14773/Keep Calm and Go Shopping

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Keep Calm and Go Shopping
Date of Scene: 10 March 2023
Location: Sunnydale Mall
Synopsis: Buffy looks a gift horse in the mouth.
Cast of Characters: Spike, Buffy Summers




Spike has posed:
Depending on one's approach, malls were either an invention by the devil, or heaven on Earth. There were plenty of couples displaying both aspects. Men carrying bags, their wives or girlfriends adding more to be carried as they shopped. Fluorescent lights illuminated everything, many of the bulbs a bright daylight white, with that gentle hint of blue. If not for the lack of sky, one might almost think they were outside on a clear day.

The changing approach to shopping meant that many stores had closed down, while others were given sweetheart deals, finding shelf space that they could never have hoped to achieve before. It was a bit of a mismatch in that. There was a game's room store, next to lingerie, next to a mobile provider, next to a cigar shop, next to luggage, next to a toy store, and so on.

What didn't belong was a certain peroxided Englishman. He was dressed in his usual attire, that is, black leather duster coat, black jeans, black shoes, black belt, black t-shirt, and a red open button shirt. He had to have some color, didn't he?

And he was walking out of a mobile provided, and standing in front of a lingerie store, taking a brief glance inside.
Buffy Summers has posed:
Coming out of the toy shop was one Buffy Summers. She was dressed casually today. A pair of jeans, a cute little blue blouse, a cardigan sweater over that in off-white so that she could keep out any chill when she left the building. She had a rather large bag in her right hand and she carried her old-faithful messenger bag cross slung over her torso and the bag itself dangling around her left hip. It was about as close as she was going to get to a purse these days.

As she stepped out, she paused and her body seemed to go a little tense. A quick glance around and she relaxed again. The early warning system had told her there was something nearby. That something likely was the Billy Idol wannabe looking at lingerie.

She moved toward him, a hint of a smirk on her face. "Don't tell me. I'm sure there's a reason you are looking in the window." She made a show of thinking it over. "Drusilla's back? Or is it Harmony this time?"
Spike has posed:
Spike tried to play it cool. But he was a little bit unnerved by how much she was able to sneak up on him. She was well practiced at it, both sneaking up on vampires in general, and him in particular. He barely showed his disdain. Those who knew him best, which oddly included Buffy Summers, could see the signs, that little twitch, the shift of body weight. So much was spoke with the body. Spike knew this well. After all, he was a master of reading people's emotions when he cared enough to pay even half attention to them.

"Yesterday was international women's day. Yer not telling me that you didn't get my gift. Bloody delivery men," he rolled his eyes. Was he being truthful, or making it up. It was hard to tell. Hell, he could have done it, as a joke, and was telling her the truth, thinking that she wouldn't believe him.
Buffy Summers has posed:
"There's an international women's day?"

Buffy was looking at him as though that was the joke. Not so much that he might have sent her a gift, which she didn't believe either. But he seemed serious. Of course, this was also Spike. One could never tell.

"Why? I mean is it just for international women and if so, does that mean it's an American holiday for people outside America. Or is it just international in that all countries celebrate it in which case why do we only get a day as women? Sounds stupid."
Spike has posed:
"You didn't know?" Spike said, sounding surprised, and almost a little angry. He made "tsk, tsk" sounds, shaking his head. "I didn't name it. I guess someone didn't like Women's Day, like Father's Day, or Mother's Day, or any other special day. And, yeah, some are pretty silly, like Talk Like a Pirate Day, but Women, yeah, that's something that deserves at least a day to celebrate, don't you think? I'd suggest there be a Slayer's Day too, but seeing as there are only two who celebrate it, and even that's twice the usual amount, wouldn't make much sense."

At that moment, how the hell does he do it, but at that moment, a woman came up, from the lingerie store, and walked up to them, recognizing Spike, and seeing Buffy beside him. She presented a pink bag, with white and pink tissue paper coming out near the handles. "Would you be the lucky girl?" And Spike nodded, looking every bit the fox in the hen house.
Buffy Summers has posed:
"No! No no on. Definitely no!"

Perhaps a tad /too/ adamant there but Buffy had raised her hands up in front of her, shaking her head negatively. "I am not his girl." Then she narrowed her eyes as she pointed at Spike with her free hand. "And you better not be serious either. There is nothing in there that I need from you." A point to the store and back at him again. "You better ring up Harmony. Or is she wanting to kill you again?" Just metaphoricly in the eyes of the woman who did the shopping likely.
Spike has posed:
The lady from Victoria's Secret, politely, and quietly, handed the bag to Spike, since Buffy refused to take it, and walked off as silently as she could. It was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that she had seen a lover's spat. Even if these pair were not lover's. Spike was getting a few sympathy looks from perfect strangers who had seen or at least heard part of it. Just seeing their body language. One guy walking past gave Spike a head tilt in support. "Buffy," he usually called her Slayer, even in public, "I haven't seen Drusilla, Harmony, or anyone, in, oh, it's been so long I can't even remember. But, if you don't want your gift, that's fine." And he began to turn his back on her, as if to leave!
Buffy Summers has posed:
It was one of those moments. The moment of truth. Because yes, she was a gal and she did like getting presents. But this was from a lingerie shop with an outfit in the window that she was pretty sure was illegal in most states. Or should be. Unless it was in private. Not in a store window. This wasn't Amsterdam!

But she was also Buffy. And he was Spike. "That's for the best, yes." And she watched to see if he actually walked away. Even as she took two steps backwards, preparing to head the opposite direction. At least between the daylight outside and the chip in his head, the other shoppers were safe she was sure.
Spike has posed:
She didn't even care to ask or see what it was. It was a good thing that Buffy wasn't the curious type, or else that might have nagged at her. Just what would Spike buy for her from there of all places? He began walking away, not at a gallop or anything, but casually walking. He had good enough hearing and sense of smell that he could usually notice a reaction. Trouble was, she was good at evading his senses too. Would they go their separate ways, or would one of them fold? Perhaps both? Time would tell.
Buffy Summers has posed:
And as he started to walk away, Buffy felt that twinge of question. But she was able to quell it because this was Spike. There were trust issues that ran deep. Certainly he had been helping them, for years now, but there was a chip in his head too. So he didn't really have a lot of choice as fighting monsters was the only way he could really fight these days. Thus it was self serving.

That was why, right?

She took a breath, let it out slowly, the turned to head the opposite direction.
Spike has posed:
Would Spike be the kind of person to arrange for someone to pretend to be a Victoria's Secret employee, bringing him a bag once she saw Buffy Summers, which would include some priceless artefact, some tablet, some relic, that would help her save the world, or a donation for orphans, or some other useful thing? Yes, yes he would, just to mess with her, knowing that she would turn him down. He was exactly that kind of man.

Spike was quite the trickster. Despite his chip, he had manipulated Xander, because it amused him, but generally helped out Willow, Oz whenever he visited, Giles, though, there was some messing with there too, and all the Scoobies. He'd even been spotted saving people when no one was around to see him, or at least as far as the Scoobies knew. They had seen him from afar, where he was in the process of saving someone, or would come up after the rescue. He was trying to live a good life, even with the chip.

A shame that they couldn't get over or accept him for who he was, warts and all. But as he walked, he casually dumped the bag that he had been given into a garbage bin, and kept walking.
Buffy Summers has posed:
As she was walking away, she glanced back. Just in time to see the bag go into the bin as Spike continued to walk away. Which had her frowning.

She had no interest in a gift from Spike. Yet it seemed a waste for something to go in the trash out of spite. Besides, that was probably bought with Giles' money, come to think of it. Should Giles be wasting money?

Maybe she could get it and return it so that Giles recouped his funds. And thus she turned to go retreive the bag, her plan in her head now.
Spike has posed:
Inside, Buffy would find an assortment of gifts. On top, there was a neatly folded black tank top, with a T-back strap, another cropped tank top in gem green, onyx grey heather leggings, black leggings, a blue one-piece swimsuit with sheer mesh inserts, and a orchid blush structured satchel. No underwear. Go figure. And it was all both stylish, and surprisingly modest.

Spike continued to walk towards some other part of the mall, he didn't seem to be heading for an exit, but perhaps he knew of a way to get to the sewer in that direction. It was still bright outside. That was the thing. Unless he had a blanket, sewer access, or something else up his sleeve, he was here until nightfall. But the mall did have a food court, and that was in the direction he seemed to be going.