1225/Of Gods and Men

Of Gods and Men
Date of Scene:	30 June 2017
Location:	Sunnydale, Bludhaven
Synopsis:	Ares comes back to let Buffy know what happened in his battle with Phobos
Cast of Characters:	Buffy Summers, Ares
Tinyplot:	The Plight of Fear and War

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Buffy Summers has posed:
It's been an entire day since the battle to save Sunnydale.

There hasn't been a single vortex or Hoplite. (Got it in one!) No monsters other than the ones she usually fights. It was a peaceful day but Buffy was troubled due to how things ended. Ares might not be her bestie but he'd been there when they needed him, helped then figure things out and win the battle. Yet then he had disappeared while in combat.

She's in the cemetary, continuing her patrol. A vampire, still covered in fresh dirt from the grave he crawled out of, doesn't have a chance as she quickly sends him right back there in a fine coating of dust. The stake is kept in her right hand as she walks in an almost leisurely fashion, not crouching and hiding behind things. Just a straight walk along the paths as she does what she does best: Look for things that go bump in the night.

Ares has posed:
    There might be a momentary hint of consternation to strike her when as she's walking along those paths between the graves she'll get that nagging feeling again, that subtle feeling in her gut when there is fell magic nearby and it seems to be coming from further ahead... deeper into that cemetary and when she rounds past a particular tomb, she'll espy why it might be troubling for it seems to originate from where that first vortex appeared.
    But this time when the tear in reality manifests it's more heralded by a ripple, a wave of energy as the world seems to distort as if a funhouse mirror had been placed in the very air. Just as she might be worrying about what could very well come out of there...
    The armored figure of John Aaron will emerge. He's still armored in part, though pieces of it are shattered and broken. His helm is long lost and his shoulder is hideously burned, his vambraces are broken in part and one gauntlet is burned beyond recognition. Yet he seems to be able to stand with ease, and when he turns his head he finds her swiftly enough.
    "Buffy Summers."

Buffy Summers has posed:
It's that feeling that heralds the unnatural. She moves, finding where it gets stronger and closing the distance. The mirror effect has her reaching into her bag, drawing out the machete. If Phobos comes through, she's not going to just have a stake in her hand.

Her surprise is tangible as John steps through. She watches the portal a moment longer then realizes it's just him. The machete disappears back into the bag.

He looks like shit. There's no other word that fits. She glances at the damage to his armor, the horrible burns. And for once, she doesn't have a smart comment. In fact, she seems worried as she steps toward him. "Are you okay? You...you're injured."

Ares has posed:
    The tall armoured man lifts his hand as if to stay her words and tells her in that level voice, "I shall heal, it will take but time." He looks to the side and then back to her. "I came to convey my thanks to you and yours, and trust you will pass it on as it behooves you." He no longer has a weapon in hand or upon his form, and the armor seems to barely maintain its form on him, some pieces seeming wispy and ethereal even as he meets her eyes. "You will no longer be troubled by my family."
    For a moment he just looks at her, brow furrowed and calm. He takes a deep breath, then continues as he adds. "The one responsible has been defeated and no others know of the Hellmouth. But if such ill befalls you again then you may call on me."
    His jaw tenses, then he tells her, "You were... correct, when you told me to leave. It was my fault that when I was attacked that I was here and your people were endangered."
    Another pause and then a very faint smile is seen, just very soft as he murmurs in a tone of voice that would confuse one as to whether they should laugh or cry, "Also if I had stayed in New York, chances are I would have found aid from those much less abrasive than yourself."

Buffy Summers has posed:
    She listens to his explanations but her own eyes are saying he needs to be in a burn center. Not that he can go to one. She wouldn't be able to either. Something about being not quite human. She was at one time. HIm, not so much. Buffy doesn't even rub it in when he says she was right, keeping that tongue of hers well in check.
    Until he went there. He shouldn't have gone there, not after everything they've been through together.
    "Gee, stab a guy a couple of times and he sure holds a grudge. I am not abrasive, I'm unusual. Get it right." But the words don't hold the venom they might have. There's the faintest bit of affection in her tone. "Thanks for all your help, John. I'm ...sorry." That's as much as she'll say about what transpired although she doesn't know the details of the outcome.

Ares has posed:
    His smile remains there as he meets her eyes then he looks aside towards their surroundings, his gaze wandering slowly. But then he looks back to her with a small half smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "You'll do a good job here, and the years will only make you a better warrior."
    It's with that small prophecy that he steps towards her and with no warning, with not even an inkling as to why he would do such a thing, he brings his good arm around her shoulders and pulls her into a gentle embrace, despite the armor that clanks faintly from his footsteps. Not a full on hug, something almost fatherly as he holds her against his side for a small moment as if to let her know that all is fine between them.
    "Besides, I owed you this." The hug? She might be thinking, but then he steps back and from behind her back he holds a rather elaborately filigreed hand axe the size of a bowling pin and with a silvered blade that catches the faint light.
    "The other was too bulky for you," Not too heavy, "it would end up getting you killed."

Buffy Summers has posed:
She leans into the faint embrace and gives a tight hug around his midriff before stepping back again. She might not want to admit it but she likes the big lug. Now that her town is safe and the Hellmouth isn't going to eat the planet.

When the axe appears, her eyes go wide and she lets out a squeal of delight, actualling jumping up and down and clapping her hands like a two year old just offered a cookie. She reaches out to take it, thinking it's too pretty to use in combat. But once it's in her hand, there is that flare. One he knows well. She steps clear, swinging it carefully, just getting a feel for it.

One of the things with Slayers is that they combine the knowledge of those that came before them. Buffy has never used an axe. Sure, she's seen them and she can get the idea. But as she swings the axe, her movements become more fluid, more rapid. Instinct from some ancient Slayer taking over although there is nothing conscious on her part. The blade dances around her torso expertly then suddenly she stops, holding it cross body, eyes alight with that thrill of combat though she was just playing around.

It fades a moment later and she is smiling, lowering the blade to her side. "I dunno. Maybe cut off my arm but I doubt I'd actually kill myself," she murmurs with a smirk. "Feel free to come back anytime. I can use all the help I can get with the Hellmouth."

Ares has posed:
    "Convey my thanks to the Librarian." John turns away from her then and starts to walk back the way he came, the world responding to his proximity to the rift by rippling and curling about itself, that doorway manifesting in that subtly altered image. "As well as to the two vampires with the hair."
    But then there's a faint smile and he looks back towards her, "And please apologize to Faith for me, that unfortunately it was never meant to be." His smile is gentle, amused, probably at the affect those last few words might have on her. He even might laugh faintly. It's good that he can.
    He turns away and walks into the ripple, disappearing from view.