16064/When the girlfriend's best friend has a problem.

When the girlfriend's best friend has a problem.
Date of Scene:	17 February 2024
Location:	Harry Dresden's Office, Kingston Falls
Synopsis:	When three friends get together, the things that they learn can be interesting and unsettling.
Cast of Characters:	Harry Dresden, Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg

---

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry is sitting on the edge of his desk, for once not piled with papers. He has one file in his hand and he mutters,"If half the legends are true, these things are to to be trifled with..."

A bottle of Mac's homebrew is sitting just to his left. The tank that is Mouse is laying on the floor by the door. To his behavior, he is people watching. To those passing, he looks like he might eat them...or slurp them into oblivioun.

Buffy Summers has posed:
"I appreciate your patience with me on this one. I figure I want to say it once instead of repeatedly. And no game of telephone. You know how bad I suck at that game." There had been nights of boredom when the trio of Buffy, Willow and Xander had hung out during their high school days, watching movies together and being kids. Who knew that was even possible for Buffy after her calling? Perhaps that was why she was so different from past Slayers. The pair had saved her life more than once, and not just from monsters.

They were approaching the door and she caught sight of Mouse. Which was like calling a big guy Tiny. Thankfully, he had not tried to eat her up to this point. And her dream encounter with the big lug had been positive. Thus, she was not intimidated. Much.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow made a pshaw with her hand. "I'm used to it. With Harry we have had to learn things that work for us. Trust me.." She made ready to open the wards. "When your boyfriend can't use or be in the vicinity with technology, and you are a technowitch? You learn fast. or else you find another boyfriend!"

She grins. "And I kind of like him. So we'll wait till we have him with us."

Opening the door she peeked. "Harry? Got a minute?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
Bounding to his feet, Mouse meets the ladies first. He is clearly happy to see them both and awaits a little attention. The tolls must be paid. Rolling his eyes Harry mutters,"Mouse, go be somewhere less under foot."

He gets up from the desk, closing the file and picking up the beer. He nods and replies,"For you I always have time." he assures Willow and winks. Another nod to Buffy and he adds,"For the best friend I have time as well." He pauses and moves to the back of the desk and opens a drawer. Producing a leather strap with a pouch he brings it to Buffy, hand extended,"It will take you through the wards without the threshold effect. You can't lower it without magic ability that could be taught, this is just easier."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Mouse gets his attention in the form of many scritches and ear rubs before Buffy lets Willow get her time with the massive furball. Then she takes that offered pouch, eyeballing it curiously but nodding when he explained. "Yeah, we have learned that I'm not the magic type. I do the punching. You guys do the fancy stuff." Which was oversimplifying but it was, in essence, how Buffy saw it.

"I was told to consult with my redheaded friend but since it's involving you know who, I figure I need to spread the word as well. Though, it seems that some people already know he's around right now."

Buffy took a deep breath then just said it. "Dracula is in Sunnydale. I already had sent out a text to the gang about it. Will and I talked a little. Seems he's met Faith as well and he's implied he's tasted her blood so I'm not sure what's up there. He keeps going on about me reaching my full potential by using the darkness that is part of a Slayer but I just feel like that's a really bad idea for some reason. Maybe cause he wants it. I mean, him wanting it, it can't be good, right?"

She looked between them. "But he has apparently managed to get in my head. Said that I needed to talk to Will about my missing memory of about three years. I'm not sure /why/ as Will already knows about it but I wondered if either of you might have an idea why he's suggesting it?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I'm not the punching sort. It works out well." Actually, Willow could hit after many years of practice. But let's face it - between a punch, or force lightning? Which one would *you* use?

She hunkers down and pays her taxes to Mouse. "You are such a suck! In a good way." Leaning in closer, she whispers, "You're the only dog I like."

"Huh?" Willow stands. "Me? Dracula? You? What?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Your life isn't challenging enough? Why not add a pompous ancient evil to the mix." Harry mutters softly and settles on the edge of the desk again. He knows about the memory loss of course. He's heard it from seveal points of view now. He strokes his jaw thoughtfully and mutters,"In my estimation you treat him like fey folk. No favors come for free and the price is rarely worthwhile."

He studies Buffy for a moment and tells her,"OK. First thought is letting me open my third eye and look at you, second thought would be going and talking to Bob, and my last thought would be a soul gaze. That is the last line. Willow and I have shared it, but it's the sort of thing you see each other on every level and you never forget it. It's a bit...much." He glances to Willow and winks,"Nasty thing playing all of you now it seems. Fighting Faith and living gives me the impression he's really good."

He smirks as Willow's antics with Mouse and his happy dances when both ladies pay with pats and scitches. After the toll is paid, Mouse lays infront of the door, feeling the tension change in the room. Time to hold the fort while the bipedal smooth skins figure something out. There is a wisdom and understanding in his eyes that is way too sage to be a regular dog.

Buffy Summers has posed:
He laid out the options and Buffy considered carefully, looking between them as she tried to understand what exactly was being said. "Molly had looked in there a while back and she didn't think my brain had been tampered with. Will and I have tried finding spells that might be responsible and everything else but with no real results. So I'm game for just about anything at this point."

The list went through her head. "I don't know what a third eye is other than sounding creepy as hell but I'd say if you are just looking at me then sure? Soul gaze sounds intense but again, I'll do what I need to. And...I guess I need to know who Bob is before I can even weigh in on that option."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
While Harry is listing off the options, Willow is still trying to figure out what Dracula meant. Was he giving clues to Buffy about Willow's behaviour? It wouldn't be unusual for him to plant the seeds for someone else to read the flowers. But wasn't he wanting her to be susceptible to him? That didn't make sense.

He would have had better luck planting the seeds about Rack. That one she was even more closed up about his existing. Even thinking about her sessions with him made her skin tingle. And the power she felt while during the sessions.. ohhhhhh..

She made a mental note to return to Rack. And soon.

"Bob is a pervert." Is all Willow says.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Molly looked into it?" Harry asks curiously,"Glad she stayed around long enough to be of some help." He sounds a little less than pleased with his apprentice,"So she doesn't think you brain was tampered with? I wonder what she did as far as looking."

"As for Bob. He is a spiritus intellectus. He is an old pervert's mind trapped in statis. He can't die, but he can't live either. Sometimes I let him out, but never for long and usually I make his spirit inhabit my cat. He does less damage that way." He considers and admits,"The third eye will show me anything magically wrong around you. Soul gaze shows me everything. So I am thinking Bob, then the third eye, and if get nothing we consider the Soul Gaze."

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Oh goody, the pervert." The sarcasm is practically dripping off those words. Though Buffy quickly continues from there in a more normal tone. "Spiritus Intellectus. So he's a smart pervert. Hopefully."

She had to consider. Stuck in stasis but sometimes allowed to possess the cat. She almost felt sorry for the cat. Though she did add to answer his question on Molly. "No idea what she was looking for but she said my mind hadn't been tampered with that she could tell. So it wasn't like a memory spell or something, I guess?" She waved a hand in the air.

"This is why I leave the magic to you guys." Meaning him, Willow, Molly, Nick, and whoever else had the genetics to allow them to dabble.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow crinkles up her nose. "He wanted me to take him out. I said I would ask. It's not as if he would have a good time with me?" Meanwhile the Willow who made the deal with Bob wasn't quite so innocent as she seems.

But she has to admit, Bob is smart. And knows a whole heck of magic. Probably more than Harry and she put together. Then again, according to Thomas no one asks Willow for advice on very important magical spells and paraphernalia.

"Admit it, Bob is probably your best bet." Even if Willow kind of believes that they will have to use the soul gaze. Just a thought.

Harry Dresden has posed:
A nod and Harry heads towards the hallway to the apartment. He lifts the throw rug and tosses it aside. In the floor is a trap door. He opens it and starts into the sub basement below,"Bob is probably the least invasive."

"He thinks you are strong enough to free him. My word is the power that releases him, but you might be strong enough to force the issue. If you manage that he might be a rouge and esentially the council will look to destroy you."

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Why would I release him?" The question was filled with confusion as Buffy looked from the disappearing Harry over to Willow. Then she sort of stage whispers to Willow, since she's not wanting to yell and thus be able to be heard down that trap door. "Did he do something he's being punished for? Cause I figure if you get locked in spirit form, you did something bad. Right?"

Because now she had to wonder if he was some old pervert that was being held against his will instead of a bad person being punished for ...how long was he stuck as this spirit thing anyway.

She didn't head down herself, waiting to see if Harry would return with Bob to this room. If Willow went down, then she would follow to the lower level unless told not to do so.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow giggles as she rolls her eyes. "As if. I mean, first I would have to break his binding. which I can't and wouldn't even if I could. And besides which, if I was able to free him, wouldn't I be strong enough to fight the council?"

She quits down While Harry and Bob get ready to do their thing for Buffy.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Once he is in the basement, he frowns and takes his duster to hand. He reaches into the pocket of the coat and says,"On another front. Duke Ortega of the Red Court has put a bounty on the head of several of our allies. The three of us fetch a million each if someone snuffs us out."

He places the paper on a table and mutters,"Flicum biccus." Several candles leap to life. On the paper is a list of who's who. Buffy, Willow, Xander ($5000, poor Xander), the Winchester brothers, the Halliwell sisters and their half sister, three more that Harry says are Charmed as well, Michael Carpenter, and a few more but those are the highlights.

He leaves the paper for Willow and Buffy to examine and then moves to the desk, removing a rag and revealing a human skull.

Buffy Summers has posed:
When it became apparent she was expected to follow, Buffy made her way down as well. She also made sure not to touch a thing. She knew better. Instead she kept her hands at her sides though that didn't stop her from looking at the various tables and what might be on them.

At mention of the bounty, she moved to look at that piece of paper. "Seriously? What'd we do to him? I don't even know who that is." She knew that the Red Court were some sort of vampiric things. Not vampires in the sense she understood them. But more like ugly creatures that had different abilities. To her, they were just another type of demon and not truly vampires.

She moved to the table and started to read the list more closely, looking for her fellow Slayer. Her hope? That Faith wouldn't be on it. That they didn't know about her. Though, if they knew about Thomas, they likely knew about Faith by this point. It was a slim hope but it was all she had. Other names she knew. Some? Not so much. Or if she had known them, she didn't anymore. Maybe they would figure out that memory gap and it might change.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Until Willow reads the paper she really doesn't understand what Harry has said.

And then she reads.

*blinks*

"Is this because I didn't sign the accords?" She doesn't follow. "But that was with Thomas." Something about the Unseelie.. or was it the Seelie? She hadn't paid enough attention to him. At the time she thought it was silly.. a little witch such as her being bound by the Accords?

And since then she has gotten a more clear view of her powers (depending on the day, of course) and she laughed at them thinking they could bind her that way?

Ha!

"Why would he do something so dumb?" Yes, Willow actually used the word dumb about a fellow being. "Poor Xander." His was below most of the others. Poor, indeed.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Faith and Harry are on the list of course. Like Buffy they are dangerous to their plans. Harry shakes his head and tells them both,"This is because he is looking to cause a stir. Most all of us have punched him in his nose potentially at one time or another. The rest are guilty by association and for being fighters against things like him. There might be something deeper, but I think for now we stay on our toes."

"I signed the Accords, but I am on there. Thomas is not. That has to do with his standing within the White Court. The rest of us are just lucky. He might be up to more than appears, but for now I think he's just being a pest. I have an idea for him, but lets deal with Bob for now."

Buffy Summers has posed:
"I mean usually there has been some sort of punching involved before people get that mad. Or if they have a reason to be afraid which--let's be honest, Red Court do."

Buffy looked over at Willow, a little bit of surprise in her face when her bestie used the d-word. That really wasn't like Willow but it was a minor thing. Nothing really to be concerned about in this moment. Buffy would be unlikely to remember it later. "A bit on the nose there. It's like painting a giant target on his back when we've been leaving him alone."

She frowned. "Until now."

Then she got back to the situation at hand. Her eyes went to the skull that had been revealed. "If you get any information on him or his reasons, please let us know," she added to Harry.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"But, I still don't follow? I mean, I haven't done anything to make them believe that they should offer one million.. that's just crazy?"

Even though she is beginning to believe she /is/ powerful.. very.. very.. powerful, there wasn't anything in her past to base this on. Unless.. they knew about her dealings with the Justice League of America? But nobody around here believed it? Well, maybe current Buffy did. And possibly Harry. Though she hadn't really talked about it to him. But the rest? They saw her as little sister Willow that scryed and put wards on things, nothing else.

Taking a seat to allow Buffy to have Harry's attention, she contemplated the bounties.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Ortega gets off on power. He is in his stronghold in Mexico according to the intel anyway." Harry replies,"I think he is getting his jollies and if some of us die, it's worth it for him. I think when we go north to collect the nasty thing if we can keep it alive I say we drop it on Ortega."

"Thomas and Nick think it might be a feint for something bigger. They might be right." Harry admits,"For now, we have another concern."

He turns to the skull and says,"Bob wake up. We have to talk."

The eye sockets glow orange as the slull wakes up. If Buffy looks close, the skull is surrounded by the worst kind of smut novels,"Harry I was just reading about Siri, surrendering her connection to the unicorns to let..." The lights in the eyes widen as he looks at Buffy and Willow,"Ms. Rosenburg. You look beautiful as always. Who is this magnificent creature with you?"

Bob, instant creepy guy.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Ortega? Gets off on power.

Hrm.

Maybe Willow should pay this a visit. After all, maybe she could bump her bounty to two million?

She smiles slyly while Buffy and Harry work.

Buffy Summers has posed:
As the skull flared into life with glowing eyes, Buffy tried not to look as shocked as she was. They had told her the pervert was locked into something but actually /meeting/ a possessed skull that automatically was being as creepy as advertised.

"His name is Harry and he is pretty impressive though he might take offense at being called a Creature," came the auto-quip from the Slayer. "I'm Buffy. Heard you know a lot of stuff. Hopefully the sort of stuff we need."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry shakes his head as Bob is...well Bob. Never easily shaken, he chuckles softly,"Harry is a creature. We all know that. I am far more interested in one with such strength." he muses.

The glowing eyes shift to Willow and he adds,"Miss Rosenberg. You look delectible as ever. If you ever want to tra..."

Harry's hand settles on the shelf and his words are soft,"Consider your next words carfully Bob. You are worth a lot to my research, but I could let Toot Toot take you for a while. See what hole you end up buried it."

The eyes dim a little and Bob mutters,"You wouldn't."

Harry shrugs,"I might do it just to see what it looks like. Now listen to the lovely ladies since both are capable of doing bad things to your skull here."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Oooooh. Harry was testy when it came to Bob and her. Not that she was interested.. unless you meant with regards to magic theory. ^Then, yes, she was! Not that she would let Harry know.

'Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive..'

Buffy Summers has posed:
It was just creepy. And this from a gal who had fought a giant preying mantis woman and hyena possessed people. The curse to live in interesting times had certainly landed firmly upon Buffy Summers and friends.

With Harry leaving it there, she suspected she was supposed to fill in the blanks. Pun not intended, considering the topic at hand. "A while back, I found I had lost my memory. Not all of it but specifically about three years worth of time. There was no head injury that might've caused the amnesia. We've tried to find a spell that might've been responsible. No luck.

"Had a telepath look and there didn't seem to be anything wrong. No sign of tampering in that way. Even had Molly look. She said that there was no modification done that she could figure out either. So, we're at a loss."

She paused, eyeing the skull. "You have any theories or ideas what it might be?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
Can a skull gulp? It sure sounds like it. Bob coughs too. It is strange what he can do. He looks at Buffy for a long, quiet moment.

The light in his eyes brightens for a time. Bob is quiet. Bob is never quiet. Harry crosses his arms and waits. This almost looks like a relief of his face.

Finally Bob mutters,"There is nothing that has been removed. As much as it pains me to agree with Molly. At least she can't hear me." he finally admits. Studying quietly again and his eye shine narrows,"There's a..." Thoughtful,"...a glitch in time. The proverbial wrinkle."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"A wrinkle? You mean the theories of time and space can be.. used.. " Willow stops herself. "That's silly. Of course they are laws. Similar to magic. You need a portion of your brain turned on." Which is simplifying the facts. "So you mean.."

She roots for a paper, and holds it so that it is like a full sheet of paper. Yet she has carefully folded a portion of it so that you couldn't see it. Until you looked at it in the right light. Or angle. Or..

"Like this. you just skipped this part for whatever reason. And now the paper is unfolded properly."

Buffy Summers has posed:
It talks. It swallows. It coughs. How when it had none of the necessary parts? Magic. It was amazing and utterly terrifying in a lot of ways. Magic, not Bob. Though Bob was impressive in his own part that he was just looking at her and putting this together. How did his eyes narrow? It was like there was something there blocking the glow to give that impression.

"TIme?" The surprise was there in her voice. She raised her eyebrows and looked over at Willow. The demonstration with the paper helped it to make sense in her brain. "So it wasn't that my memories were tampered with, it's that the time itself was removed in some way? It was a short amount of time so physically aging wouldn't have happened noticeably..."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Bob is quiet again and finally he says,"This was the one that dated Thomas for a time. The one he undoubtedly would have fed from. There is no sign of that either." he continues. When Bob gets on a course it is better to wait and watch.

Harry looks at Buffy, then Willow, and then back to Buffy. His right eyebrow raises a little curiously. He doesn't speak and Bob comments,"I would be curious to see if Faith shows any signs of it now."

Sometimes Bob needs to know when to shut up.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow frowns. "I guess it is possible, but he's your brother? And will haven't determined who is responsible for the wrinkle. It doesn't sound like anything that Thomas would be capable of. Sorry, Harry. Just calling it as I see it."

Buffy Summers has posed:
"I don't remember obviously but I would think he might have? Or could have?" Buffy considered. "I remember my phone, there were pictures of me with a white streak in my hair. Which wasn't there after. I thought it was just a bad fashion choice that I'd changed later but now it seems very different."

She brushed a hand through her hair briefly, more an unconscious movement since she was considering that streak she'd seen in the images. Then she shook her head. "At least we have an idea of what it was even if we don't know how it happened. It obviously didn't affect the area as no one else has that memory lapse so far. Or missing time I guess I should call it now. You guys were all fine."

She considered the question. "I don't talk to Faith much so if you see her, definitely ask if she's missing time too."

Then a glance to Willow. "Is it a question of someone did it to me--or us if it turns out not to just be me--or was it just some weird Hellmouth thing that happened and wasn't targeted."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Your existence is tainted by the presence of the Hellmouth." Bob replies,"I can see that in you. If you were to soul gaze with someone they would see that too. It isn't a bad thing. Look at it like a battle scar and a badge of valor or something."

Bob sighs and admits,"I could dig deeper, but I think I have the worst of it. The concept anyway. Things would get very personal to look deeper."

He pauses for a beat and then adds,"I would be willing to go so deep of course...as deep as..."

Harry glares at the skull and Bob tsks,"Some people have no sense of imagination." He looks to Buffy again and pauses. The eyes flare again and he is quiet. Very quiet.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"That could be it? That would make it an anomaly without any parameters. And because we have no way to test it, and shut it down.." Willow frowns even deeper,

"If it were a person who did it, it would be simpler to hunt them down. I say it's a person."

She looks to Harry, and nods. "It can't hurt." The Soul Gaze, she means.

Buffy Summers has posed:
As Bob starts down the perv route, Buffy rolls her eyes a little but he is quickly put back into place by Harry's glare. Though then he goes quiet again and seems to be staring at her. Which makes her even more uncomfortable and she fights the urge to fidget.

Buffy glanced over at Willow with a grin. "I think I've been a bad influence on you. Always easier when there is something to hunt."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"You've been...bitten." Bob comments softly. He has calmed down, well for Bob,"Was it sexy as something from Anne Rice?"

Of course he would take that road. Harry scowls at the skull and takes the cover in hand and place it over the skill,"You're done." he grumbles and then leans on the table,"As I said before, we can do the Soul Gaze as well, but I think it's pretty much going to tell us what Bob said. Usually the gaze will reveal the deepest things about what makes us what we are. We can or we can not. Maybe you and Willow could. I know you are very close, but Willow has done it now so she understands the pathway to it if you would be more comfortable."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow blushes.

"This time it's true!" At least if they wanted to get to the bottom of it. Of course she could be wrong.

"Ew? Bob, we do not want to hear about Buffy's love life. Especially with Thomas. Ewww."

Then she hears Harry. "Me? Really??" She never thought of that before.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy's complexion matches Willow's as a blush creeps into her cheeks. She certainly had been bitten. But it had been by Angel. She didn't even think about Thomas since she didn't remember her time with him.

She is glad to move on to other things and focuses on the situation at hand. "We can do the Soul Gaze if you think it's needed. If it will show what happened to the time or who did it. But if it's just going to confirm it's a time thing, not sure how necessary it'll be. I'm game either way."

But then she has to ask the question that is on everyone's mind. "Who's Anne Rice?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
From under the cloth Bob object,"Intfiew wif the Vumpire. Vampire Lestat...really?" His protests are muffled, but now Buffy will know who Lestat is when she encounters Dracula. Bob taught her.

Harry shrugs and tells Buffy,"I can't say it won't hurt per say. You'll have a part of me stuck in your head and nobody wants that. Well not many." he amends and looks up at the trap door,"Come on you two. We can go to Mac's and get some dinner. I'm buying." He starts to put out the candles.