12873/Last minute patrol

Last minute patrol
Date of Scene:	22 March 2021
Location:	Darlington Park, Sunnydale
Synopsis:	Buffy encounters Phobos again and asks much needed questions. A new alliance is formed.
Cast of Characters:	Phobos, Buffy Summers

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Phobos has posed:
    Spring often has a tendency to sneak up on people. There's always suspicion, a wariness that manifests around people the days that lead up to it when Winter is still trying to assert the last vestiges of its power, casting the temperatures low until finally... with the first warm and hospitable weekend, Spring wins out.
    Which might explain why so many people are enjoying the park this evening. Why it had been so hectic during the day and why now with the stars in the sky and the hint of chill returning as the sun sets distantly that some people still wander the trails and the walks. Now that Spring is here people are loathe to let it go at the end of a Sunday night.
    And tonight, curiously enough, Alexander Aaron is one of them.
    No duties had preyed upon him over the weekend. He had an eventful last few days, discovered much. And his mind was at ease for once. He sat there on the swing set in one of the side playgrounds, casually pushing himself back and forth with a casual abandon. Just causing those chains that hold him up to creak faintly as he swings back two feet... then forward two feet, his shoes sneakers sliding a little in the sand.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers had contacted Alex in advance after doing some research on him..And while he seemed less of a threat than she initially believed, Buffy was still curious to know as much as him as possible. Especially now that there seemed to be a more immediate threat as well.

The playground is less busy at night and this particular playground is fortunately empty which is a good thing. Makes patrols a lot easier. Of course, tonight she is hoping to have a little talk with him, and maybe take him on patrol at the same time. At the least it would be a test.

"Well, nice to know you have a working watch.." she says by way of greeting as she steps out of the shadows, nodding to Alex. "Wasnt sure if you'd show or not.."

Phobos has posed:
    "A nice one too," He offers as he turns a little in his swing, the chains jostling as he comes about full reverse, the metal clanking as it twists together and he sort of swings back and forth a little more erratically now. His eyebrows lift, "I figured why not show up since if someone calls for a clandestine meeting it's always interesting one way or another."
    The toes of his sneakers scrape a little as he forces himself to a stop, then puuullllls himself out of the swing as if it was the most laborious thing in the world and took just sooooo much effort.
    Until he's standing upright in front of the Slayer, that swing spinning around a little as it works out the tangle before it jangles back into place.
    "What is the ups, as the kids have been known to say?" Not that anyone has ever said it that way before.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers shrugs and smirks, stepping g towards him, sizing him up as usual as if she expected him to start spewing chaos..Or something. "Not much, just thought I should get to know a powerful god hanging around my neighborhood a bit better, heck, maybe even take you on patrol, cuz what the heck, why not?"

She smiles, "Besides, I'd rather have you as an ally than as an enemy.."

Phobos has posed:
    No chaos was forthcoming, save for what might be created by his curious answers now and again. His head tilts to the side as he offers one, "I don't mind walking with you some. But if you're wandering around picking fights with random people then I'll just keep you company if that's alright?"
    He turns to the side after he takes a few steps back toward the sidewalk that leads around the park, sliding his hands out of the pockets of his jeans. No Winter coat right now, just jeans, sneakers, and a black sweat shirt. Rather mundane fair for a deity.
    "I don't really have a horse in that race unless there's someone, I dunno, killing people or whatever." Since really then he can't rightly ignore it.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a surprised brow at him, but leads the way through the park. "What exactly do you think it is that I do, Alex? Cuz it sure isn't picking fights with random strangers.." she frowns a bit, eyes narrowed as she scans her surroundings like a seasoned predator.

"When I say 'patrol', I mean more keeping an eye out fir strange supernatural occurrences, and specifically keeping the street safe from hostile supernatural creatures..Vampires, werewolves, warlocks..You name it. It's my job, no, more my calling, to fight 'em, that's the purpose of The Slayer.."

She glances at him thoughtfully, "Soo you have a day job, or is it just, god in disguise?"

Phobos has posed:


    Biting his lower lip as he starts to walk, Alexander answers her with the casual aplomb she may be getting to know him for. "I thought you sort of did the super hero thing maybe? Run around, see who is doing evil, beat them up. Go home with an overblown sense of accomplishment."
    He tilts his head to the side as he looks at her with those curious hazel eyes, no malice in his words nor manner, but then again not exactly camaraderie either. "Ah, I knew about the..." His brow knits after she finishes her explanation, then continues. "About the volatile area here, with all the weirdness. Though my father didn't mention why. I didn't know that was your role in things."
    As for how it changes his view of her the only hint she gets at first is him saying, "Hnh." Then he nods. "So you pick fights with supernatural people." His lip curls.
    But then the topic changes, "I do. In fact I have an earlyish shift tomorrow, so I should head home in a bit. Though not like I need to sleep."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers laughs and shrugs, "Well. I don't exactly wear tacky tights or anything, and I didn't just decide one day 'Hey! It'd be loads of fun to just randomly beat up baddies!'" she sighs, digging her hands in her pockets as they continue through the park, ever on the lookout for trouble even as they talk.

"I mean before this whole gig, I was just a normal highschool girl, a bit girly, a bit ditzy, totally vain and self-absorbed. I didn't even WANT to be a superhero, but then..Poof. One day I just woke up and had all these super powers. Then some old guy chased me down and was like, 'It is your destiny to slay vamps!' and there went my chance at a normal life, and the beginning of my life as a weirdo.."

She doesn't regret it as much as she used to but.."Yeah..It's a little crazy, living on the hellmouth. It's basically a hotspot for supernatural activity, right in the basement of Sunnydale school is where it all started. And I guess I do 'pick fights' with them, but to be fair, they're evil soulleess monsters whose one goal in life is to kill, kill, kill.."

Buffy arches a curious brow at him. "So. What exactly does a fear-god-in-disguise do for a day job?" she smirks, a slightly amused twinkle in her eyes as she says that.

Phobos has posed:
    The blond youth pays attention to her, listening and she can tell he's absorbing the words. It's all in the way his expressions shift subtly with each point in the tale she tells about her point of view. Until ultimately his brow lifts as if offering some hint of acceptance to her words. Yet they continue their stroll and his lip twists up a little at the last question.
    "Well, I used to go to school, down at ESU. Graduated, Bachelor of the Arts. Exciting I know, basically unemployable for the most part." Which might be a bit of an exaggeration. "Otherwise I do some tech support work for a government agency, and lately..."
    He hops up on the seat of a bench they're passing by, walking across it and then hopping off once they reach the other side. "I've been thinking of taking cooking classes. Since heck, if the God of War can be a construction worker, I can be a chef? Maybe?"
    His arms lift and lower as he shrugs, with his hands in the pockes of his jacket. But then his eyes distance a little as he half-smiles, "Though I do kind of like my job right now."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers hmms. "Yeah, I graduate this year, I'm studying psychology, but it's pretty hard. I figure one of these days, maybe I'll join the police force or heck, maybe I'll get lucky and find a way to join SHIELD." yeah, she knows about them, heck, she has a friend who is a member of SHIELD, and given her line of work, is it really a surprise?"

She joins him at the bench, arching a curious brow at him as he talks about work and school as if he was just another student, and not some all-powerful god. "Oh yeah? Cooking, huh? Bet Thomas would love that, he's a pretty good cook, heck, might even have need of more cooks at his club."

Buffy smirks, "Soo, techno wiz at a government agency, sounds..Fun? Bet it pays well." And of course mention of Ares and his desire to do mundane non-superheroic work like construction causes her to chuckle a bit. "I mean, with the level of power you possess, don't you ever want to just be a superhero? Doesn't it just kinda make sense?"

Phobos has posed:
    "Congratulations, graduation is worthy of celebration." He says this straight faced as he tilts his head to consider the paved path they'd been walking down, then back the other way. His eyebrow quirks as he looks into the distance, then looks back to her. After a moment he sits down on the bench, though takes a seat on the back of it, his feet on the bench itself.
    Then she asks about his pay and he smiles a little, "It does, yeah. But I don't spend much so it sort of just... accrues."
    She asks then about the superhero thing and his answer is to grin a little, "Nope." Is all he says at first.
    And it hangs there for a moment. Awkward.
    Until finally he grins as he looks away and adds, "Way back when I was a munchkin." So long long ago, "The government made a deal with my dad. That if he really wants to do the normal thing, be normal, live a mortal life. They won't be all up in his business. And he'd stay normal. Eventually they extended that agreement to me. Won't be all up in my stuff, and I won't... make a mess of things. Which I think is a deal they make with people now and again."
    He lifts his shoulders, lowers them. "I mean I suppose there's an appeal there. The life is glamorous, the gals are cute, the hours are flexible." His lips twist, "But I don't see myself that way. Though hey, who knows? Stranger things happen and all."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles and shrugs, "Well. It's a step in the right direction, right? Never really figured out what to do with my life, but it might be a start. Open up some doors who knows?"

She sighs, leaning back on the bench, gazing up at the dark, starlit sky. Hey, you can actually see the stars from here, which is a bonus. "So. the 'government' made a deal with Ares, god of war, huh." 100 bucks says that's actually SHIELD he's talking about, but avoiding mentioning by name. They can be pretty secretive from what little Fred told her about them.

"Wonder why they'd do that, they're afraid of the trouble a god could cause? What about all the good you could do, especially in a place like Bludhaven? I mean, I guess you're probably busy with your job and just wanna live a normal life from the sounds of it, just.."

How to put this.."I guess, with all the super powerful threats out there, many of which are way over my head sometimes, I sometimes wish I could have that power, you know? Especially lately, what with some freaky vengeful ghost out to kill my friends. And I can't even stop him.."

Phobos has posed:
    "I think..." He starts as he leans forward, his elbows upon his knees and his fingers interlacing, "They view it as the prevention part of like firefighting. Sure myself or my dad could do some good. And sometimes I figure we do in our own way."
    Alexander's gaze slips to the side as he rubs at the back of his neck, considering her words. "But there's a random element. We could end up doing more harm than good. Which, with my family, can become pretty messy. If suddenly Ares became very prominent, ran around with big headlines, getting all this glory and fame and adulation..."
    Then he tilts his head back toward Buffy and says with a hint of gravity to his words, "And maybe, you know, 'worship'... well then the rest of the family might get grumpy. And with Olympians it can get crazy super quick. For us, fate isn't just a concept. They're three people who have a bad sense of humor and like to give us shit."
    He takes a deep breath, "So I think when deals are made with supernatural powers or entities or whatnot, it's to at least have some control. Easier to have a volatile genie in a bottle on your shelf, you let that genie out and everything goes up in the air."
    Though that last bit catches his attention, "What's this about a ghost though?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers tilts her head back a bit as she listens thoughtfully, smiling faintly at the implications. "Huh, never thought of that. I mean..I read up a bit on Greek Mythology, and if the stories are to believed..Wow, what's with Zeus, huh? He just gets with every female he meets. Poor Hera.." she makes a face.

Right, this is a serious deal. No wonder Ares was so cautious. "I guess I can see how that would be a problem. And..If what happened here a few years ago was any indication..How much worse could things get with the god of fear tossing his powers around? Even so..."

A shrug is given about the ghost thing. "Okaay, so this guy stormed into the park the other day while Wil and I were patrolling. Just came out of nowhere like a puff of smoke, hellbent on killing Willow because she's you know, a witch, but not like, an *evil* witch. But he didn't make that distinction and came at her with flaming weapons. I managed to distract him, but..It's like he's noncorporeal, my weapons went right through him to no effect. Oh, and he promised he'd be back, not only to judge Willow, but to judge my..Er..Other supernatural friends too. And I'm not sure if I can protect them next time.."

Phobos has posed:
    "Hnh," Alexander says succinctly after listening to what Buffy has to say. "See now that's not okay." Which might be a curious reaction as he frowns thoughtfully, those pale hazel eyes distancing as he ponders the situation. One hand pushes through his hair then catches at the back of his neck, holding there as he ponders.
    "And if it's threatening Willow that would not be a positive for me." Which considering how Alexander talks might go a ways to admonishment. He chews on his lower lip for a time then says, "I'm not around all the time, and I have no fancy schmancy power to show up. But..."
    Alex looks away, then back to Buffy and frowns, then grudgingly tells her. "If you want, you can relate to Willow that if things are desperate enough and she knows summoning spells, she can invoke me, and I'll come. Part of the rules governing being a... you know, anthropomorphic representation of a concept based in humanity's psychic zeitgeist."
    A frown touches his features, "Just shouldn't be used at any old time. Since well, it could summon me at an inopportune moment."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a brow at that and smirks, "Wait, she can just like, summon you, and you'll come? Nifty.." still, it would come in handy. "I mean, I get it, you just want to be a normal guy working a normal job but..I'd really appreciate the help, if things get too hairy, I mean. Thank you.."

She sighs, "Willow's a good person, just because she's a witch doesn't make her evil. I suppose..I owe you and Ares an apology too, assuming you were trouble because of your titles...War, Fear, kinda seems like a bad thing. But I guess it depends on what you use it for, right?"

Phobos has posed:
    A small half-smile touches Alexander's features at Buffy's apology and he waves it off as if she did no harm, which is fair, she didn't really. "When the war was over, and I finally had a chance to sit and speak with my grandfather." He looks back at her and says, "I mean he's really not that bad of a guy in some ways, all told. Sure he likes to date around but not like that's a rarity in my family."
    He takes a deep breath, "I was struggling with being the God of Fear. When you're in high school, you want to be popular, be liked. Don't want people to look at you and..." He waves a hand. "So my grandfather sits me down, and he tells me that none of us are one-sided, none of us are just the god of this, and the god of that. By our natures, we are both sides of the coin. That my father is not just the God of War. He's a god of peace as well. That I'm not just a god of fear. That I had it in me to be a god of courage as well."
    He shrugs a little and looks away. "That's kind of been a nice thing to think about."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles softly and nods, "To be honest, I did a little..Research. Went to see Princess Diana of Themiscyra. Y'know, she kinda owed me a favor as she needed information on vamps..And I needed information on greek gods. But.."

She shrugs, "I guess she kinda agreed that a god can go either way too. I'm glad you're an ally and not an enemy though. I mean, I guess you still have free will and can choose to be whatever you want to be. To be honest.."

Buffy sighs a little, wondering if she should say so much, but it seems Alex is being honest with her too, so.

"Well..The 'slayer' isn't necessary a purely good being of 'light' either. I've heard that a slayer gains their powers from acquiring the heart of a demon..And the very first Slayer's body was merged with the spirit of a demon. So..I guess really I'm just a superpowered predator. So you're right, I suppose we are all of a double nature.."

As for Phobos, Buffy smiles and nods in agreement. "Right, I guess you're what, kinda responsible for keeping the two in balance? It's not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's not a power that's abused.."

Phobos has posed:
    Looking back at her, Alexander's lip twists, "Yah she sorta told me." Then he adds, "Well, more implied it, she showed up and we started talking again. So it was nice. Owe you for that."
    Then she offers her insight about what it means to be a slayer and he nods a little, "That seems like it's often the way, doesn't it?" He lifts a chin to nod at Buffy and adds, "Some sort of compromise made, to take the power of the enemy and turn it back on them. Like my sword, was originally meant to kill gods, wielded by Olympus' enemies, and now I use it to do what I can to protect us."
    She then mentions balance, the abuse of power and his nose crinkles. "I don't like to use my powers, unless I have to." His lip twists, "Which is why I try to talk people down. Sure it might be futile sometimes but, I dunno. At least I can say I tried."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks slowly, "Wait, you have a god slaying sword? Wow...I wonder.." she frowns, thinking, "Sooo this sword of yours. Think it could hurt our Hell clown too? Seems like conventional weapons don't harm him. Mind you, if we can just talk some sense into him.."

She shrugs, "I mean, he seemed like he was honestly out to hunt evil creatures, much like myself and my friends, just, he has trouble telling them apart. but even so..If things go south.."

The whole talky thing causes her to chuckle a bit. "Right, like with that vamp before..I get it, when you have that level of power..Me? I like to use my fists, mostly because I'm used to everything being stronger than me.."

Phobos has posed:
    A nod is given as Alexander listens to Buffy, "Yeah, I've had to face spirits, revenants, shades of the fallen. Grasscutter is a powerful artifact and holds a place of prominence in... well," He lifts his eyes, "Several pantheons."
    That said he looks back at her, "I suppose it really is a luxury. To feel confident enough to not consider things an emergency." He crinkles his nose thoughtfully, "But that might be just a sort of... off shoot from the fact I don't really feel fear. Which sort of tinges into a lot of other emotions."
    To Buffy he then uncurls a hand as he speaks, "But yeah, I can at least lend a hand with the ghostly thing. If needs be."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers hmms, "Wow, that's pretty convenient. I sure wish I could get my hands on a weapon like that. I mean, usually I find a way around defeating super powerful baddies, and I usually have my friends to help me out..But sometimes you gotta go it alone, you know?" she shrugs and sighs.

She bites her lip as she ponders things, "Huh, so, you can't feel fear huh. That's gotta be tough. I mean, sure it's nice to ride into battle without a worry, but on the other hand, I find fear fuels my resolve, makes me fight all the harder too." Buffy nods, "I'd appreciate that and..You know, think we can count on you if other..Things pop up? Sounds like you got quite the history with the crazies too.."

Phobos has posed:
    Waggling a hand somewhat, Alexander murmurs, "It's not an easy thing to gain a weapon like that." The youth frowns as he tilts his head at her, "My life had to end as I knew it. I had to wage a war for a being that hated me. Had to kill some of my family. My father. Had to surrender that part of me that felt fear to become what I am now."
    A deep breath is taken, "I'd give it back if it meant I could go back to being..." He waves a hand, as if encompassing whatever 'normal' was before he was kidnapped from his father.
    "But yeah, fear fuels... a lot of things." A twist of a smile, "It helps you value people, because you fear their loss or absence." He cocks his head to the side, "Hard to love someone if you don't care if they're in or out of your life. Fear helps us act in times of trial or emergency." A small shrug is given. "You can compensate in some ways, but yeah. Though sure, if you need a hand I don't mind answering now and again. So long as I'm not working."