Owner	Pose
Buffy Summers	It's been a long night and it's only just begun. Buffy had left her homework and backpack sprawled on a table, next to a giant, half-eaten, cupcake shaped chocolate birthday cake with a single candle in it...And lots and lots of empty glasses of wine and various cocktails and what not. But there's no Buffy in sight. Or Thomas. Which can't be a good sign.
Karrin Murphy	Murph's here, watching the glasses, cake, and...and things with a raised eyebrow. She's fairly sure whoever drank all that is going to suffer, though she sighs and eyes the cake. Then she slides into a seat, shaking her head at the mess. "Okay, okay, Buffy's not here. There's a ton of stuff all over.the place, and...and..d no Thomas, either. Oh no....oh no. Karrin's got her casual wear on, jacket, t-shirt, jeans and boots. She's dresed for off the clock too. She sighs shaking her head yet again, sniffing the air. Great. There's gonna be one hell of a hangover...Dawn better not be here and have gotten wasted. Murph likes the kid, Dawn's a curious little thing.
Harry Dresden	Tossing his staff nonchalantly to Axe as he walks by, Harry makes his way into the Blue Lady with his black leather duster billowing out behind him. "Thomas?" he calls to the club at large. "Thomas, where are you?" He sighs, stalking towards the stairs that lead to the office when he spots Karrin. Murph?" he utters as he starts over in her direction. "What are you doing here? Did you have a party? Whose birthday is it?" Harry sticks a finger in some of the frosting that is on the platter and places it into his mouth, "Have you seen Thomas?"
Buffy Summers	Thomas doesn't answer right away, but a door to the VIP lounge opens and a slightly ruffled Buffy steps out, peering around. "Geez, what time is it?" she groans, trying to adjust to the brighter lighting in here. She looks slightly hungover from..Uh, something (shut up you!). "Oh Thomas? Errr...I'm sure he's around somewhere.." she grimaces, clearly hiding something as she slips into the booth and cuts herself another slice of cake. Oh. And there's Murphy too. And Harry. Ugh, sooo awkward. At least he doesn't know that Thomas is his brother. That would have made things even more awkward. "Um, hi you guys, sorry for the mess. Kinda got..Uh..Sidetracked.." she glances distractedly towards the VIP lounge. "Hey, while you guys are here, why don't you join me for a slice of cake?" yup, totally innocent here.
Karrin Murphy	Murph sighs. "Buffy, if this is your party, you need to sleep it off. You step outside, half of the cops in Bloodhaven will arrest you for being drunk" she warns and then looks to Harry. "I was looking for Buffy, Haven't seen Thomas around" she says with a smile. "Oh if you're offering cake, then yes please" she adds. Is she really going to have to give Buffy a breath test? Going by everything? Yes. Striding over to Harry, Murphy grins and goes to hug him, "Hey you" she grins, "My birthdays are underrated and you get an invite" Karrin points out. "Plus I don't drink that much. Plus, I'd offer you and Bob cake before anyone else" she says with a smile. The idea of Bob and cake draws a snicker from her, as she turns to glance to Buffy. "So, Buffy" Murph says. "This your party or did you drink up somebody else's leftovers?" she inquires, eyebrow raised at the sheer amount of things
Harry Dresden	Looking between Buffy and the VIP room and back, Harry sighs and whisper out a "Oh Hell's bells..." as he takes in a deep breath. Harry shakes his head and glares up towards the VIP office before looking back to the disheveled Slayer. "I, uh, guess I should have called first to make sure he wasn't 'busy' with 'dinner' or anything." Harry's mouth sets in a hard line and he glances back towards the wine bottles and cake. He opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it again with a small sigh, casting a glance over to Murph. "I think underage drinking is the least of the problems, but it is about as legal one as you might find. Not sure that is worth your time though, Lieutenant." he comments as he slips an arm around her shoulders. "Bob isn't a cake eater."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers frowns and folds her arms. "Okay firstly? I'm old enough to drink now, and that's exactly what I WAS doing..Sleeping it off, in the much quieter lounge over there." She sighs, rubbing her eyes some more. "Just trying to get over the post alcohol hangover.." And then Harry makes assumptions and her frown deepens further. "Don't worry, he didn't feed on me or anything. Was just giving me a tour and left me to rest up a bit.." she shrugs. She could be only telling a partial truth, who knows? Buffy does smile a bit, pushing a plate with cake on it towards Harry and another towards Karrin, "Come on you two, you just missed the party.." she smirks, "Okaay, it wasn't really that much of a party, just me and um..." yeah, she really shouldn't go there. Her life's already complicated enough. "ANYWAY, lots of extra cake left over!" she's trying really hard to sound chipper and innocent, like absolutely nothing *weird* is going on. Anywhere. At all.
Karrin Murphy	Murph looks over to Buffy and shakes her head. "You're 21? Congrats, girl" she says with a grin.Nah she's not letting Harry go yet. She can congratulate the Slayer from here. Snagging the cake though she does bite into it, with a grin. "Oh it's good cake. Guess we're here to party with you then?" Murph asks Buffy.
Harry Dresden	"Oh, so it was your birthday then? Congratulations." says Harry as he keeps his eyes on the VIP room, expecting Thomas to come walking out of there any second. He sighs, before finally tearing his eyes away from the doorway and looking to Buffy. "You're right, of course. You are able to make your own choices, and you are in the unique position to know about things that others don't." Harry says with a shrug. "Just be careful." Harry looks to the cake and shakes his head, "None for me, thanks. I'll take a Coke though."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers also eyes the VIP lounge, biting her lip and looking away quickly. She falls into silence for several moments, nibbling on her chocolate cake. The one that Thomas made for her. "Yeah, it was my birthday a couple days ago actually. When I told him about it, he felt bad and pulled out a cake..And let me try all these different drinks with funny names and..." she should really stop herself there because, yeah.. "Thanks! I'm finally legally old enough to drink..Not that I'd ever drink irresponsibly, although to be fair I don't drive and I never drink on the job, which anyone here can attest to.." Buffy pauses, peering at Harry thoughtfully. Yeah, she can see a vague resemblance between him and Thomas. Which is why she can't be honest with him. Not entirely. "Don't worry, I know all about him, more than you know." she smirks, "If he ever tried anything...But he wouldn't. Not with me.." Buffy glances down thoughtfully at her cake again, letting the chocolate melt in her mouth, trying not to think of other things..There aren't any cokes at the table although Buffy does flag down a waitress and requests a coke. And lots of water. "Anything for you, Karrin?"
Karrin Murphy	Murph laughs looking amused, "You need all the water, all the coffee and some hair of the dog" Murphy says with a sympathetic look to the Slayer. "So, Buffy. You're 21. Okay. I believe you" she offers with a nod and then fixes the Slayer with a look. "You know things?" she murmurs, not sure if she's putting her foot in it.
Harry Dresden	Harry lets out a little snort. He can't help himself. "He is what he is, Buffy. The scorpion stings, the fish swim, a vampire feeds." Harry shrugs he shoulder, moving to take a seat in one of the booths as he casts a glance over the empty bottles and leftover cake, picking up one of the bottles and lifting it to his nose to sniff at it.
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers bites her lip and shrugs at Murphy. "Let's just say..He's got secrets. But they're not for me to tell.." she does glance sidelong at Harry as she says that for some reason. "Umm yeah, I dunno about eating dog hair." she makes a face, but she can't help but laugh a bit at what Harry says, shrugging a little. "So what? Hello, I'm The Vampire Slayer, remember? Besides, it's not like I haven't dated vamps before..Err..I mean.." oh shoot, she really put her foot in it this time. "Look...I wanna save him, Harry...Maybe I can. Maybe I'm the only one who can.."
Karrin Murphy	Karrin sighs. "Buffy. You need a hair of the dog. It's a hangover cure, it's not dog hair" she explains. Ah the joys of explaining this. Maybe she should have done that /before/ Buffy started drinking... "Well maybe. Looking to Harry, Murph sighs, "I'm not sure if Buffy's still drunk or...or..." she says with a sigh. "I...not sure what Buffy means with secrets" she says and groans. "I'm pretty sure you need all the coffee or something" she offers looking from Buffy to the cake, chewing on her slice.
Harry Dresden	Harry glances up at Buffy, leaning back into the booth and shrugs his shoulder again. "If you want to be the kind that shits where you eat, far be it for me to judge. Just be careful is all I am saying. You may think you have things handled, but most often that is when you find out just how much you don't, at least in my experience." He looks to Murphy, "He's a vampire of the white court. He has secrets upon secrets upon secrets. It is what they do, Karrin. Have sex, get secrets, use secrets to gain power. Rinse. Repeat."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers blinks at Karrin, "Ohh...A hangover cure, huh. Heh.." she chuckles nervously, shaking her head. "You'll have to fix one up for me sometime.." her smile fades though, as they both seem to think she's gone totally bonkers or something. "I'm not drunk anymore and I'm serious. Yeah, he told me all about his sisters, his evil dad..Silverlight studios.." which is a place on her to-do list to check out and make sure his sister Inari is still okay. "You're wrong, Harry. Thomas isn't like the others. Please have just a little faith in him? If he was, I would have killed him by now, but maybe I believe in him because I've seen good in him. Even tonight, when I was drunk, he could have fed on me if he wanted, could have made me really *want* him...But he didnt.." she sighs. "I hope that someday you can have more faith in him too.."
Karrin Murphy	Murph sighs. "SoThomas bangs somebody. Then keeps secrets like how good or bad it was, uses that to gain power, more sex, right?" she asks unceratinly. "Advantage of being with you, Harry. I don't have to worry about you being a White Court vampire. See. That's one of the good things" she offers. "I have sex with you. I know if it's good or bad" she adds. Open mouth, carry on insrting feet. "I mean, Thomas is just...there's something off about him, like's too well dressed, you know,too upper class" she offers. "Does he make the ladies curtsey before they, y'know" she says doing the hand gestures. Alright, since wen did she hang out with Xander, then? Murph drops her hands to the table and cringes, sliding down in her seat. She wants karma to swallow her up after /that/ "Look, I'm not just agreeing Harry because I'm with him.Buffy, you're 21. You've been drinking with him. Be careful, okay?" Murph says. "I don't want you to come to Harry's office and. God forbid, come crying he knocked you up or fed from you and cheated on somebody, ya know?" Karrin asks sounding genuienly afraid of just what Thomas can do to Buffy.
Harry Dresden	"Look, for a vampire he isn't such a bad guy. He certainly saved my ass a few times, and I owe him that much. But just because you have a tiger that has been somewhat domesticated to let you pet it, it is still a wild animal. One day it might just decide you are dinner instead." Harry opens his mouth to say something else, but then Karrin interjects and he looks at her with an almost incredulous look, his jaw hanging open.
Buffy Summers	Okaaay. She was *totally* not expecting that..Buffy cringes visibly at Murphy's words, eyes widenned in shock, and she practically chokes on her water. "Uh...Heey! It's not like that at all, I mean, he and I, we're not Ba--" she catches herself, glancing between the two of them, clearing her throat. "Look, I'm no idiot, I know what he's capable of, or rather, what the demon in him is capable of. But I'm not your average girl either. He can't control me, and the two times I let him feed on me, because he was desperate, because I didn't want to see anyone else get hurt, I pulled away before he could get anywhere beyond kissing.." As Harry compares him to a tiger however, Buffy does relax a little and nods with a soft sigh. "I know..I know what you're saying. Like I said, I once dated a 400 year old vampire with a soul. And I once let him feed me, nearly dry. I've seen the monster behind the mask before and I'm not afraid. But I will be careful....Thank you, for your concern, but I have to at least try and save him. And to be fair, I'm not that easy to kill, thanks to my healing factor. It's one of the reasons why he came to me for help in the first place.."
Karrin Murphy	Score....one....maybe, possibly, for Murphy? Well, that certainly wasn't what Karrin /intended/ to say. But she's jumped in it with both feet. May as well dive into it now. "I was saying that I don't have to worry about you using sex and secrets against me" Karrin hurriedly says to Harry, trying desperately to regain some semblance of dignity. Like that'll happen. Oh she wishes she'd kept her mouth shut. Instead....leap off and land in it up to your neck, Karrin. Good job. Murph can count on one hand the number of times Harry's been speechless. Murh glances to Buffy. "Harry knos what he's on about Buffy, you dated one vampire, okay, but he's not a carbon copy of Thomas" she says. Trying a less tactless course. She does though look to Harry for a moment, "WHat? I call it like I see it, Harry. I'm worse with the SPECTRE team when they screw up" she admits, looking from Buffy to Harry then back to the Slayer. "Look" Murph says gently. "You got healing, okay, good. But vampires got tricks, too. No two are the same, are they?" she adds speculatively. Because she genuinely has no clue.
Harry Dresden	Harry just tosses up his hands over his head in a motion of surrender. "Okay!" he says, clearing his throat, "How about that local sports team? They played a really good game of toss the ball in the hole, or whatever it is they do with their balls." Harry reaches around trying the various bottles to try and find one that isn't empty to slug back. Maybe if he is drunk this will all just turn out to be a dream.
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers groans softly, reaching for one of the bottles of unfinished cabernet sauvignon, pouring herself, Karrin and Harry a full glass. "Uh yeah...Time for a change of topic.." she peers at the two of them. "Um. So how long have you two been dating? You seem like a pretty...Interesting couple. Kinda opposites if you ask me but hey, I think you two are cute together.."
Winifred Burkle	Sometimes, it doesn't pay to be a normal person in a powered world. Fred was going to get here on time. Really, she was. But a super heroic battle in the sky rained down hell on the roads and wiped out 10 of them. She had to take the EXTREMELY long way around, and looks harried. "...Sorry I'm so late. But roads blew up. Like, all of them." Superhero insurance. Absolutely necessity. Things WILL blow up, it's just a matter of when...
Karrin Murphy	Murphy's glancing to Buffy and munching cake to keep quiet...then shakes her head. "A while" she offers, then blushes at the cute comment. Yes. She actually blushes, though she's hiding her reaction to being told she's cute. Or she and Harry are cute, even. She glances to Harry to check if she's the only one hearing this. yeah, she needs a drink, too.Maybe it'll mean Buffy won't call her cute. On the other hand, Karrin drinking, bad idea if she wants to offer advice. So she's sticking to water, really, but slides a bottle over to Harry as well. If Thomas has vodka or whiskey, there it goes to the wizard. Murphy's just a little bit worried about Harry, alcohol and his reputation of burning things. She's got Bloodhaven's FD on speed dial just in case anything insanely bad happens.
Harry Dresden	"We have known each other for a few years." says Harry to Buffy, finding something to drink and slugging it down. "She's arrested me....twice. It was only twice, right Murph? Once when we were dealing with the Shadowman, the other with the Lupe Garou." Harry says with a shrug. "Anyway, it was one of those business partner become friends becomes more things. Long progression." As Buffy calls Karrin cute, he eyes the cop and places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't kill her. She doesn't know you like I do." When Fred comes rushing in Harry blinks, shaking out the bracelet on his left hand, his right reaching for something in his duster.
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers relaxes a bit once she takes a cautious sip of wine, although she's careful not to overdo it this time (to be fair, it totally wasn't her fault the last time either!). *ahem*. When Fred arrives, she smiles and waves her over, but is a bit disappointed to see that Brian is nowhere in sight. With a soft sigh, she still manages a little smile for Fred. "Hii Fred! I'm so glad you could make it. Late? Bah, at least you showed." she does arch a curious brow at the whole 'roads blowing up' thing though, and cant help but smirk, "Really? Fred..What sort of trouble did you get into, this time?" Oh right, she's not sure if Fred has met Karrin or Harry yet. "Oh hey Fred..This is Karrin and Harry, Karrin and Harry, this is my friend Fred. She's from Angel Investigations.." well, okay, she was, until Angel..Went wherever he went. She bites her lip, turning to nod to Karrin and Harry with a faint smile. "A while huh? c'mon, I want details!" Thankfully Harry does offer said details, and she can't help but laugh, "Seriously? She arrested you twice!? Whyyyy?" talk of a Shadowman and Loup Garou doesn't really phase her that much though, heck she's used to fighting vampires, and werewolves and killer robots and cyborgs etc. "Huh, not a fan of the word cute huh. Don't worry, I've seen you in action. People like to call me 'cute' too, but us girls gotta stick together!"
Winifred Burkle	"...all the streets exploded. Didn't even see who did it this time. It's like gods fighting over a colony of ants, and nobody notices the ants." "Hi Harry, Karrin. Yeah, I do a lot of different things now. I'm trying to find a place, since the place I thought I had...well, it isn't here anymore. So I want looking for a new place." Fred, then, gets philosophical. "Well...if you don't like cute, you'd better pick your own more empowering word, cause you've got so many vamps that want to either bite you or be with you that I don't think you're gonna get out of positive attractiveness words entirely."
Karrin Murphy	Murphy sighs shaking her head, looking to Buffy, "Am I cute when I got a gun and am fighting? Don't answer that" she says quietly, whipping her head around to Fred. "Things blew up and Harry was here the whole time" she offers shaking her head, "Harry, relax" she says with a nod. Shooting Fred won't help any. Instead, Murph glances to Fred. "See, I'm not that mean" she offers as she glances to Buffy again, then Fred. Looking across the table, Murph sips her water and reaches for another slice of cake, looking from Fred to Buffy then Harry. "I'm impressed things blew up and nobody knows who did it" she offers speculatiely, then sips her water again, looking over to Fred. "Empowering words? Vampires biting Buffy and being with he? Okay"
Harry Dresden	Harry does relax as he is told, letting his hands drop and picking up the glass of wine. "The first time she arrested me is because she found my business card at a murder scene, and thought I had something to do with it. The second, she found something else associated with me at a murder scene and thought I had something to do with it." He pauses, looking to Karrin, "See a pattern, detective?" HArry grins, "Truth be told, had I just told her things instead of trying to keep her safe by omitting things, it would have been a whole lot better." He looks to Fred and nods, "I was here the whole time. It wasn't my fault!"
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers arches a brow between Murphy and Harry, "Um wow, paranoid, much? But to be fair...Guess he shouldn't have kept stuff from a cop." as for Fred, she offers her a sympathetic glance. "Geez, that sucks Fred. But y'know, since Wil went to study abroad, I do have a spare room at my apartment in Gotham if that's not too far. Could always do with a room mate to be honest.." Of course if she means a place to work..Well. "Um, the Scoobies could always use more help. Although..I guess that's not exactly a job. And..Well there's just the two of us left.." She does blush a bit as Fred states the obvious, laughing nervously. "Hey, I AM The Slayer afterall, of course most Vamps wanna piece of me..Err..Well, they just want to kill me, to be honest.." she doesn't even want to go to that other place though, because she knows that Fred is right. First Angel, then Spike and now..Thomas..? As for Murphy being cute with a gun..Buffy can't really comment.
Winifred Burkle	"It's okay, Buffy. You have your type. And it happens to be a pointy bitey type. At least you're selective about it. Faith really wasn't." A roommate? "Well...sure, I mean, I guess I could do that. But my experiments sort of have beeping and lights and mechanical noises, and while those soothe me to sleep, I'm kinda unique that way." So maybe she isn't the best roommate, cause devices. And experiments. "Well. There's so many people around who can punch buildings down it can't always be your fault when things blow up." It's just a sad truth of this world.
Karrin Murphy	THe thought of Fred meeting Bob crosses Murph's mind, and she opens her mouth. "I'd say Fred could get a job with some tech firm, or help Harry out but...but...not a good idea" she mutters, looking to Buffy then Fred with a raised eyebrow, then to Harry and finally back to Buffy again, looking to the Slayer with silent questionsin her eyes.
Harry Dresden	"Maybe not, but I didn't want her trying to go run off and fight a super-werewolf and end up dead. So, I did what I had to do to keep her safe, or so I thought anyway. Turns out it really didn't keep her that safe after all." Harry's eyes dart from Fred to Buffy as Fred talks about her 'type', a forced look of neutrality on his face before he turns to Fred, "I'm hard on buildings. I can't count the number of them that tend to cease standing after I have been around. It's a curse." He pauses, and looks at the ladies. "Oh, cellphones. I hope you turned them off..."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers blinks at Fred and facepalms. First it's Karrin being blunt and tactless, and now her..? "Ohh come on! I'm not like...It's not like I only go after vampires or something. I really AM a normal person with normal tastes.." she does pout a bit though and laughs a little at mention of Faith, "Yeah, I'm no Faith, that's for sure.." she smiles and nods to Fred, "Sure, come on over whenever you like..Just dont port me to some weird romantic island with a former love interest or anything, okay?" or current not-really-but-kinda-love interest. Because that'd be way chaotic. "Just be careful of your inventions around Harry, apparently he..Blows up electronics and stuff." she nods again to Harry, "I can understand that, I've had many non-powered friends over the years that I had to keep out of trouble. It can be hard keeping secrets.."
Winifred Burkle	Not a moment too soon. Fred reaches down and immediately turns the phone off...and the phone was about 20 degrees too hot for a phone. "...Yikes. I think it was about to go critical. I'll probably have to exchange it for a new one." But today, at least, no phones exploded dramatically. "Aww come on, what's wrong with being teleported to a cute place with a guy whose broodiness I was trying to dispel? Fine, it's not like I can find him anymore, and I'm not sure your new not so vampiric dude is gonna work out anyway." "Well, don't say I didn't warn you if we end up in another dimension or something..." But it'd take time to move all that stuff anyway.
Karrin Murphy	There's a popping sound as Murph's cellphone gives out and decides it wants to be in pieces. Great, thanks Harry. Murph needs a new phone. Which is okay in her book. She was going to upgrade it anyhow. Still she nods to Buffy and Fred, raising an eyebrow too then looks to Harry."Look at it this way. The city gets nice empty plots to build things on." she says and gets to her feet with a grin. "C'mon Harry, we got places to be. I got my bike if you wanted to ride home. No way you're driving after drinking" she warns. The phone bits, which were more spectacular than Fred's phone heater?Murph's gonna leave them be. She does look apologetically to Fred. "Bring a rotary phone" she advises and looks amused, then to Buffy then Harry while Murph shrugs on her jacket. She's places to be. Like, say, home. "It was nice seeing you all" she says and loks around, "Yeah I hang out here a lot, you wanna find me, start here, or Harry's office" Murph calls as she heads out the door.
Harry Dresden	"I wonder if the NeverNever counts as another dimension? I never thought about it, to be honest. I mean, it is technically another plan on reality, but is it a whole other dimension?" Harry says as he taps his fingers to his scruffy chin. "Whatever it is, I don't recommend going there. Not unless you really have to." Harry looks up to Karrin and shrugs, "You just like giving me a ride because you like when I ride behind you like a subservient male."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers winces visibly as Fred's phone starts roasting. "Eeps..Sorry! It's totally his fault!" and she points accusingly at Harry." As for being teleported to weird romantic places with Angel, she just grits her teeth, " I mean seriously, it was super awkward...Although it was probably nice for Angel to get to spend time in the sunlight. But even so.." she sighs at her next comment and hangs her head. "My love life is such a *mess*." However, it looks like she left her phone behind err...Somewhere..She glances nervously towards the VIP lounge.."Um. So what's the Nevernever?"
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith comes down the stairs of the VIP lounge, putting on his suit coat and his white bow tie hanging untied around his throat and refassening his cufflinks. He stops to confer with Crush, the big black bouncer who gourds those stairs holding a small black rectangle...which disappears very quickly into his pocket as he sees who Buffy is at a table with.
Karrin Murphy	Murph sighs. "Yeah don't go into the Never never if you don't hafta" she sighs. "Ask Harry, I'm not sure what it is. I've been there. Once" Murph offers and gives Harry a /look/ at his subservient male comment. She shakes her head, "Really, you had to go there?" she asks. "Such a high class way of admitting you ride bitch, dear" she offers with a smile. She then turns her attention back to Fred then Buffy again, resuming her seat at the table, jacket on. She's scooping up phone parts, and....pocketing bits of former PD issue cellphone. Oh this is gonna be a pain to send in paperwork for a new one....again..... KaRCatching sight of Thomas, She nods to him. "Hey, Thomas is here" Okay that came out worse than she meant it to. More a general hey, Thomas /is/ here. No undertones, no snark, but...it came out like a jab at Buffy's love life. Unintentional, too and Murph looks upset at how she said it. Damn, they really are best friends!
Winifred Burkle	Fred, who spent more time reading then most..."...The Nevernever is a dimension I haven't managed to land myself in. I don't think I want to. If I've heard right, it's actually worse than Pylea...and they kept me as a slave and called me a cow in Pylea." In the Nevernever, though, she might turn into a tree or be put into eternal sleep or god knows what else could be done to her. All based on one little detail. "Angel has to take care of himself...maybe he did finally listen when I kept telling him to fix his damn curse and left to do that. But...wherever he went, it's been zero contact since he left." "Subservient males? Sounds fun. How'd you manage to make that happen Karrin? Inquiring minds wish to know..." Fred hasn't met Thomas, but when he's pointed out...Fred finds herself staring for a minute before shaking her head to clear it.
Harry Dresden	Standing, Harry looks up as Karrin makes the declaration and the door to the VIP room opens with Thomas makes his entrance. His gave shifts over to Buffy with a not-so-hidden 'liar' look written on his face, and a slight shake of his head. He snorts and shrugs his shoulders, hands going up in the air in a 'I give up' gesture as he looks back to Thomas. "Evening, Mr. Raith." says Harry, "I'm afraid you just caught us leaving. It's a shame you weren't here earlier, were you out getting a bite to eat, or did you already get your fill?" Harry says as he gestures at the bottles, cake,...Buffy.
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers blinks at all this Nevernever talk. "Oh right, Thomas mentionned it once. Something about big scary fairies and iron. I guess that's why he gave me those iron spikes..Is it really worse than Pylea? Geez.." she shivers at the thought. And then Thomas appears, and Karrin makes an ill-placed remark, followed by Harry's pointed insinuation. "Oh! Err...Thomas...What a surprise..." her face reddens slightly, eyes on the untied bowtie. Dammit, even slightly ruffled he looks annoyingly perfect.
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith looks good, period. He makes slightly ruffled into a fashion statement. "Oh, I may have had a little nibble of something sweet Harry," He says with the languid amusement of a big cat. He gives Buffy a playful smile and shrugs slightly, "I am sorry to have missed you, I would have hurried had I known you were down here." At the new face he tilts his head and offers Fred his hand. "Thomas Raith, Any friend of Harry's I'll forgive for having incredibly bad taste in friends."
Karrin Murphy	Murph shakes her head, "Something sweet, huh?" she muses, whipping her gaze from Thomas to Buffy. As if Thomas isn't putting giant neon signs. Or, she's totally misreading things. Both are possibilities, but she nods to Fred, then Harry, then finally Thomas. "You got any phones I can borrow? Mine went to pieces and Fred's here roasted itself" she explains, getting to her feet again with a sigh. "I'm gonna end up with a rotary phone on my desk, aren't I?" she muses with a giggle then looks over to Harry with a raised eyebrow. "I'll wait outside" she says, the whole 'you need to not get Thomas mad because Buffy said it happened' thing plastered across her face. "You need to make it up to Thomas" she says gently, almost tenderly. Hey, they did discuss that in the office.
Winifred Burkle	Fred looks up at Thomas, and doesn't understand quite why he looks like the most handsome thing she's ever seen, so she takes that hand in the most dainty southern girl way imaginable, and switches to a more heavily accented southern accent like she lost control of it somehow. "...I do declare, it's a pleasure to meet you...I'm Fred." Fred is a genius of the highest order, and yet her brain seems to have fogged over. She's trying very hard to reason out why.
Harry Dresden	Harry glances from the leaving Karrin to Thomas and Buffy, "Yeah, I'm sure Thomas. I would hate for you to rush a dinner on my account though, that wouldn't be fair to your dining partner." He races to catch up with Karrin, "She's my ride, so I gotta go. I'll catch you later."
Karrin Murphy	Finally. A race to a door Karrin /wins/. She holds the door open for Harry with a mischief laden grin, and slips out into the night. Bug, bike, or Saturn. THat's her choice. She's totally coming back here though
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers swallows as Thomas says that, and eyes are on her again. "Oh come you you guys! He's obviously talking about the sweet chocolately cake. Sheesh.." Um. Or at least she hopes he is. Because. Yeah.."Um, bye Harry, Karrin.." she manages to utter, still watching Thomas quietly, wordlessly.
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith takes Fred's hand and... Imagine the a kiss you've waited all night for. Imagine rich molten chocolate over a thick fudge brownie fresh from the oven. Imagine waking up on time, and then realizing that "Wait, I don't have to go to work today!" and going back to sleep for four hours. That's what it's like shaking Thomas Raith's hand! He smiles a bit, tilting his head slightly. "Fred? That's a unique name for a lovely woman." He says amused, but takes the seat closest to Buffy, whispering something in her ear lightly.
Winifred Burkle	Fred appears to have a very mooney eyed look, as if she doesn't understand what's happening to her, for all her expertise at physics and supernatural creatures. So, she kinds of ends up with the big cow style moo eyes...the eyes of prey, really. Mesmerized, her eyes follow everything Thomas does. And she licks her lips involuntarily...and then, perhaps, jealousy, as she's reminded that this man seems to prefer her friend instead.
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers sighs and watches as Karrin and Harry make their hurried exits. "Finne, run away. I dont care!" she makes a face, "Um, see you guys later then?" she draws a deep breath, still watching the exchange between Thomas and Fred cautiously, "Be careful with her, Thomas, she's..Fragile." a pause and an apologetic glance is given Fred, "I mean that in the most respectful way possible. Being dragged into Pylea and tortured for several years sure is no picnic." And then Thomas is suddenly next to her, whispering in her ear, slipping something in her hand. She shivers a bit, fingers brushing over his as she takes it, at least relieved that he gave her back her phone after Harry could fry it too. "Thanks. Um..How have you been?"
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith shrugs a little bit, "I'm quite alright, and I promise I'll be on my best behavior..." Which isn't really saying /much/ when it comes to Thomas but still. He tilts his head smiling at Fred and then signals to the Waitress to bring him a drink. He must have a usual since she nods and goes without further clairification. "What is Pylea?"
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers sighs, suddenly standing up as her alarm clock rings. "Geez, I'm really sorry, I need to go, get to class. Umm Thomas, I'll see you later?" she glances at Fred, "Call me and we can set up you moving into my apartment. Oh and Thomas? Please dont..Take advantage of Fred too much...Okay?" she has to practically climb over him to get out of the booth, which he probably enjoys, hesitating a moment. Her hands reach up to tie his bowtie, fingers gently brushing his neck. "Umm..Take care, Thomas.." and then she's gone in a hurried blur.
Winifred Burkle	"It's an alternate dimension where Pyleans, like the Deathwok clan, keep humans as slaves and call us cows. Angel saved me, but once he got me back to this world, he...disappeared. There's still a Pylean in this world...he owns a club like this and is named Lorne. Ever heard of Caritas?" Fred still looks so very Moony about all this...but Buffy was right, and she's also been SEVERELY traumatized by being kept as a slave. She's wounded in ways that even pleasure won't fix, even if it might help her forget for a time.
Thomas Raith	And to Thomas... well that just reeks of Skavis and Malvora. He shudders slightly at the thought, "A whole dimension like that huh? Doesn't sound like a place I'd want to have a picnic. He obviously does seem to enjoy Buffy crawling over him and tells her to "Have a good time in class. I hope all that studing pays off." Amusement in his eyes as he watches her go. "I haven't heard of it, no.. Is it hee in Bludhaven?"
Winifred Burkle	"It isn't. They really only honor warriors there. Angel looks like a cow, but because he can kill monsters with a single sword swipe, they honored him as a hero. I think they call the rest of us cows because we're not mighty warriors." So...it's pretty much all about kicking ass. Meanwhile, she unconsciously scooches closer, entering the space vacated by Buffy. "But...what about you? Is this your club?"
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith smiles a little bit and nods as the attractive blonde waitress brings over a crystal decanter and a highball glass for him. He looks a little amused as Fred scoots closer... If he hadn't fed recently... if it wasn't for Buffy... He shrugs slightly. "It is. It's named for a famous ghost in old New Orleans." He says, To the waitress he adds, "Put this whole table's bill on my account Didi, would you?" Then back to Fred. "I sold my shares in the family business to my sisters for the capital."
Winifred Burkle	Fred is still smart enough to realize that may have backfired from a financial point of view, and, "...All of your shares? Getting out of your family business entirely might come back to bite you later..." the whole aura thing seems to inspire her acting concerned now. "This place is great, but, well, roads were destroyed today, and any one building is likely to be blown up by a super hero brawl in the sky at any time."
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith shrugs a little bit, "It was a risk, yes I admit... but having your money mostly come from being a major purvayer of adult entertainment just left me feeling a bit...slimy." he says with a shrug, pouring some of the amber liquid into his glass and sipping it. "And I actually have superhuman damage coverage in my insurance. Believe me, in this city you'd be a fool not to." he tilts his head, "Can I offer you a slow comfortable screw up agienst the wall?"
Winifred Burkle	Well, that's forward! Fred blushes brightly...apparently she's not drinker enough to know what else that could mean, and goes back into heavy Southern mode. "...That's right Forward of you sir, I dunno if a lady should be accepting any such offers..." She feels a little twitchy, as she starts imagining being screwed up against the wall in the literal sense. Fidgety, even. Anticipating, probably.
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith smirks just a little bit and the waitress, whose name according to her tag is DiDi says "It's Sloe Gin, Southern comfort, Ketel One Vodka, orange Juice, shaken over ice and topped with Galliano. It's also one of Thomas' favorite pick up lines." The blonde rolls her eyes at her boss heading off to fill the drink order.
Winifred Burkle	"I do declare, you shouldn't be toying with a poor girl like that...she might think you have...intentions..." Too flustered to control the southern accent even still. Must be a lot going on in that head of hers. Which is to be expected, because scientist. "It's like Chemists doing it periodically, on tables." Science version of pick up lines! But she's a physicist, so there's that.
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith smirks a little bit at that, "Or like mops?" he asks with a playful grin, "They do it wet and dirty all over the floor." he says it with a hint of challenge as if saying "I can do this all day." he sips his drink and adds, "Oh I'm not toying with you, I promised Buffy I'd be good and I'd hate to make her mad. This is a new suit after all.
Winifred Burkle	Fred looks a little crestfallen now. "...She really matters to you." Implied is, more than I ever will. "When did you fall for Buffy?" Lots of guys seem to do that, even big tough vampires. Glum, now, because there will be no treats in her future.
Thomas Raith	That question sort of make Thomas' eye twitch a little bit. "It's... complicated. We're still trying to feel each other out as it were." He explains, sipping his drink. "My...condition makes things interesting. I'm not entirely sure she trusts me.." He smirks a little playfully adding "Then again, she might have left you as a test for me."
Winifred Burkle	"Condition? What kind of condition?" Well, Buffy not trusting him means one thing, but a test means something else. "Wait, what? She left me here to see if you'd ravage me senseless so she knows to stay away from you if you do, cause you'd rather ravage her senseless?" There's that jealousy again.
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith laughs a little bit. "I'm a member of the White Court." He says and after receiving a blank look from her he says "Sex Vampire." He waits for a reaction to that and says "I feed on human emotions and life force, primarily lust. It makes relationships...difficult, and monogamy in most cases virtually impossible since feeding off the same person for too long is normally a very bad idea."
Winifred Burkle	Fred understand what's going on now. The feelings she has, the way she wanted to kiss him, and to offer a heck of a lot more of herself than that. "...You...you used your powers. No matter how it ends...I can't actually consent to anything. I'll never be free to choose with you." And that...makes her sad, because even having been told that, she KNOWS she still wouldn't be able to say no, and she'd still spread 'em on a dime and let him have her. But she sounds so sad and defeated now.
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith nods simply to that. "That is pretty much the story of my life," Thomas says with no malice or hurt feelings on the matter. He has pity for the girl, but he doesn't show it. His pity would be useless to her in any case, and anyone who has, at least from the sound of it, made it /back/ from hell deserves allot better from him. "To a degree, my powers are always on. But I won't use them fully on you. Not ever. You have my word."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers returns, a little breathless, carrying her bag over her shoulder as she glances around the Blue Lady. "Come on, I'm sure I left my homework around here somewhere..." she mutters with gritted teeth. Clearly she sprinted all the way here, worried that it may get tossed or some hung if she left it back on the birthday table.
Winifred Burkle	"...You can't turn it off?" Great. Now she's intellectually determined he's a rape vampire who's cursed to be unable to have healthy relationships cause he can't shut his powers off and let a woman choose. "No one can ever choose you. But you still have to feed...I was prey. I was a cow about to be slaugthered." And cow has special significance for her, the slave word of Pylea.
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith raises an eyebrow, "Now /that/ is a little bit dramatic. It takes /allot/ of feeding from someone to be anything close to lethal." he sees Buffy rushing back in and raises an eyebrow. "Check behind the bar? I think you might have left it on the table when we went upstairs?" he offers with a smile, "Fred here thinks I was trying to slaughter her apparently."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers grabs the end of the table, slowly bringing her breathing back to break. "Ohhh, thank goodness. My Psych teacher wanted the paper in today but he said he might be generous if I can get it in tomorrow mornings no...Couldn't find it anywhere!" she pauses, glancing between the two of them curiously. "So how's it going on here? Would have thought you'd both have gone home by now...Erm...I mean...Not together, well I-hope not but I guess..That's not really my call.." she laughs a bit nervously before vanishing behind the bar for a few minutes.
Winifred Burkle	"Why not? Every other vampire type kills when it feeds, usually, I figured you did too..." That might not be the case, but Fred clearly hasn't had a chance to do her homework, and her emotions are being played with even still. She's not thinking as clearly as she normally would. Fred looks up at Buffy, and, "...If he'd wanted to go home with me, I would've let him. I don't have any safeguards against his powers. Why'd you leave me here alone?"
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith shrugs, "I /can/ kill while feeding but that would be like... eating a Thanksgiving dinner. Not a serving of Thanksgiving dinner, like the whole thing for a family of five. Long term feeding is dangerous, but yeah that's just being greedy, and it's wasteful." he sips his drink and looks a little bit amused. "And not to mention, like I said, I wouldn't hurt one of Buffy's friends."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers is gone for several minutes, frantically searching the bar for her homework assignment. "Oooh...Please be here please be here..." she murmurs, popping up for a second or two then disappearing again, silent for several more minutes before reappearing with said term paper. "Phew...I'm saved..." okay, she can finally calm down and not fear that she's gonna fail her psyche class! Clearly this paper is worth a lot..almost half her full course grade! Unfortunately this keeps her a bit distracted, but she does understand the fear in Fred's voice, especially given her history. "I'm really sorry to leave you like that Fred, but I really needed to get to class. Besides.." with a tired sigh she steps from behind the bar, slipping into the booth next to Thomas, "Okay I know it might not make sense to you Fred, but I really do believe in him, he's a good vampire..Like Angel, only...Kinda different, Besides, I trust him, he won't hurt you, I promise." she stares down thoughtfully at her paper as she speaks, entitled the 'psychology of love'. She smirks at the irony.
Winifred Burkle	Fred, still off kilter due to emotions going sideways, "How good even IS Angel, anyway? He still abandoned me and left me alone. And you kinda just did it yourself a minute ago. Maybe you are made for each other after all." Which is probably not the way they were thinking about it. Now she looks glum and down in the dumps and...
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith sighs a bit, "She didn't abandon you," He says even as he slips his arm around Buffy. "I was never going to hurt you, if i was, would I have just told you exactlly what I was upfront?" He smiles, "I'm a monster. I know that, but please believe me, not all monsters are created equal. If you tickle me, I laugh. Prick me and I bleed. I bleed pink, but I still bleed."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers blinks, "Fred Wait! It's not like at all..Even if I'm away, I'm always just a phone call away, so don't worry so much." she glances at Thomas' confession, a bit surprised, instinctively leaning into him. "Welll...I wouldn't exactly call you a monster, but..Wait you bleed pink!? For real??" she can't help but laugh a little, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, just...Umm but anyways, Fred..My offer still stands. You can totally move into my apartment whoever you like. I know you feel lost and lonely right now but you aren't. You can trust me, and you can trust Thomas too..And Harry and Karrin are pretty cool people too!"
Winifred Burkle	Buffy said it herself earlier...Fred kind of IS fragile, particularly with feelings of abandonment at the moment. That Angel did it is undeniable, nobody can contact him in any way. Saying Buffy did it might be overreacting, but as far as Fred can see, she was a moment away from being raped and couldn't have stopped it. "Monster is as monster does. I've believed in people before...even trusted people before. What has it gotten me?"
Thomas Raith	"Well tonight, it made you a new friend." The Incubus says with a smile, and a promise. He offers his hand to her and tilts his head. "And yah know, a free meal since I told Didi to put this all on my account." He tilts his head, adding "Someone once told me that the best way to deal with things that go bump in the night is to bump back." He then considers, "Are you familiar with the unseelie accords?"
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers sighs, rubbing her eyes. It's been a long day. "I guess you just need to see for yourself than rather than take my word on it..I guess I can understand that.." she glances curiously at Thomas, "Unseelie Accords? What's that about..I mean it sounds vaguely familiar from something I've read in one of Giles' books but..I'm totally drawing a blank."
Thomas Raith	Thomas sips his drink, "The accords are an agreement among certain supernatural nations, of which the White Court is one. It governs things like treatment of messengers, the laws involving duels, and most importantly to this particular conversation it stipulates laws of hospitality between a guest and host. They state that if you are my guest, that I cannot harm you, nor through inaction allow you to come to harm that I could prevent otherwise. That I will protect you. As a guest you are obligated then to not harm me, my people, my other guests or my property. It's an oath, and among signatories of the accords, a damn near unbreakable one." He nods to Fred, "And if you agree, then I am willing to consider you my guest, any time you are in my Club."
Winifred Burkle	Fred figures there's probably a ton of grey area about what constitutes 'harm.' Even among the original signers of that document. Still, it must have a fairly decent definition, and it's better than nothing. "I'm not good at harming people to begin with, so if it keeps me from being harmed, that sounds good, I guess...."
Buffy Summers	Buffy Summers smiles reassuringly at Fred. "Hey, sounds like a win win situation! You see? He couldn't even harm you if he wanted to, or the consequences are probably pretty severe.."
Thomas Raith	Thomas Raith nods a little bit, "The Contract was written by the Winter Queen of the Fairies. You don't want to know what she does to people who violate it." He says simply, and there is an almost low key thrum that ripples through the air, as though something took notice and acknowledged the bargain struck. Just then Didi comes over with a sigh, annoyed. "Thomas there is a vendor here, and Smash is saying they've got the Shrimp order all messed up. Again." Thomas sighs, annoyance on his face..."If you ladies will excuse me, I may have to slaughter someone after all."