7780/The Cherries are Late this Year

The Cherries are Late this Year
Date of Scene:	07 June 2019
Location:	Caernarvon, Avalon
Synopsis:	Spike shows up back in town, with a present for Willow. John does his best to embarrass her.
Cast of Characters:	Willow Rosenberg, Spike, Constantine

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Willow Rosenberg has posed:
It had been a rainy, rainy spring - not that Willow had had much time to notice, what with traipsing around with Sam Winchester until their leads had gone cold - just in time to be co-opted by the Justice League into the disappearance of Superman.. And today Willow had spent her day getting the paperwork done and scoping out the Mount Royal campus where she'd be taking her makeup credits for those fails she'd gotten.. Shut up! B minus is too a fail. It is!

After getting home, finally, without enough change to stop for a slice, and reluctant to head up to her still empty apartment, Willow has taken up a seat on one of the many benches in the park that was adjacent to the Hugo Building where she lived. This one a cherry tree. They'd blossomed late this year dur to the rains, but even so, this would likely be the last day the blooms still could be called pretty, and not bedraggled.

Sighing to herself, Willow contemplates her fingers. "I don't understand. It was supposed to make me Dark. I don't feel any different. In fact, I feel kinda empty."

Spike has posed:
s been around Caernarvon, mostly sticking to his little area of Bloodhaven. He's on his way back to his crypt, wearing his usual clothing, though he's at least got a baseball cap on to protect his hair, as he's a book in hand and has his phone in his other hand, scrolling through his messages and....techy stuff. He's got earphones in, too listening to music as he's walking along. Reaching the park, Spike traipses through taking a shortcut home as he tugs out earbuds and unplugs his headphones as his phone rings. "Hey, yeah. I'm not home. No. I'll check it when I get home" Spike says and hangs up. That's when he spies Willow and waves. "Hey, Willow" Spike calls. "What's up?" he asks as he finds a spot to sit on the ground, far enough away not to be a threat, but close enough to hear what's going on.

Constantine has posed:
John was knackered. He'd just fiinished a twelve hour long exorcism but rather than heading home and cracking a bottle of whiskey, he diverts down to the Hugo Building to check on his apprentice. It'd been a bit since the battle on Apokolips, and he was past due for seeing how she was doing.

So as one blonde haired Englishman shows up another is close behind, well one of them was a man, John's senses told John that Spike was something else entirely. Reaching into his leather doctor's bag John pulls a crucifix out and stuffs it in his pocket before closing up the bag.

"Alright, Will?" he asks walking out of the darkness his trenchcoat tugged gently by the damp spring breeze.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow should know better, or at least be more aware of her surroundings, but she's been caught out. First by Spike, and then by John. Spike she startles at - surprised. John gets a full on guilty start like she's been doing something wrong, Willow shoving her hands behind her back.

"MMmm, nothing." The girl scraping her mind furiously for things to say that aren't related to her failure to become a Sith Lord. "Hey, look! Spike is here!" Which allows Willow to not only point at the vampire, but to do something with her hands that isn't suspicious. Or, at least one hand.

Phew.

Spike has posed:
"I'm here" Spike says and waves a book. "Hey, I saw this and thought of you, Willlow. I got you this" he adds and holds out the book awkwardly. Shaking his head Spike is all but hoping Willow doesn't dust him on the spot. He is after all......a vampire. Plus, Spike's actually....genuinely, really trying to not be completely evil. He's.....actually wanting to not be so insanely evil. He's not Angelus after all....though the startle makes him laugh and he doesn't even know he's doing it, either. He's laughing, not at Willow, but at the whole situation.

"I'm not..." he says once he gets his breath back and folds one armm....the other still has a book in it. A book that looks interesting. It's a history book as Spike carefully approaches Willow, book held out like an olive branch. Or a peace offering, Or a holy crap there's Willow, don't dust me offering. Spike very much likes living....and he's wanting to keep it that way. Hence his offering the book. It's the first step to not having Willow kill him out of nowhere. It's bad enough he has to deal with tourists, and people in this part of the city....but.....

Spike just sets the book down several feet from Willow, albeit on a piece of cloth and steps back. If fecal matter meets air recirculating device....Spike's running. But first. "Hey, Willow?" Spike asks again. "I...I didnt mean to scare you. I was just taking a shorter route home" he explains, a little nervous and worried. Mostly due to the fact that Willow's best friends with the slayer.....which is a weird concept for Spike to even consider, befriending a slayer. That'd be like Spike befriending another vampire, or a demon. Not. Happening. Ever.

Spike keeps on stepping back and the heel of his boot catches on the grass. He finds the grass hard with a yell of "Bloody hell the ground's wet and cold" followed by several minutes of profuse, creative and entirely justified British swearing. Mostly since he's angry at himself for getting caught out like this.

Constantine has posed:
John's hand lets go of the crucifix in his pocket when Spike trips and falls on his arse in the grass. "Hey, so you're Spike, eh," John says trading the cross for a pack of smokes. He knocks one out and sticks it into his mouth. "Like the look," he says nodding to the whole Billy Idol thing Spike has going on.

Sauntering over to Willow's side he shoots his apprentice a look that says, 'we'll talk' but for now his attention is on the vampire. "So, what has you out and about tonight?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Okay, she knows it's screamingly bad.. but BOOK! It's like Spike has her number or something. The whole while he's creeping closer with the tome outheld as a peace offering, she's watching intently, Willow's eyes never leaving the book. To be honest, he likely could have walked right up to her with it and she might not have noticed until he was putting it on her knees. As it is she now has to decide: do I get up and retrieve the thing, or sit here and stare at it until nobody is watching?

If John weren't here, she'd likely be flipping pages already, trying to read the thing by the ambient light of the lamps dotted about the park, or a witchlight of her own. Instead, she's sitting here trying not to look like she wants to bolt, and just a tiny bit terrified that things might go from pleasant to ugly between John and Spike depending on whatever it was Giles had told the former about the latter.

"Uh.. Spike and I.. that is we.. uhm." Think, Willow, think. This is John. Do you really want to add more fodder to the teasing? "We went to school together," she finishes lamely.

For some value of school, and together.

Spike has posed:
Carefully Spike gets back to his feet and looks over to John then Willow, then the book as he pick the book back up and does indeed come closer toward Willow, still holding it out. "Here" he says, "It's a history book. I haven't done anything to it" Spike admits and smiles, a genuine smile. He's doing his best to look earnest and honest. The book is a history book.....of magic. Still, he nods to John and gives him a look. "So, what're you up to?" he asks, offering a hand. "I'm Spike. You probably heard of me"

Constantine has posed:
John's brows arch at Willow's offered excuse. "Right. You do know Ripper left me his notes, yeah?" he says with a faint smirk playing on his lips. By Ripper he means Giles, it was the Watcher's name in the bad old days. Or good depending on who you ask.

John takes a long considering draw from his cigarette. "I 'ave as a matter of fact," John says shaking Spike's hand. "Sort of hoping we'd run into each other, actually, sounds like we could have a bit of fun." He takes a seat on the bench next to Willow. "Willow too, I mean, wouldn't want to monopolize the time of one of her school chums, would I?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow crinkles her nose at John. "It was only a little bit of dating." There's a soft harumph to her voice. "We didn't even do anything. And ew, Giles left notes on that?" Which is news to her. It sounded a bit creepy, but then again, that's not actually likely what John meant and now Willow has supplied him with fresh information.

She's all eyes agog on the book as Spike approaches and declares the book to be a history of magic, her fingers fairly twitching as she forces herself to stay in place and not snatch the thing up like a begger grasping a handout of sandwiches under a bridge. "Wow. For me?" Her cheeks a pretty pink as she flushes with pleasure. Until John says what he does.

"Wait.. what? But.. he's a.. You know.." Willow shakes her head Spike's way like that in and of itself will inform John of Spike's vampire status. "He's.. not nice." That last bit spoken ever so much more softly. Like that's going to keep Spike from hearing it. Pffft.

Spike has posed:
Spike just looks from Willow to John. "Wait a minute" he says with a laugh. "Ripper left notes?" he asks sounding amused. "So let's see.....let's see" Spike says, "I gave you a magic book" he nods, looking highly amused, pulling outt a cigarette of his own and lighting it up. He takes a puff from it and smiles. "Yeah, Willow and I went to school together, as did Oz and the others" Spike sighs and looks up at the trees for a moment. "You know, Willow" Spike says and gestures to John, too. "The trees are beautiful this time of year"

Constantine has posed:
John grins like the cat that ate the canary. "Yep, 'e left a ton of 'em," he says letting that hang in the air. Really, Willow was the one to tip him to the dating bit just now, though, ol' Ripper's notes were detailed, especially the ones he didn't think John was going to find, they didn't go that far. However that doesn't stop John from maligning him, "You know, a Watcher, right, likes to... watch."

Smiling smugly he takes another drag on his smoke. Though when the talk turns to trees John gives Spike an 'are you kidding me' sort of look, but opts to leave that comment be otherwise.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Well, now, that was news. John knowing.. things. Like what things? Like everything the gang had gotten up to while in high school? They'd been kids, and while they'd tackled many a problem, they'd also had their stupid. The stupid was what she was worried about. Mind you, John wasn't exactly the epitome of great life choices.

She happily takes the book from Spike, holding it to her chest like the treasure it is, making herself dole out the joy of opening it and looking at it in slow increments. First we hold the book and love it, breathing in its bookish scent. Then we run our fingers along the cover and spine, appreciating the skill of the binding. And only /then/ do we get to open the thing and rifle through the pages.

Then again, Willow isn't sure John won't just snatch the thing up soon as she opens it. Heck, he might snatch it anyway. It's a tough decision - to savour or not savour?

She smiles tentatively at Spike, nodding, "Yeah. The park here has nice trees. They're almost done blooming. I didn't get to enjoy them so much this year. I've been... Busy."

Spike has posed:
Spike is serious about the tree comment....and turns his gaze on John. "Ah, Ripper" he says with a grin as he nods then looks to Willow again. "You're welcome" Spike says with a wide smile, "You're very very welcome. I thought of you when I saw it. I actually....get this, bought it. I honestly bought that book. It cost me $200, but it's worth it for my friends" Spike nods and chuckles.

Constantine has posed:
John doesn't move to intercept the book, though he does peer down at it breifly out of curiosity more than any sort of Watcherly interference. John takes another drag of his cigarette and tosses it aside. "Well, arboreal discussions are a bit outside my area of interest, so I'll shuffle on home and let you former love birsds get re-aquainted."

He stands and reaches into his pocket to hand his crucifix to Willow. "Jus' be sure to use protection," he says, meaning the cross but well, it's easy to take that one the wrong way, just as he intended.