11822/You have WHAT

You have WHAT
Date of Scene:	23 July 2020
Location:	Harry Dresden's Apartment
Synopsis:	Harry tells Karrin about the Denarian coin and decides they should take it to the church that night. They are intercepted by two of the fallen on the way. Buffy comes to help save the day and even Spike gets in the fight, but there may be lasting consequences yet...
Cast of Characters:	Karrin Murphy, Harry Dresden, Buffy Summers, Spike

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Karrin Murphy has posed:
When we last left our intrepid heroes... "Yeah...I'm fine." Harry says as he looks from Lash to the trapdoor. He sighs, casting a glance at the box next to Bob before he starts to make his way over towards the ladder, "But I think we need to get dressed. I have something I need to get over to the church which I should have done by now, and it shouldn't wait any longer." He braces for the verbal backlash as he starts to climb up the stairs, casting one last glance over towards where Lash is sitting, "I've got a denarian coin, and I have it on good authority that if I hold onto it to long, they might come for it, so best get it out of her tonight..."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
While Karrin was still waking up, she's pretty good at being awake and aware fairly fast even when things aren't an immediate emergency. That means she's pretty sure she heard him right, but hopes she hasn't. She gives him a tired blink and shifts, climbing down into the lab below (probably giving him a nice flash of how little is under that t-shirt) before she sets bare feet on a chilly floor and turns back to him. She stares. Hard.

"...Maybe I wasn't awake enough, but you're telling me that you've just been...Keeping a *Denarian Coin* here and, on top of that... Who the hell is the good authority that told you they are coming for it? I must still be dreaming." She folds her arms across her chest, temper still restrained, waiting for a better explanation than she's likely to get. But she's waiting.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Rolling his eyes just a little bit, Harry takes the locked lead box from the shelf next to Bob and goes to shove it into a pocket. One that doesn't exist because he is still only wearing a pair of boxers. "Well, it's not like I was intending on just keeping it here, Murph. I was going to take it over to the Church, I just hadn't yet." the wizard explains as he sets the box back down onto the table, "As far as how I know they might come for it? I had a dream. We both know how those work."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"...Why... why not just take it *directly* to the church?! What were you going to do, play tiddlywinks with it?!" Murphy asks, more than a touch of that exasperated temper behind her voice as she stares at the box that he's got no where to put. Her expression could be called wary at best, like she's staring at a bomb about to blow up. "...Dream... Fine. Dammit. Fine. Let's...get dressed and go, get it out of here now. Hell." Karrin huffs a moment and then turns to double time climb back up the ladder, all business in her motions. She's already peeling off his t-shirt as she crosses to the bedroom to go for clothing and that weapon in the side drawer. The one she pulled out in the dream. Lash even knew about her guns.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry Dresden lets out a sigh and grabs the box as he starts to follow her up the ladder, "Because I was tired? It was found in a collection of old coins at an auction house. I didn't think it couldn't wait a day to get it over to Forthill, and it's not like Bob is going to play with it. He can't. The only one that would have a problem is you, and it's already locked up and put away. Besides, I know you...you wouldn't touch that thing even if it was your last dying breath." At least that is what he believes enough to see through Lash's little game.

Once upstairs, Harry admires the view for a moment before slipping into the bedroom himself to put on his own clothes. Jeans and a t-shirt are quickly thrown over the boxers and he sits on the bed to put on socks, tossing the box onto the bed.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Karrin still watches the box like it's a bomb ready to go off, actually jumping just a bit as he tosses it so casually on the bed. She's just that wary of it, which means his instincts are probably right. She dresses with a clinical precision of a surgeon and in twice the speed, habit from too many late night emergencies where she's not willing to waste a second on appearance. Just cover the naked and go. She pauses, looking to the closet. "...How bad was this dream and should I vest up?" He has some shielded clothing. She has nothing magical, but is paranoid enough to keep good old fashioned mortal Kevlar here.

Once she's dressed, shoes are pulled on and she grabs at her holster, securing it across shoulders before she puts the safetied gun into place. She's strapping up for a fight, even if it's 3 am. "...Harry... those things... they're targets. Every last one of them... You know what happened last time... They almost got you once."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Sighing again as he pulls on his own boots, Harry rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "That all depends. IF we come across them, then yes..vest up. The dream was...bad, but I think we have time. I don't think they are going to be barging in the door in a minute or two." `Right Lash?` he thinks to himself, `Because if they do, your chances of survival are as low as mine are.` "Still, you best to be prepared for it just in case," Harry says as he pulls the .357 from the nightstand drawer and checks the cylinder to make sure it is loaded.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The moment he even thinks in Lash's direction, she's there again, leaning in the door of his bedroom, somehow in less clothing. Like, the more Murphy gets dressed, the less she's wearing. She's still slightly pouting but the expression on her face is mainly worried as she looks across both of them. "...If... you brought me out, I might be able to tell better? It's... hard." She stares at Murphy a longer moment, a mix of emotions on her lovely features. "...she should wear the vest. But I can help, Harry. I can..." She insists, moving into the room with him.
    Murphy is, of course, utterly oblivious right now. As he pieces out the situation, she goes to the closet and grabs her kevlar just in case. She straps it across her small frame with the same precise expertise, then replaces her holster to sit better. Her leather moto jacket comes last, even though it's rather too warm for such things. "Alright. Better safe than sorry. Get what you need, we'll go straight there, be home within an hour. We owe Forthill a nice scotch after this."

Harry Dresden has posed:
`Yeah, that isn't going to happen, Lash, and you know it.` Harry thinks as he grabs the box from the bed and rises, `and put some damn clothes on.` "Sounds about right, Murph," Dresden says aloud as he starts to walk out of the bedroom towards his staff, rod, and duster. "Does he drink scotch even? I don't even know if he drinks period. I've never asked. Michael would know, but of course he is God knows where."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"I've shared a snifter or two with him before. He's still a man, Harry." Murphy states with a wry bit of a smile, but there's still some of that temper behind her eyes. Exhaustion has been kicked aside for the low level of adrenaline when she's not certain if a fight is coming or not. She triple checks her vest, weapon, safety, wallet, everything she might need, before nodding towards him. "...The beetle? Last thing we need is your flatlining my car in the middle of the night because you're all keyed up."

Lash frowns a bit more, staring after both of them even as Harry thinks in her direction. "You wouldn't have to touch it...Don't pick me up. I'd just know better if they were here. They probably are and you don't have any help... I just want to help you, Harry." She's now in just a t-shirt, like Murphy was before, perhaps trying to pick through what would be the most tempting to him.

Harry Dresden has posed:
`Even if I wanted to, you are buried in the ground under a massive amount of concrete. It's not like I could simply snap my fingers and get you. Regardless, I don't want to get you so no go.` he thinks to Lash again as he slips on his duster and makes sure his blasting rod is secure in its place. Like a soldier heading into battle he checks his own equipment. Staff, rod, shield bracelet, kinetic rings, and finally the small box is shoved into the pocket of his duster.

"Ok, Murph. I think I am ready. Yeah, we will take the beetle," he declares as he grabs his keys for the final piece of equipment he needs. He pauses, then tosses the keys in her direction, "You drive."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"...Harry... *Harry*!" Murphy had, apparently, said his name a few times while he was thinking at Lash, because her voice cuts through a little later than it normally would and she's staring at him in some raw worry for a moment, "...Don't space out on me, here. It's late but... You made this bed." If she's got any suspcion about where his mind is, she's certainly not expressing it right now. But there is a deeper level of concern behind her gaze. She nods once, curtly, and jerks a hand up to catch the keys smooth as silk. She's at top function right now, keyed up for a fight and not missing a thing. "You sweet talker." She mutters to the driving comment.

Lash doesn't follow him out the door, but her eyes do, a trace of hope behind the worry as he mentions about how deep she's buried. Perhaps she's onto something there. But she doesn't interrupt further.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Following Murphy without even a glance back at Lash, Harry focuses at the task on hand. If she wants she will just show up in the car anyway. "I'd say double time it, but I think the beetle only gets up to time and a half," Harry jokes as he climbs his tall, lanky body into the passenger side of the little VW. It's some sort of magic that he fits in there at all. He pats the pocket with the box in it again, just to make sure that the coin didn't fall out as he tried to climb inside and then closes the door to the bug. "Alright, it's 10 miles to Forthill, we have a denarian coin, a bunch of magic and weapons, it's dark, and we are wearing sunglasses."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"...did... Did you just make a Blues Brothers reference while a pack of psychotic demons might be hunting us down?" Karrin asks him, trying to keep the anger in her voice but there is the tiniest crack of a smile behind her lips, a smile she's trying to fight. This is *serious business*, she's not supposed to be smiling. But then, that's probably one of the reasons she's stayed at his side so long. She coaxes the car into starting -- it only takes two tries tonight -- and whips out of the parking lot as fast as the beetle-who-could will take them. The first part of the drive is fine. Quiet. Unnervingly so. Almost no one out on the roads this time of night, the Beetle humming along as fast as it can manage with Karrin's foot pushing the petal literally to the metal beneath it. It's the surreal sort of panic of everything seeming too normal when quiet screaming is consistent in the back of one's head.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Looking over to Karrin with an arched brow, Dresden replies with a simple, "Yes." Sure, they may have a pack of psychotic fallen angels on their butt, but why let that stop a good one liner? After all, who knows how many chances he might have left.

Harry reaches up and grabs at the 'oh shit' bar, using it to help transfer some of the centrifugal forces that are applied to his form as the car takes corners as speed that might make it ramp up on two wheels. "It's a good thing you are driving and are a cop, Murph, because if we get pulled over I can not afford this ticket. At least your badge may get you some 'professional courtesy'."

The quiet drive doesn't seem to cause Harry as much distress. Maybe he is under the assumption that he had plenty of time before they came after the thing, and once they get it to its place of rest it won't be an issue.

After all, it's only down the block a few minutes more.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
While Karrin is watching where they are going, she's also watching where they've been. Just how quiet this all is has unnerved her enough that she's being aware of tails and she takes another, suddenly sharp turn that gets them not going in the exact direction of the church, down a side road that connects to another major road a few blocks up. It's several seconds after, but a pair of lights flash after them. She swears. "...Those lights have been with us since about 45 seconds after leaving your place." She mutters to Dresden, icy gaze now sharper than ever.

Hopefully he hasn't fried her cellphone yet, as she whips it out and hits one of the top speed dials on speaker. Buffy, of course. Even though it's almost 3 am, dead of the night. Even though they are five minutes from the church. She'll take what back up she can get. "Pick up...dammit, Buff, pick up..." She mutters. When the line goes live, she starts spilling. "Buffy, need help. We're being tailed. We're going to be turning onto Roosevelt Road in thirty seconds, going west towards Forthill's church. Five minutes out if we're lucky. More if we're not. You anywhere near? or awake?" She takes another stomach churningly sharp turn, trying to lose the lights.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry yelps in a bit of surprise when Karrin takes that last turn, hand reaching up for the bar again just a little to late as the force of the turn smushes him against the door. Recovering, he looks out the back window, a frown forming on his lips as he moves to gather the blasting rod out from under his duster. "Just keep driving, Murph. Don't stop till you get all four tires on holy ground, even if that means driving through the front doors and into the sanctuary."

Buffy Summers has posed:
As it turns out, Buffy just couldn't sleep that very same night. Was it her precognitive ability that alerted her to danger or was it the fact that she had to sleep alone again with Thomas out of town on another business trip? Whatever the case, she's surprisingly awake when Karrin calls. "Being tailed huh? I'm guessing this isn't just a random thug or else you wouldn't have bothered to call.."

She sounds mildly amused at the thought but quickly snaps to business mode, knowing that Karrin isn't the type to call in for backup for trivial reasons. "Alright, gimme ten minutes, I'll be there soon as I can! I'm just out for a night stroll, not far.."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Ten. Ten minutes. In combat, ten minutes was a lifetime, sometimes literally. "Thanks, Buff. Hopefully be still alive by then. Probably closer to the church." And the line goes dead. Murphy's doing her best to keep the wheels on the ground but the fact that the Beetle doesn't have the most horsepower in the world is a challenge now. She swings onto Roosevelt Avenue and presses the pedal even harder, trying to pick up speed in the direction of the church while they are on a straight away.

"I...didn't have plans on stopping, but I also don't know that even the Beetle would survive going through the front of the church. We...we'll get there." The lights whip around behind them, that car still on their tail. Murphy curses rather loudly but keeps going, trying to get across the road to make another sharp turn. "...How likely is it that it's a tax collector on our ass and I'm just pissing off some innocent mortal?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry Dresden says, "Likely none..." says the wizard as he looks out the back window, "but it is that .1 percent that is keeping me from putting up an invisible wall of force in front of that car. At this speed it would seriously hurt someone..especially if I hexed the aitbags. It's very tempting..."

Harry reaches up and rubs at his temples, "At the least I can try the car itself. Maybe it will slow them down..."

Harry takes a deep breath and rolls down the window. Leaning out the open window with staff in hand, Harry gathers up his will and points the tip of the staff in the cars direction and mutters out "Hexious""

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Denarians are clever. They've survived a thousand years, it's no surprise they are clever, but cars are still modern inventions and no one driving is prepared for the disaster that any wizard can put on a modern engine. Something flashes in the car's lights, flickers, and then there is smoke coming from the engine and the car behind them isn't able to keep up enough that they are able to see the lights. Maybe he bought them time.

"...Reasons we took your car. And don't feel bad, it's not quite tax hunting season yet. I suspect they're after you for your coin, sugar daddy." Karrin deadpans at him, reaching a bit for the joke, but it's proof that she's already feeling better about their chances of making it to the church. She takes the turn off to the church's road, though they are on the wrong end now. Just a few more minutes. That is, if there wasn't another car up front. Or waiting in hiding. Either way, it was somewhere she did not see it, coming out of seeming no where and then suddenly ripping across the front of the Beetle. It sends them violently spinning, wheels screeching. If they were going as fast as they had been on Roosevelt, they'd probably be dead. As is, this is going to hurt. Denarians... they are still clever creatures.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry smirks and opens his mouth, about to reply to the sugar daddy remark when the car shakes violently and goes into a spin. Instinct takes over and Harry holds out his left hand, willing power into the shield bracelet to form a bubble around himself and Murphy much like in that one fateful elevator ride with a gigantic scorpion. At least this time she isn't dying of poison.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
That'll teach her to be cocky. Karrin curses up a storm, trying to fight for control of the car which means she's leaning *into* the spin, hoping to catch the wheels up with the motion, but at least one headlight is out and a good half of the front is crumpled around them. At least they didn't flip. She's going to be sore as hell in the morning, but neither of them are dead and his bubble even protects against the shower of glass from the blown out driver's side window. The front window is spiderwebbed, difficult to see through even if they could drive. But, when they finally skid to a stop, she tries the engine again. And again. Nothing. "...Dammit...dammit... How's your cardio going lately?" She asks, bracing herself to get out of the car while adrenaline is winning over pain.

On the outside of the car, the one that hit them is puking forward a very large man, star linebacker and then some man. Maybe he's just an ordinary hit man and not a demon? But, in the dim light of the night, fur is already starting to rip forward across the back of his neck and his eyes gleam as he begins to stalk in the direction of the steaming Beetle.

Buffy Summers has posed:
In the early morning and darkness, another form makes an appearance. That of a somewhat petite athletic blonde young woman, brandishing a rather large battle axe slung effortlessly over one shoulder as if it weighed little more than a baseball.

She leaps out of seemingly nowhere and moves swiftly towards the beetle, pulling open one of the doors. With any luck she won't have to literally rip it off it's hinges and give Harry a huge repair bill. Again.

"Hey, you two okay? What's going on?" glittering hazel eyes flutter over then briefly, giving them the once over, making sure they're alright and they're more or less intact. Hey, she made it here in 5 minutes instead of ten at least. Must have sprinted all the way.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Letting the shield bubble down after the car stops, Harry takes a half second to breath, "Cardio? What's that?" the wizard jokes as he pushes against the door of the beetle to get himself out of the wrecked metal ball of car...just as Buffy rips it of the frame. Harry blinks, sighs, and then crawls out of the car. "Bad guys. Very bad guys. Fallen Angels, like I mentioned before kind of bad guys, we assume."

Coming to his senses, he looks around to make sure Karrin is ok as the lummox of a angel stalks its way towards her with a roar. The four eyes, two of them glowing a dark purple above the other two, stare at Karrin as it's now gorilla like form of Magog raises its fists to slam down onto the tiny cop.

"Murphy! Watch out!" Harry screams as he throws his hand forward, forcing a column of wind out towards the beast with a shout of 'Forzare!"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
If they were lucky, it'd only be one. Karrin's about to spin her gun around on Buffy as SOMEONE drags the door open, not having expected her this fast, but there's genuine relief in her flushed features as she sees the other blonde. "Perfect...timing. We gotta get to the church. It's down two blocks but... what he said." Karrin's already getting ready for a fight, her gun in hand as she spills out of the car...

... Straight into a man-gorilla who is swinging inhumanly strong fists in her direction. She rolls back, out of the way before Harry can even finish his warning, her gun in her hand. It coughs out two heavy rounds into gorilla-man's chest.

Buffy Summers has posed:
She smirks slightly, tilting her head. "Nice to see you too." But there's no time for any more small talk, or her legendary wise cracks. She spins to face ape guy, eyes narrowed and she darts to the side as Harry hurls wind at it, followed by Karrin's flurry of bulkets.

"Fallen Angel Huh.." such a far cry from Zach, but Buff will worry about that later. "Sounds good to me!" she grins as she rushes at it, swinging her massive battle axe in a half-arc. And while her weapon may not be supernatural or holy, with the sheer force she puts behind the swing, it may as well be. Let's just hope it's enough to put this ugly ape guy down between the three of them.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Hey, bananas for brains!" taunts Harry towards the ape-like monster as he starts to run backwards towards the church, "I've got what you want...come get me Donkey Kong!"

With that last, Harry turns and sprints for the Church as fast as his long legs can carry him, hoping that big nasty will take the bait and follow the coin-carrying wizard rather than stay and fight the two women. Stupid chivalrous ass, as Karrin would call him.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"Harry just RUN!" Murphy growls out, the anger in her voice only second to the worry. Maybe the thing could sense where the coin was, maybe it couldn't, but she and Buffy needed to play distraction to actually let Harry GET THERE before the gorilla peeled him like a banana.

The large, not the most intelligent demon turns with a loud growl, taking a swipe in Harry's direction only to be stymied by the fact there is a massive Battle Axe coming down on it's shoulder. It doesn't seem to disable the thing, but it slows the creature down enough to staggering, needing to free itself from the weapon as it takes several violently clawed swipes in Buffy's direction.

Karrin is running ahead, trying to play some sort of demented tag with the creature, but her gun is still readied. Which is good, because a feminine figure comes out of the shadows quite close to the church. Not on the property, but her glowing eyes do not intend to let Harry or Karrin get there....

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers rolls her eyes at Harry when he tries to draw the beast away. "Harry! Dont be an idiot! Get that thing to safety! I can handle this...I'll buy you as much time as I can!" eyes widen as the creature isn't out down by the first strike. Clearly this thing is more powerful than your average vamp.

Still, Buff just smirks, bringing up her axe to block the first strike, back-springing out of the way of the second two swipes..Just barely. "Soo, you wanna play dirty, do you?" she grins, hazel eyes a glitter with excitement. "Bring it!" she utters a battle cry as she lunges at the beast with another eye-blurring flurries of well placed slashes and strikes, moving with superhuman grace and speed as if this were little more than a well rehearsed battle dance.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Run he does. The wizard just lowers his head and charges forward as fast as he can towards the church at a breakneck speed, which is probably why he doesn't notice the glowing eyed female emerging from the shadows by the church. "I'm tryin'" he calls back to Buffy and Karrin as he pumps his legs harder, his duster billowing out behind him like the cape of some winged-rodent themed hero in Gotham's cape.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"Harry - 11 o'clock!" Karrin raggedly screams, seeing the outline of that figure but she's farther back than Harry. Still, if one can't point out a demon verbally quick enough, maybe she can point one out by nailing home a shot before Harry gets in her line. Her hand jerks up and she unloads one other round straight to the center mass of the demon, making the woman stumble back just a moment, but it doesn't stop the snake-like tendrils from her body from snapping out and wrapping around Dresden's legs like a vine, meant to trip up the tall man HARD mid run.

The gorilla-demon on Buffy is Not. Happy. They planned for magic and the cop's firearms, but not straight up medieval weaponry. He's not going down easily, but he's having to spend as much of his energy defending himself as he is taking injury from Buffy. Finally, he tries to go in for a bear hug, charging straight at her, arms open. If he gets any grasp around her, he's going to shake her like a terrier as he runs in the direction of his companion.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry Dresden says, "What.." calls back Harry just before Deirdre's tentacle-hair wraps around his legs and causes him to eat pavement. The wizard goes down HARD as he falls flat on his face and that is going to really hurt once the adrenaline wears off. Trying to get back to his feet, Harry, struggles to find his breath as he gets to his hands and knees, doing his best to crawl the few yards he has to go to reach the church grounds."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers notices the second Denarian out of the corner of her eyes and silently curses as it goes for Harry's legs. But she's got her own problems as the ape monster wraps it's ugly hairy ar,s around her waist. And this time she's not fast enough to dodge out of harm's way.

"D-dammit, you been eating your veggies or what?!" she smirks a bit, still keeping up with the wry humour, even as she keeps a solid grasp on her battle axe, which is a bit of a struggle as the beastie seems about to squeeze the life out of her.

So naturally she tries to make it as hard as possible to hold onto her, thrusting out her hips, arms forward as she jerks her head back to try and back-head butt the thing in the nose while attempting to stomp on its feet with her spiky heeled boots.

Normally it'd be barely effective if at all against such a fiend. Good thing she's got the whole super strength/super toughness working for her. Hopefully it's enough.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
It seems shaking people like rag dolls is just the in vogue thing to happen right now, because Magog is being shaken almost as much as Buffy is due to her super strength and the fact she's rocking like an overtired toddler refusing to go to bed. He's having issues moving forwards and still keeping ahold on her. Then one of her high heels finds a particularly vulnerable part of his thigh and jams through clothing, fur, and the first few layers of skin. She's going to have demon flesh on her, but after one more rage-shake, she's set free. Dresden isn't so lucky, as Deirdre's hair drags him along the ground violently, whipping farther and farther away from the church even as he's trying to crawl.

Karrin curses, but her guns don't do much against the Denarians. They can, however, disconnect thin, vine-like objects. She's dashing towards the highly dangerous demon and downed wizard, unloading what is left her clip into snakes, "Dresden, pass!" She yells, snake body twitching around him but he's down and she's still up and running. She's got one free hand out. Can he pass her the box in time for her to run past and make it the last few yards?

This is the worst game of pre-season football ever.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers narrows her eyes, wriggling free of demon number one..But the other demon woman seems to be causing the most trouble. She ignores Magog for now and *sprints* at near eye-blurring speed towards Tess and those tendril-like hairs.

"Let him go!" she snarls and leaps at the second fallen angel, swinging and slashing her axe this way and that, hoping to free Harry, it at least distract the fiend long enough for Karrin to grab the dammed coin which is really what this is all about.

"That's right ugly, focus on me..I'm your target!" she grins as she continues to attempt to hack and slash at stray tendrils, that familiar spark of battle rage shining in her golden brown eyes as she mercilessly pummels the fallen angel.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry Dresden reaches into his pocket and blindly casts the box in the air towards the chuch and around where he thinks Karrin's path will cross in an epic hail Mary, not bothering much about the bladed tentacles of Deirdre's hair. Thankfully, the magical lined duster takes the brunt of it, only a few of the scalpel like blades slicing across his flesh to leave bloody marks across face and hands. Box out of his hand, the wizard turns palm towards the Denarian and calls forth fire, laced with a little gift from Lash in the form of Hellfire. "FUEGO!" he shouts as he lets loose a blast right into Dierdre's face.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Now there are two people on her hair and while Deirdre would LIKE to get to the little cop who is running towards the most important asset, she's busy fighting the people who are actually, actively destroying parts of her body. Sure, she can regenrate, but it hurts. Another half dozen of seemingly freshly grown hair-spines lash out in Buffy's direction, trying to overwhelm the woman's martial skills, but everything goes a bit limp as that hellfire comes at her as well. That particularly hurt, even if it was from her home town, so to speak, "THE COIN!" She roars towards Magog, who has gone down on all fours and is rumbling over, but also limping like an injured gorilla dog.

Karrin's eyes are for nothing but the coin's box. She trusts the two to keep them off of her enough to finish the hail mary pass. The box hits her palm like a heavy weight and she's clutching it into her chest, dashing the last few feet. She's on. Through. The coin is past the finish line... and also half out of the box, tumbling free, having come open when it hit her palm. Her eyes jerk wide mid air and she reaches to catch it. Just a heartbeat. A brush of skin. Before she slams it back in the box, on sanctified ground. Father Forthill comes out of the front of the church a second later, Karrin standing there...dead still, blue eyes a bit too wide.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers gives out a short yelp of surprise and pain as Tessa slashes into her, but hopefully she can take it. For now, she stumbles back, blood spraying from a shoulder wound. But she still clutches onto her battle axe, refusing to give up so soon. She still needs to clear a path for Karrin and a Harry looks ready to collapse.

"Go for it, Karrin!" she tells as she spins her axe around in a series of complex twirls and arcs , mostly aimed at Tessa but also towards Magog, trying to intercept his path as he starts to charge in their direction. She may be out numbered and overpowered just a bit, But a Buffy can be damn stubborn in a fight.

There is a reason they call her The Slayer. And a reason why she lasted this long so far..

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry is half dazed and not with it all so he doesn't notice the coin on Karrin's bare flesh. If he did, he would probably worry a LOT more than he is right now, actually sighing and letting his body go limp and relax as he sees the box make its way onto holy ground. His job is done, the Denarians are going to go home empty handed so it doesn't matter anymore if he lives or if he dies right? He has earned his rest, and the last thing he sees as his eyes close into the blissful darkness of unconsciousness is that of Karrin and Forthill...

And Lash, watching from the sidelines, lips twitching upwards into a smile just as the darkness overtakes him.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Something happens in those moments, as Karrin crosses that last finish line and the old priest comes out of the front door. The Denarians just seem to... Stop. The hair slithers back into place around the woman's head and the lumbering gorilla thing retreats out of the way of Buffy's swinging, swiping axe. As Harry lays there bleeding and unconscious, Karrin panting for breath but strangely quiet, an uncomfortable peace falls across the scene. There are sirens in the distance, but they are still far off and, for now, it seems the fight is over.

Karrin's not moving. She's got the coin in the box again but she's not closing the lid. Slowly, her fingertips begin reaching for it again, curious, almost moving without her own motivation. Depending on how keen Buffy is, this is probably not a good thing. Father Forthill, however, is quick on the job and already has a white kerchief in hand to scoop the coin out of the box without anyone else's skin touching it. "Detective..." There is the smallest struggle from Murphy, like she doesn't want to give up the box.

And, behind it all, Deirdre is smiling. She looks like the cat who has absolutely lapped up a whole lot of cream. That can't be a good sign.

Spike has posed:
     Out for a motorcycle ride. Yes that's it. He just happens to be riding near where Buffy said she was going to me. He's not fixated all. About three blocks out he catches a scent of blood,"That's not good." he mutters and turns the bike up to full throttle the next two blocks.

     There's Buffy and a short lady. Two creatures he doesn't identify right off. He turns his haed to the side a little, that alone makes them weird. He gives the bike everything it can and lays his right leg over the opposite side of the bike and lays it down on its side. He sits on the side of it as it hits the back of one of the 'things' legs. One thing about him he knows how to make and entrance.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers catches her breath, freezing as Karrin hands over the coin but seems to hesitate. "Karrin! Don't do it! Dont give in, whatever you do, it's not worth it!" she flinches from the shoulder wound, all too aware of the two hovering Denarians.

Even as she speaks, Buff rushes to Harry's side, checking his vitals, then glances at Spike. "Spike! Harry is down! Get him someplace safe! To my place...I think this battle is just about over..." hopefully.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Buffy's words, and Forthill's careful touch wrapping up that coin, is enough to snap Karrin out of where ever else she went. She knew it wasn't worth it. She knew the danger and how bad that had almost been. She blinks, shaking her head a bit more clear as she hands over box and coin, "Get inside, Father. NOW!" She hisses at him, but she's not letting them continue this fight alone. Even if she momentarily froze, she's back now. She takes the chance to reload her .38 quickly as she's behind that unseen holy barrier.

Spike's move the bike is horribly smooth, even if the bike is going to hate him for it later. Magog's legs are already hurting and a bike slamming into them does NOT help, the thing roaring in pain as it pitches forward back onto gorilla arms, and it's four glowing eyes flash. Whatever pleasure Deirdre was taking in the moment is gone now and she growls loudly, "KILL HIM." Harry is down. Harry has been a pain in their sides for years now. No matter how happy she is about something with the coin, she didn't want to lose this opportunity. Both she and Magog now pitch forward, though the gorilla demon is slower than her, going for Harry's prone body.

Spike has posed:
     A somewhat graceful roll as the bike comes to a stop and Spike makes his way to his feet. The long black coat protects him some, though it still isn't a good time. Once he's on his feet he catches sight of Buffy and nods to what she says.

     Seeing the two monsters starting towards the prone body he shakes his head and grabs a long length of chain off the back of the bike. Running to the downed body he slings the like a whip at the head of the one he didn't hit with the bike because he's crazy that way. Whether it it wraps around her head or just hits her in the head it will at least get her attention. He kneels down beside Harry and starts to try and get him on his feet.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers snarls, flipping her axe around in one hand, "Hell no! Back off or you're gonna get it!" she tells as she rushes to hover protectively over the unconscious Harry. He may be a pain in the butt, a bit cranky and judgemental but he's been there when she needed him and she's more than happy to return the favour.

So she brings up her battle axe to meet whatever strikes might be aimed at Harry, ready to take the blow as Spike hopefully gets him to safety somewhere.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The fight against the Denarians is going to be a hard one, because they are both desperate and now more than a bit angry. Buffy's simply pummelled, over and over, by the roaring Magog who has his claws going full force in her direction now, trying to rip through her to get to Harry. Spike's chain is remarkable effective, not because it's hit Deirdre's head but because it hit her HAIR. The thing wraps around the writhing, wild, snake-like tendrils of hair, trapping them all together momentarily even as she's trying to shake Spike free. He's stopped her attack but now he's quiet attached to her and Harry is a lot of weight to carry.

Karrin isn't overly much help at the moment. She needs to figure better ammo against these things than basic bullets. However, she knows where the line of holy ground is and if Spike/Buffy can keep the Denarians busy, she can drag Dresden to safety. "...Keep them distracted!" She begs the two stronger of the group, scampering back into dangerous territory as she tries to scoop Dresden's body off of SPike, freeing him to fight so she can pull Dresden back to holy ground. At least, that's the plan.

Spike has posed:
     He's not hanging on to that chain. It wraps her and he doesn't have any desire to to be pulled back into her with it. Almost getting Harry to his feet he notices the smaller woman approach and try to take the large man. He nods to her and tries to help her take the man.

     Big bad able to do something other than play relocation guy. This is probably going to hurt, but that's half the fun. Decisions. The one with the chain in her snakes or the big one. Since he's seems to be recovering first Spike opts for him. Chances are this won't do a lot of damage, but Spike throws a haymaker right at the big one's nose. What comes next depends greatly on how the big one takes it.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers grits her teeth and plants her feet, doing her best to hold off the Denarian's attack. But it's strong and fast. She can already feeling it push against her and she snarls, staggering back a few,flinching as it's claws scrape against the handle of the axe, metal sure but not of a supernatural level.

"Karrin, hurry! Dunno how much longer I can hold out!" she grunts, flinging out a focused kick at Magog's nuts if he's got any. That's usually the weakest spot on even the strongest of fiends.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
And the handoff is made. Karrin just needs the other two to distract the Denarians long enough to drag Harry not even ten feet. How hard can that be? She doesn't waste breath on speaking again, she can thank the vampire later. She's just being small, tough, and chugging along like an engine that is almost out of gas.

Deirdre *really* doesn't like that chain in her hair. It's whippy enough, especially both ends now free, that her attempts to shake it free just wraps it around the other side. She's better off trying to saw through the thing which will take a few moments, but her hair is sharp enough to do. So, gorilla man is now on Buffy and Spike. Another target near, he tries to swipe a massive clawed paw in Spike's direction, which means he's almost leaning into the punch when it comes. A mortal punch would be laughable, but Spike's got a bit more horsepower behind his blow, and the demon's head jerks back with a spray of unnatural blood. Buffy's kick lands home too, putting it straight on it's backside. It falls backwards then and, instead, begins to rabbit kick in both Buffy and Spike's direction's.

Meanwhile, Deirdre's hair is finally free and she whips it in Karrin and Harry's direction, trying to do one last round of damage. Karrin is suddenly very thankful that she decided to put on the body armor as it slices through her jacket and shoulder, but her torso is still protected as she gets Dresden across the church's front lawn and almost for the door. Deirdre hisses in pain as her hair tries to cross and, instead, flares into flames.

Spike has posed:
     Decisions, decisions. The big one down he should go at the other...however when she bursts into flames,"Bugger that." he mutters and moves to the outside of the kick, but still catches a glancing blow in his side from the kick since he took his eyes off Magog a moment.

     He growls and does what any smart person would do. Run right? No. Not this time. Instead he lines up the big one's head for what looks like a penalty shot on a soccer goal. He's going to feel Magog's kick later, but Magog's going to feel that now, tomorrow, and probably next week.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers is starting to slow down just a bit from that shoulder wound whucyus nastier than it first appeared, and she's losing quite a bit of blood as she tries to block Magog's incoming kick, but even as her axe handle connects,she still staggers back a bit from the force, and attempts to push back against the ape creature at the same time that Spike strikes out at it, hopefully enough to let them flee to the church as well.

Still she glances sidelong towards Karrin and Harry, wondering if they made it yet..

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The screaming Deirdre is *not* *happy*. She hisses again, trying to lash out wildly in the direction of the retreating heroes, but she's not willing to risk more injury. Besides, the coin is gone and Dresden is too. With one last kick from Magog at Spike, she stumbles backwards and whistles like she was calling a dog. "...It's done. It'll be back out in no time anyway." The woman mutters, her voice ragged with pain. Buffy and Spike definitely did some damage, even if both the demons are standing. She gives a careless wink in the church's direction and turns to go.

Meanwhile, just inside the lip of the door, Father Forthill has rustled up another two church workers to get bandages and a few other bits of help. The box and the coin are now nowhere to be seen. Karrin's staring down at the unconscious Dresden but doesn't seem entirely herself, especially as the old priest tries to get her ripped leather jacket off of her and she hisses in pain. She blinks as Buffy and Spike come their direction, "...are...are they done? Did you get another coin?" If they were dead, there'd be a coin dropped... It's a vain hope in her too tired eyes.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers draws a weak, ragged breath as she watches the Denarians stalk off, far better for wear than she is. "Dammit. Those things are tough. You s-said they're.." she draws a breath, shaking her head. Dammit, Buffy hasn't slept a wink and is still so tired. "Ugh, let's go. Slike.." she pants lightly now as she hair stumbles towards the entrance of the church. Thankful for a respite from the demons and she moves to help her carry Harry.

"Not a chance, they're so strong..." she takes a breath.."..Next time. For now..Need rest.."

Spike has posed:
     Walking towards the church Spike has a moment of pause. Decisions. Two demon things or the church? Yeah. He makes sure Buffy gets to the door and looks at her wound. Blood. Tempting sure. What comes with it. Not so much.

     Noting the priestly sort with bandages he doesn't look for anything to stop her bleeding. His attention shifts to the departing monsters again. Oh yeah, there is a slightly mangled motorcycle to deal with later.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The strikingly handsome blonde is not someone Karrin recognizes, but is clearly someone who risked his life for them, so that counts a lot in Karrin's book. She lets herself be peeled out of her jacket and accepts a bandage to help put pressure on the wound, but nods towards Harry and Buffy. "Help them first, this isn't so bad." She murmurs, her voice lined with a mix of pain and shock, but also stubbornness. She frowns at Buffy. "Sit and let them get some bandages on you, at least... God, I hate those things..." Then blue eyes flicker back to the curious blonde and she gives Spike a pale smile. "Uh... thank you. I...don't think we've met, but...thank you. Sorry about your bike. I...got a good mechanic I trust with mine if...you need someone. I'm Karrin..."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers Steeles herself in the door frame, catching another breath before leaning in under Harry's other arm, "Hang in there Harry, lets get you to bed. It's been a looong night, ya lunatic." she grins, glancing tiredly between Spike and Karrin. "Oh.." she sighs, "Don't worry about him, not even sure he can..." damn, did she say too much? But on the other hand, He DID come to her aid..Again. Maybe she's too rough on him. "Spike, I should introduce you to Murphy..So quit hiding in the shadows.."

Spike has posed:

     There is gratitude for you. Buffy with the snarky at 9:00 and Spike saying something to get him hit by 9:05. Instead he shakes his head and walks towards the church again since the nasty things are leaving,"And I can't believe I'm asking this, but should I follow those..." he turns back at the deaparting Denarians and back to Buffy and Karrin,"...whatever the bloody hell those things were."

     He shakes his head, takes out his pack of cigarettes, looks at the church, sighs as he puts them back away and finally catches up to Karrin's introduction,"Spike." he replies to the introduction,"Any friend of Buffy's...will probably he smacking me around later, but anyway a pleasure."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Spike. *This* was...Spike. Murphy's eyes now narrow with abject curiosity, the look of a woman who has heard a of things over a few more drinks and is having to reassess a few things in her brain. As she hears Dresden groan behind her, always a reassuring sign, she relaxes a bit more and leans against the edge of the doorway, staring at the white-blonde vampire up and down, like she could read something out of him, "Well...this is *the* Spike? Good to finally meet you. I've heard... things..." Murphy mutters, giving Buffy a wry sort of half smile, "But we appreciate the help. And no...don't go after them. Denarians are... hard to kill on the best of nights. The fact that we got one of their coins here safely is... a big win." Murphy exchanges a tired look in Buffy's direction, almost uncertain how to convey how much of a mess this all is, too bleeding and hurting to give the whole run down and not even certain if she should give it to a vampire.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers sighs, waving a dismissive hand at Spike, "She means nothing by that! Ugh, but now that Karrin has focused on the most annoying person in her life (whom she was also attracted to, and had helped her and teamed up on many occasions...But who was still crazy and infuriating and really evil and another vampire etc..)

Which made it hard to get out of ignoring him. "Fine, fine whatever.." she sighs, slumping against the door as Father Forthill takes Harry the rest of the way to what they often use as an infirmary.

Spike has posed:
     He looks past Karrin long enough to comment to Buffy,"Talking about me love?" he comments in an insufferable and suggestive manner. That will steam her for the night. It's a gift. He does enjoy it.

     His attention moves back towards Karrin and he nods,"I am that Spike yes. Whatever bad things she told you...are probably true, but lacking." He considers a moment,"Glad to help." He actually sounds genuine, but he does like to hurt things,"So why are they called Denarians and what is this about a coin?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Considering all the stories Karrin has heard about Spike, she gives a momentarily wary look over at Buffy and her mind is spinning as to how to warn him off without tempting him with one of the things. One of the other church workers, not Forthill, stares balefully at the three of them before shaking his head and moving off to the infirmary as well. Karrin finally sinks down into sitting on the edge of a pew, her breath catching a moment as she realize she's probably got something severely bruised, if not broken, rib-wise beneath her vest.

"Denarians are... old...Very old spirits, that occupy coins, and take over your mind and body if you touch them. Basically, they take you for a drive like a car and never give up the wheel until you get killed. Then they take someone else over. Both those...things...had a coin behind the wheel. We just put one away here. The church will safely get it...Out of here and out of tempted hands." Hopefully that was a light enough explanation as to not be too intriguing without directly lying to him. SHe looks up to Buffy to figure if she missed anything. But both of them are looking plain exhausted.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers frowns a bit, settling down next to Murphy, glancing at her ribs with mild sleet but not wanting to coddle her either. She hated being coddled. "How're the ribs?" as Karrin speaks more if the coins she frowns and gently nudged Karrin, shaking her head quietly. The less he knows if then, the less chance his demon side will be tempted. That would be bad. "Not important. They're just evil demons after musty old coins. We should focus on trying to kill them."

Spike has posed:
     So the new one tells him things. The other one tries to change his attention. That's about right. He shrugs and looks back at the people around the church. Yes, he certainly knows how to draw attention by just being a half demon in a church.

     Back between each of the women he nods,"Killing bad things inhabited by demons. Some things never change." he levels towards Buffy with a little sarcasm. His attention goes to Karrin and he asks,"Have you ever noticed that when she wants someone to not concern themselves with something, she manages to only make it more interesting. So bad coin has a demon in it. Spike has a demon in him. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Yeah. Karrin was specifically trying to avoid the demon/angel thing for a reason. But that cat is half out of the bag as well and her tired blue eyes widen just a bit. She sits up straighter, trying to adjust to a way where everything doesn't hurt, but adrenaline is crashing and that's simple not going to happen. "...Hopefully not broken. I'll tape them up once...once we know Harry's stable." The way she says Harry's name, especially now... it's soft. Worried sick. The way you say someone's name when you're in love but she'd never dare say that word. Still, all her normal walls are just crumbling now.

She then looks back to Spike and presses her lips together a bit tighter. "The worst? You touch one and within a few seconds it takes over your mind. You're stuck there...forever. Never in control. Never able to live your life again. Never able to find peace. Just...stuck in a box, looking out. Getting hurt... dying... Sure, that's shit. But at least you went out you. I think the worst would be...to lose who I am. I can't imagine you'd find it a walk in the park either."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers frowns at Spike, "Dont even think it, Spike. I'm barely holding back on staking you as it is. Do not give me a real reason to end your un life." eyes narrow at him, not really caring who hears that last part. "I still believe you can be a good person but..Not like that, never like that.." eyes narrow warily in him and maybe a bit concern. perhaps she doesn't want to lose an ally...Or sometimes friend, if she can help it.

To Karrin she smiles softly. "Hang in there, why don't you go visit Harry and get some rest yourself?"

Spike has posed:
     He walks over to the door and opens it. It's been long enough he stands outside and takes a cigarette out and then snaps his Zippo open and draws fire into the cigarette. For a guy who is so flammable he does seem to get a thrill from that closeness.

     He draws the first drag and exhales it outside,"How much fun would that be? A demon takes over my life's existence." He pauses and lets the irony of that sink into Buffy. He doesn't know if Karrin knows there's already one demon in there or not even if he implied it.

     A drag on the cigarette again and he exhales outside once more,"So no grabbing the coins. Are gloves protection or is there something more necessary?" He looks between the two ladies again.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"Gloves...gloves are protection. Handkerchiefs. Really, just...no skin. Wrap it up." She mutters wirly towards Spike, though the demon thing wasn't entirely lost on her and tired eyes slightly narrow at him. Slowly, she stands again. "If you need that bike shop, let me know. It...it was nice to meet you, Spike. Buff, I think I...yeah. I'm going to go check on Harry. And maybe sleep for a few hours. The Beetle will need towed in the morning and... well... If you can get home safe, be safe, if not, there's always another cot here. We can figure it out in the morning." But, with that, Karrin gives them both a tired wave and begins the ginger walk back towards the infirmary area. She's too tired now, very done with a very long night, and doesn't care to let anyone else see that weakness.