudy, you won't." He says simply, "And frankly you taste like dirt and Ash.." He says and... well a Vampire doesn't have allot of "Life Force" in them anyway. And What Trudy does have he pulls out of her body in a hard savage rush, Taking away the part of herthat makes her "undead" and leaves just the dead. He draws both Kukri and starts for the stairs.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Ding ding ding ding. With the bell rung by Thomas making visible the intent, Phantasm moves over to the two previously identified vampires. Lining the stakes up, he pushes them through the chests quietly before letting go of the stakes, taking away the energy that kept them intangible.

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Eeeee!" she shrieks in rage the and pain as her body disintegrates today nothing more than ash. And that is the end of Trudy..Two of the six vamps are caught unawares and bam unto ash. The four remaining vamps snarl at this sudden change of events and and quickly give chase after the White Court vampire. The stairs leads only to the second floor, and then a they will need to use the golden key card to reach the third and fourth floor..But the vamps are rapidly gaining on them, two of them attempt to tackle Raith to the ground before he can reach the elevator.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Kukri are drawn and slashed, The man moving with speed, grace, and percision. the light gleaming off the blade in a flair as he uses it to part the head from the neck of the first vamp brave/stupid enough to follow him up the stairs. His eyes dancing from one to the next, smirking with animalistic hunger. "You just lost half our guys in under a minute boys. Is this really the hill you want to die on?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The stakes that fall from the ash are quickly scooped up which would have given one vampire a disturbing view of stakes flying towards him and vanishing - IF they were not all looking towards Thomas. The phantasm sets another stake inside a vampire, already turning towards another one. There vampys. Have some added emphasis to Thomas's words.

Buffy Summers has posed:
WHOOSH! Two more vamps get dusted but the others continue to pursue Thomas, unaware of his invisible ally but clearly aware of someone nearby..One lashes out wildly with claws where he saw the stake go flying, the other snarls at Thomas, swiping at his neck, still trying to stop him from reaching that oh so close elevator..

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith slashes off the vampires hand at the wrist... then the elbow, the she shoulder. Three swift cuts leaving the blood sucking fiend to regret his choices this night for the rest of his life. Both seconds of it. Thomas drops the Kukri on either side of the Vamp's neck in a quick sissoring motion decapitates the beastie. He then starts walking towards the elevator. Trusting Nick will be right behind him. Questing his senses out to find his lover.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There's something to be said about the visual of claws coming towards you. As the phantasm sees the creature lunge towards where the solidified stake flies to the floor. He backs up quickly.

The phantasm spins on his feet as the Vampirish bull charges past, leaving him to use his other stake like a Espada, shoving it into the heart area for a final release. Ole!

Ignoring the clack clack clack of the last dispensed stake, the phantasm is already running towards Thomas, scooping up the first stake on his way over to the elevator.

Buffy Summers has posed:
POOF! The remaining vamps are quickly turned to ash, and once Thomas inserts the golden key card, it'll take both him and Phantasm directly to the fourth floor. It's funny how, in moments of desperation, even the quickest things seem to take forever, like this elevator ride..

Her presence seems stronger here, as the elevator screeches to a halt in a room on the rooftop of the building. And really there's only the one hallway leading to the one door although it's locked and apparently a pretty tough door...Although Thomas with his enhanced strength could likely kick it open with some effort..

The sounds of a fight can be heard on the other side as well as a familiar voice and cry of pain. Could it be..Buffy?

Thomas Raith has posed:
Never shoulder block a door. It's not nearly as effective as in the movies and frankly if the door doesn't open it hurts like hell. Thomas kicks the door hard enough to literally rip it's hinges out of the wall and reduce parts of it to splinters... he probably could have shoulder blocked it. His knives at his sides he storms into the room, skin practically glowing and his eyes silver white as he calls out "AND I'M ALL OUT OF BUBBLEGUM!

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Oh look! The most fearsome foe yet. The locked door! Oh well that's probably easy for a figure who can go through objects to just unlock in a very qu-

Alright, Kool-aid man entrance it is. Oh Yeaaaaaaah.

Down a stake, the unseen phantasm goes to the entry way to follow Thomas in, keeping an eye out for any ADDITIONAL issues that might pop up.

Buffy Summers has posed:
To be honest, Buffy was never really good at the whole 'Damsel in Distress' part. Maybe she was just too darn impatient, or too strong for her own good. At least, that's how things usually went down..But she was tired. So damn tired. Between the repeated feedings and beatings and chaining to walls, she was getting pretty mad..

Which is probably why, when Thomas and Nick burst in, there are piles of ash everywhere..Sure she had to improvise on weaponry, having not brought her tonfa on this covert mission, but those cute hair clips that doubled as stakes worked well...

Unfortunately Armastus proved too much a match for her, already enriched on a The Slayer's blood, he was large, muscular and more powerful than ever, dressed in a black pinstripe suit and blood red tie, curly blonde hair and seductive smile almost too wickedly handsome as he held her by the neck several inches off the ground, his literally hypnotizing gaze having enthralled her somehow, making her unable to fight back as he hungrily drank of her blood, enough that would easily drain a normal human to death...But she was hardly normal...

And of course, six more burly looking vampires guard the doorway standing between the heroes and the girl, armed to the teeth and looking like they actually know what they're doing as they approach the pair of would be rescuers, rushing at them with weapons armed and ready to lay down some punishment.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Rage and fury proceed Thomas as he enters the room like a dervish. Blades flying in savage murderous arcs as he charges the guards, but with eyes focused on the Vampire. "Get the fuck away from her!" he says in a challenging tone. Launching himself at the air like a character in a John woo Flick.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Oh boy, here we go again. The phantasm reaches into his shirt, tugging out a couple sticks. Not a stake, but definitely wooden.

Sticks clenched in one stick and the last stake in the other. The unseen fighter rushes forward, shoving the stake into the first one he comes across while dispersing the newer two sticks into the next two vampires that he comes across.

Buffy Summers has posed:
The vampires leap at Thomas, trying to drag him down with them, swinging a spiked mace and swords at his legs to slow him down although he's pretty quick all the same. One or two of the vamps are dusted by Nick though the thugs darts out of the way in time, shooting out rapid fire bolts from his crossbow at where he thought he saw the stakes hitting his comrades.

Armastus smirks, drinking his fill before hurling Buffy against a nearby wall, turning slowly and walking out a back door towards a rooftop. The sound of a helicopter can be heard and uts clear he's making his exit to who knows where. "How quaint. seems the calvery has arrived.." he shrugs, looking at her broken unmoving body. "Oh, You can have what's left of her, now that I'm through with her.." he laughs, running a hand through his hair before closing the door behind him..

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith's skin is litterally glowing as he moves ever foreward. It's like that scene in that Jet Li movie. I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me. His blades a blur as he slashes in the direction of the slayer. Removing body parts of anyone that gets in his way and ignoring what isn't to simply get to her.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Oh sh-. Seeing the crossbow liftup, the phantasm aborts the attempt to shove the second drumstick into the intended target and instead scatters out of the way.

Looks like he got a bit greedy there, taking on so many so quickly. Alright, time to regroup.

Taking an orbit around the crossbow wielder, he sets to make sure to stay behind him before setting the stick in place and letting go.

Buffy Summers has posed:
The entire place is a bloodbath as corpses go flying. Good thing they explode into tidy piles of ash though. It doesn't take long for the pair to clear out the room. What remaining vamps are not immediately dusted simply turn tail and run, following after their leader.

Buffy groans, rubbing her head, slowly propping herself up in a sitting position against the wall. She's still weak and dizzy but it'll take a lot more than that to kill The Slayer.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith's Kukri knives are slipped into the holster on his back and his arms slide underneath her, cradling her gently in his arms. He stands with her as if she weighed nothing more then a child. He nods to the otherwise nearly empty room, "Let's move." He calls towards Nick, moving with her towards the elevator.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well, it does look like another prime location to film a vaccuum infomercial. Look there are even the little demonstration piles of dirt. With no more challengers coming out of the woodwork, and Thomas having Buffy in hands, the silent shadow follows after Thomas, not speaking until they get a safe enough distance away. "She's going to be okay, right?"

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith's eyes look like they are pools of solid silver. His skin is shimmering with white luminessance. "She'll be fine." he says with a cold certainty that says he'd fight God's and Devils to keep that promise. He carries her down to the snow white Hummer they parked just a little ways away and tosses the keys to Nick. He lays the Slayer in the back seat and then crawls in behind her to use his lap as her pillow.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Having got a sufficient amount of distance away, Nick ends up going back to human form. Seeing the keys come at his face. He reaches a hand up to catch them. "...I don't have a license."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith gives the musician a very long cold stare. In that moment he could not be mistaken for a normal human. He is too still. To aetherial. To...wrong. "Do i look like I give a fuck?" he asks simply as he gets into the back seat.