12932/One plus one equals.. three

One plus one equals.. three
Date of Scene:	31 March 2021
Location:	Fontainebleu Antiques, Yonkers
Synopsis:	Willow and Henri have words.
Cast of Characters:	Hellequin, Willow Rosenberg

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Hellequin has posed:
Yet another quiet day at the Fontainebleau Antiques. The large wall displays are all arranged now, crates empty and removed. The large store, although shiny and all clean, is filled with antiques, mostly of Medieval times. To help make it feel even more like a museum - which it almost is - there is a light Gregorian chant in the background.

Henri de Fontainebleau, the owner, is taking notes of the books titles in the bookshelves at the far end of the store, singing along the ancient chant.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow did not tell Giles she would go near the antiques shop, she just nodded. At the time she hadn't planned on going to check it out, but since then she's had too many things just didn't add up.

Nick met him, Henri Fontainebleau, and *that*seemed to tie them all up. The antique dealer that had such a hate on for witches.. and that church, meeting Nick? That same church that someone changed to Hellequin? And that Kurt was spared?

Too many coincidences.

She stepped inside. The door gave a little dingle as she did so.

Hellequin has posed:
Hearing the door opening, Henri doesn't turn to it right away. It wasn't just Willow that stepped in - he didn't know yet that it was Willow. But his ages old instincts tell him something he can't ignore: this is a magic user, sorcerer or witch. His senses on alert, although he's stuck in his mortal form for many more hours, he slowly turns, a business like smile on his face. Even upon recognizing the witch he wanted to kill a few days ago, the smile remains. Chances that she recognizes him are slim, but there is no running away for him. He's kind of cornered as it is.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle," he says, "Welcome." Not at all welcome. "What can I do for you?" he asks, maybe hoping she'll turn away, scared by the witch hunt drawings covering a good portion of the walls.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Ah the drawings.

For a moment Willow is drawn to the pictures. "Do you know, was there any truth.. I meant, some people say that witches were a very big group, which consisted of women who were all sorts of things besides witches. Usually they were women who stuck out and complained at the way things were done according to their sex."

Sure there probably were witches too, but the majority were not.

Hellequin has posed:
Henri studies Willow for a moment, still holding the pad he was taking notes on, while remained exactly where he was standing. He very well knows who she is, and can only guess what she is doing here, of all places. The witch asked a question heavy with understatements. But for the Hellequin, there is only two ways possible, and complaining isn't an argument.

"And do you know, that God establishes the rules, that anyone stepping outside of His light joins Evil, even if it is to /complain/? That since God Himself fights evil, all believers should as well, protected by His guidance."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"And yet, when people were men, they were praised. The Jesuit priests especially were at the forefront of knowledge." Willow turned to him. "Most of your witches are females. Did you ever think of that?"

Hellequin has posed:
Are they playing cat and mouse, and if so, who's which? Her question seems to give him pause, but nonetheless, Henri is confident he can counter all arguments.

"Yes, most of /the/ witches are female," he replies, "Not that they are /mine/ by any way. And did you notice, that most witches' covents are lead by a man, just like Grandier in Loudun."

Henri pauses, not quite certain what Willow is looking for. "And did you notice, that there are about fourty percent of the saints were women. Oh, and they did not achieve this holy rank by /complaining/."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"But it's only called complaining when women do it." Willow lets her comment stay out just a little time, before asking him, "Aren't you asking why things aren't how they should be? Like Kurt?" Pause. "Or me?"

There. It either is or isn't him.

(Okay, she's really not certain about if he can't harm her, but she's certain of Kurt.)

Hellequin has posed:
From the back of the store where he had remained, Henri stares at Willow for a moment. He then slowly closes the distance between them, slowly, confidently, in no hurry, stopping just a few feet from her. From this close distance between them, Willow might be able to find some similarities with the man she saw in the church, when his eyes were not covered.

Towering above her, from his imposing height, he remains silent for a moment. Perfectly still and staring at her. And then he speaks.

"God has mysterious ways," he states in a very deep voice, "That Humans cannot understand. I do not question His ways. They are what they are."

Always with his blue eyes on hers, he adds. "What. Do. You. Want?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
My friend Zach, he was an angel. In a long ago war he was forgotten." Willow refuses to back down, regardless of how tall he is. "Sometimes God makes mistakes."

"I don't believe in your god. Not the way you do. But I believe in goodness in all things. Except demons and other enemies of the Slayer!" She couldn't say that without the exceptions! "Even you. Everyone is quite certain you are not good, even though you are killing the bad guys. That's what a fanatic is. He doesn't think for himself. And ultimately does as much evil as evil does."

"I believe in the threefold law. What so ever you do, it comes back at you three times as strong. I don't understand why you are like you are, but I feel sorry for you."

Hellequin has posed:
And again, after listening to Willow, Henri/Hellequin doesn't answer directly. Does she want a confirmation of who or what he is? No chance in heavens. For a moment, he seems about to reply and then... remains silent for a while. He has all his time.

"I am a servant of God," he finally replies, "What I do, He allows me to do. If that does make me a fanatic, so be it."

And then, his eyes leave Willow's for a moment, glancing at the sun going down in the mid-afternoon.

"I am not sure who you think I am," he then says, matter of factly, and /smiling/ at her as he steps back. "But whatever I do, I must do it right, because... you see, I'm still here. And nothing is coming back at me."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"For now," Willow says quietly.

She looks out the window, following his gaze. "I suppose I could wait till the sun goes down and wait. But I think I've got my answer. I don't like you. I really don't. But I feel sorry for you. Still, if you need my help, I'll be here for you." Even if she really hated herself for it!

She turns towards the door.

Hellequin has posed:
Henri stays there, always still. It's not like he'd try to keep her and chat over coffee. Help, him? What kind of help could the Hellequin need? And from a witch to boot!

As Willow exits the store, Henri locks the door behind her and flips over the CLOSED sign. And again, he remains there, still, waiting for the sun to go down. Again. Like he did thousands of times. Waiting... or thinking? Although he would never admit it to anyone, the witch had some good questions that match ones he's actually asking himself.