13028/Where some explanations are provided

Where some explanations are provided
Date of Scene:	13 April 2021
Location:	Fontainebleu Antiques, Yonkers
Synopsis:	Buffy visits Henri, trying to get some information on the Hellequin
Cast of Characters:	Hellequin, Buffy Summers

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Hellequin has posed:
It's early in the afternoon, and the usual customers showing up during lunch break already returned to work. The Fontainebleau Antiques store is devoid of custumers at the moment, and the owner, Henri, is busy rearranging the jewelry display. Gregorian chants fill the room with its ancient melody.

Buffy Summers has posed:
It's only been a few days since some of the Scoobies rescued a group of kids from becoming a feast for a couple of Preying Mantis Demons. Fortunately, they did have some assistance from an unlikely mystery ally, and a surprising reveal of his true identity.

So naturally she just had to hunt him down and figure out what to do..Which is what brings Buffy here to his store. Again.

"Well..I guess I wasn't expecting anything more dramatic than seeing you bustling around, pretending to be just some ordinary antique guy, but still.." She quips as she strides straight for the back, for the jewelry display and the mysterious fontainbleu.

Hellequin has posed:
Henri slowly turns around, unsurprised as Buffy enters the store. It was to be expected, after the events a few days ago, that the Slayer would show up. Her, or M. Giles. Still, didn't he tell them to not seek him?

Turning to face her, Henri sighs, then nods, "I am not pretending, mademoiselle," he says, "I /am/ an antiquarian. Nothing in here is fake, including myself."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers narrows her eyes as she faces him, an almost..Threatenning look in her eyes. "Hah, you might be like, an antique guy for real, at least in your human form..But by night, you're something totally different.." she leans in a little, her voice hardening some although Buffy makes no move to grab him with her hands at least.

"But at least now I know your fatal weakness, y'know, just incase you decide to hold true to your promise to hunt down my friends, even though I already told you that they're good people.."

She frowns, taking a step back, peering around at the store, specifically focusing on the books. Giles had told her that he sold a lot of books about burning witches and the like. "Soo..The only question now is, what to do about you..?"

Hellequin has posed:
If Buffy was expecting to impress, intimidate or scare Henri, she miserably failed. He remains still like a statue, his head eyes following her, a bit like a hunter watching its prey. While he /is/ a hunter, Buffy isn't his head prey. But old habits die hard.

"And pray tell, what is this head /fatal/ weakness that you mention? I am, hrm, very curious to hear about it." Only then does he turn slightly to her, tilting his head, a look of incrudility on his head face.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers turns back to face him and laughs, "Come on, is it really that difficult to figure it out?" she frowns, stepping towards him again, looking him up and down. "You have a human form, a human, mortal form..If I wanted, I could kill you now, stop this madness, but.."

Buffy sighs, stepping back, shaking her head. "But of course that would be murder, and I'm no murderer..Unless of course you forced my hand." It's a trump card at least, if things get too desperate, just wait til the sun comes up..Hopefully they never have to come to that.

"Soo, the question is, what do we do now? I mean..You could be an invaluable ally to our cause..But only if I can trust you not to kill everything supernatural out there without prejudice.."

Hellequin has posed:
It has been a long time indeed, since Henri felt amused, and a smile slowly appears on his generally nice looking features. Oh, he's not laughing at Buffy at all, not even to what she said. But rather what she thinks she knows, which is not really much.

"And yet," he says, "I died, and here I am. Of course, you could kill me - not that I think you would. And yet, I would return. You could /not/ stop this madness, as you say."

Then the smile vanishes, and Henri frowns, thinking. The Slayer really believes he's some sort of immortal murderer. Oh little does she know.

"If I was as bad as you seem to believe, you - nor any of your friends - would be alive as we speak. The rules are written, and my mission is clear. I seek to eradicate evil. Ergo, if you - and your friends - are still alive, it is because they are not... totally evil." There might be additional reasons, but that is left aside for now.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers's smile fades a bit at that...Well, so much for a trump card. "Waaiiiit..Are you saying, that even if you were killed in this form, that you'll just come back the next night and day? Are you saying you're basically immortal!?"

She frowns deeply at that, arms folding. "Well that's just..Really inconvenient. I mean, for real, you can't be killed? You have absolutely no weakness at all?" Buffy sighs, shaking her head, but his words cause her to shiver a little. He's right of course, if he meant to harm them, they would have all been dead already.

"Okay, so what, they passed your little test? Or at least, Willow did? I mean..That's good right? it means you've come to realize that there IS good in them..Right?" it's something to go on, something to make her believe he's not just a heartless murderer..Maybe..

Hellequin has posed:
Henri sighs lightly again, walking towards the weapons display, a large hand slowly touching the blade of an antique sword. For a moment, he remains silent, then turns again as he speaks.

"While I do not feel like I owe you, or anyone, much more explanation to what is meant to be," he says, "You can come to your own conclusion. I died, and here I am. Yes, if you would kill me now, I would be here tomorrow. You see me very sorry if that is inconvenient to you. I, personnally, find it quite reassuring."

He then pauses, frowning for a moment. "If the witch is alive, it is because she must be alive." And no, he's not explaining why, maybe because he's not certain himself. "Your reasoning as to /why/ she is still alive, is... your own conclusion. Is it true? Is it false? Dieu seul le sait... hrm, God only knows."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks, watching his every move, eyeing those weapons warily. "Look, I'm not gonna kill you, not unless you try and kill one of my friends, but even then, I guess it'd only be a temporary measure..The real question is, why? Are you saying you couldn't kill Willow because she had good in her? Does that mean there are forces greater than you preventing you from passing judgement?"

If that's the case, it's a relief. Maybe it means she has nothing to worry about. "Soo..How exactly did this all happen? How did you become some undying avenging..Hell Cl--err, Hellequin?" see? She's at least trying to be respectful.

Hellequin has posed:
The sword is now in his large hand, handed experdly as he swirls it around, as if testing its balance. Henri then places it back on the display, a satisfied look on his face.

"You are right, it would be... a temporary measure indeed. I hope that you would not expect me to try such an adventure in my most vulnerable form? If I gave you any cause to believe that my mind is /that/ weak, then I must remedy to this misconception."

As to why Hellequin did not kill Willow, the matter if left unanswered. Only one element of answer is provided. "Like I said, Willow is alive, I did not... eradicate her. You should be satisfied to know, that there is no plan to kill her." He pauses, then adds, smirking.

Moving in front of the display and cashier. Henri casually leans against the counter, shrugging. Yes, he can look /almost/ relaxed.

"Let us say, that it happened a long time ago. I died... and then I lived again. There are mysteries that us, humans, cannot understand. God has mysterious ways." The smile returns at the mention of his name, instead of the infamous Hell-Clown. "I appreciate your effort to avoid this ridiculous nickname. I am Hellequin, and the Arlequin was created based on my /legend/. Yes, I have been around for such a time, that there are legends about me. I am very surprised that your friend, M. Giles, so well versed in ancient lore, did not... as you say nowadays, /link the dots/."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers seems to tense slightly as she watches him test the sword, as if readying for a battle. Because you never know. But she is relieved to see him replace it back on its holder and she smirks, folding her arms loosely.

"Right, soo for now, Willow is safe..What about my other friends..Angel..Spike, Thomas? Are you gonna hunt them down too, or are you gonna take my word that they are good people despite the fact that they are vampires?"

Mention of Giles causes her to chuckle and shrug. "I'm sure he did..WE didn't have much time to talk about you since the last time, but now that you've mentioned the name Arlequin.." well, looks like she may have some homework ahead of her. The more she knows about this..Hell clown, the better.

Hellequin has posed:
Crossing his strong arms over his chest, Henri remains silent for a moment. During the conversation, it is obvious that he's selecting which information to provide, and which to keep for himself. After all, he's not seeking that much attention.

"Ah, yes... your little vampires. It never ceases to intrigue me, that the Slayer would colloborate with such vile creatures of the Devil." He pauses, adding, "I am afraid that your /word/ is not among the rules, so I cannot take your word. Suffice to say, as for the witch, if they are still walking on this God's earth, it is because their time is not up. But please, rest assured," he pauses, staring at Buffy as he means his words, "The next time Angelus shows up, will be the end of Angel. I believe that I cannot be more clear."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a brow as he calls them her 'little' vampires. "Hah, I'd hardly call them 'little', they might be a bit..Offended by that. And I'm certainly not collaborating with creatures of the Devil.."

She sighs, wondering how to put this.."As I've said before, they are exceptions to the rule..Angel has a human soul, Thomas is essentially a human with a demon parasite which he keeps under control..And Spike..Well he has a chip preventing him from hurting people. But I'm sure if you met them, you would be unable to kill them.." She hopes.

The warning of Angelus causes her to shiver though, "How can you be so sure of that? I'm sure we'll find a way to prevent Angelus from ever rising again."

Hellequin has posed:
A light shrug of the shoulders accompany the Hellequin's words. "I do not care to offend vampires," he says, "And they should not be offended that I do not grace them with my blade. And no, there are no exceptions to the rule, there are only His mysterious ways."

As for the Angelus matter, not many details are offered. "I have followed him over the ages," he says, "For some reasons," he raises his hand in a defense gesture so she doesn't ask which reasons, "Reasons that I cannot mention, he was allowed to... walk around. But everyone's time must come to an end, and his will come as well. The matter of how and when, remains uncertain."

Then Henri glances at the large front window, noticing that the sun is slowly going down. "Meeting them? Really, how can you suggest such a thing?" And then, a smirk appears over his face. "Oh, but this might be a good idea, after all. Maybe if any of them killed me, /then/ I can slay them! Merveilleux! Oui, yes. Now I am almost eager to /meet/ them." That's the Hellequin's sense of humour!

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers frowns, shaking her head, "You're wrong. Anyone can make mistakes and try to atone for it afterwards. All of these people, especially Angel, has dedicated his life to atoning for past sins.."

The idea of Hellequin meeting them is unnerving but on the other hand, she smiles and nods. "That might not be a bad idea..But maybe better to meet them during the day..." Okaay, that could be problematic, but worse is to meet them when Hellequin is at his strongest, right?

"I'm sure they wouldn't kill you unless in self defence."

Hellequin has posed:
Henri nods at that, not that it wasn't really his idea, it would be interesting nonetheless. Especially if they meet during the day, and if the temptation to kill him then engulfs them, they would commit a grave fault by killing him, grave enough to be /dealth/ with the next night!

"The day would be perfect, of course," he replies. And talking of day, this one is ending soon. "I'll drop by your Magic Shop sometime," he says, "But in the meantime, if that makes you feel better, you can let them know that as long as they do not give me cause to... deal with them, they should not worry. The fear of God should guide them."

And on that, he walks to the door, implicitly inviting Buffy to depart. "But for now... I believe that the day is almost over for Henri."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers knows this could prove to be quite risky, potentially. But she trusts her vampire friends, trusts that they wont be drawn into any foolish traps that might lead them to try and kill an innocent store owner..Right?

She nods slowly in agreement, eyeing him warily still. "Come by the Magic Box anytime. I will be waiting..So will they." Eyes narrow warily upon him, "But if you try and trick them, I swear I'll find a way to end you for good.."

And with that, she turns and walks out.