Cordelia was feeling pretty good about life in general at the moment. She'd got a call asking if she could come back and play Mirabanna again, which would not only give her more time with Jason, but paid nicely as well. Angel Investigations had been doing pretty good lately, and there had been a nice sale at her favorite shoe store. What more could she ask for from life?
For a moment, she sat tensely, waiting for something, anything dreadful to happen. Surely something would come along and shatter the contentment, an attacking demon, a telemarketer, a vision... But nothing happened. She smiled, heading towards the kitchen. Hadn't she left a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer? Good news like this called for some celebration.
She'd just gotten settled, ice cream in one hand, a spoon in the other when the vision hit. Nothing too unusual, just a nest of vampires planning some weird mystical ritual thingy that Angel would need to take out, but... She had dropped her spoon, and her hair ended up with ice cream all over it. How frustrating. At least Ben & Jerry's was all natural.
"Sometimes I really hate this job." There really wasn't much more to it than that. Fortunately, Angel returned to the hotel shortly after the mind shattering vision, and she could relay it in all the gory details.
Angel was wise enough not to comment on the ice cream in her hair.
Instead, he just nodded, and asked "Was there any particular statues or maybe an amulet for the ritual? Some sort of idol, perhaps? Something to break and ruin things?"
"Yeah, there was this ugly little statue of some... pig thing with big tusks and only two feet. Made out of some dark stone. You might have better luck scattering their lines and diagrams than breaking the idol." Cordelia sighed, putting the lid back on her ice cream. There were times when the best thing to do would just be to go to bed and hide.
"Thanks, Cordy." Angel started towards his office.
Shaking her head, Cordelia started up the stairs to a room that she kept here. She really wanted a shower before she left. "I am so looking forward to being Mirabanna again. Even if only for a little while... respect, a wardrobe, and the life of luxury... Why can't things ever work like that in real life? Why can't I end up with silk gowns instead of slimy demon guts?"
Perhaps with her years of experience, Cordelia should have known better than to offer such complaints out loud. Perhaps she thought that she was safe because there was no strange demons, talismans or idols present, and she didn't use the word 'wish'. Or perhaps, with the pounding ache from her latest vision, Cordelia really didn't care or think about any possible consequences.
She should have thought about them.
End part 3
"Will the summons be tested?" The words carried an odd accent, one that would raise eyebrows even in Los Angeles. The speaker seemed almost normal, except that his skin was too pale, his dark hair too perfectly cut, his suit too neat. He should have looked like a lawyer, or an out of place businessman, instead, he resembled a shadow or a snake. He didn't move quite right either, his motion too fluid, as if his bones were flexible.
The vampire looked back at the man, sneering slightly. "Of course they'll try it. I told them that it was a powerful artifact, and that they should under no circumstances try to invoke Goriknak. I figure they'll be chanting within forty eight hours tops."
"By telling them to avoid it, you are certain they will use it? Such curious people…" The odd pale man shook his head, his square white teeth showing in a smile that held more calculation than amusement.
"Yeah, well… curious thing. I don't feel the need to take orders from some out of towner." The vampire snarled, his features changing as he stalked towards the pale figure.
"Ahhhh, aggressive behavior. A challenge, and a situation demanding the death of one rival. If you insist." One hand reached out, shifting into an orange tentacle with several ends, wrapping around the vampire's head and jerking back, the sound of the vertebra popping clearly audible before the vampire's head was removed entirely, the spinning body crumbling to dust as it fell.
Wiping the appendage that once again looked mostly like a hand, the few clinging specks of dust fell away as the flesh returned to a flat pale hue, entirely unlike the orange tentacle. "So hard to find decent help."
Dismissing the fallen vampire, the creature in the suit pulled out a small device, and activated it with a chirping noise. Leaning slightly towards it, a series of clicks, chirps and other noises, almost like something from a dolphin or whale emerged from him. A similar group of noises, made slightly tinny by the communications device emerged in response.
Once again with the calculating smile in place, the pale creature began to move, on his way out of the meeting place. There was still so much to do. More things to spread out, in preparation for establishing their power base, more groundwork for their plan. After all, if conquest was easy, more people would succeed at it.
End part 4.
For a moment, she sat tensely, waiting for something, anything dreadful to happen. Surely something would come along and shatter the contentment, an attacking demon, a telemarketer, a vision... But nothing happened. She smiled, heading towards the kitchen. Hadn't she left a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer? Good news like this called for some celebration.
She'd just gotten settled, ice cream in one hand, a spoon in the other when the vision hit. Nothing too unusual, just a nest of vampires planning some weird mystical ritual thingy that Angel would need to take out, but... She had dropped her spoon, and her hair ended up with ice cream all over it. How frustrating. At least Ben & Jerry's was all natural.
"Sometimes I really hate this job." There really wasn't much more to it than that. Fortunately, Angel returned to the hotel shortly after the mind shattering vision, and she could relay it in all the gory details.
Angel was wise enough not to comment on the ice cream in her hair.
Instead, he just nodded, and asked "Was there any particular statues or maybe an amulet for the ritual? Some sort of idol, perhaps? Something to break and ruin things?"
"Yeah, there was this ugly little statue of some... pig thing with big tusks and only two feet. Made out of some dark stone. You might have better luck scattering their lines and diagrams than breaking the idol." Cordelia sighed, putting the lid back on her ice cream. There were times when the best thing to do would just be to go to bed and hide.
"Thanks, Cordy." Angel started towards his office.
Shaking her head, Cordelia started up the stairs to a room that she kept here. She really wanted a shower before she left. "I am so looking forward to being Mirabanna again. Even if only for a little while... respect, a wardrobe, and the life of luxury... Why can't things ever work like that in real life? Why can't I end up with silk gowns instead of slimy demon guts?"
Perhaps with her years of experience, Cordelia should have known better than to offer such complaints out loud. Perhaps she thought that she was safe because there was no strange demons, talismans or idols present, and she didn't use the word 'wish'. Or perhaps, with the pounding ache from her latest vision, Cordelia really didn't care or think about any possible consequences.
She should have thought about them.
End part 3
"Will the summons be tested?" The words carried an odd accent, one that would raise eyebrows even in Los Angeles. The speaker seemed almost normal, except that his skin was too pale, his dark hair too perfectly cut, his suit too neat. He should have looked like a lawyer, or an out of place businessman, instead, he resembled a shadow or a snake. He didn't move quite right either, his motion too fluid, as if his bones were flexible.
The vampire looked back at the man, sneering slightly. "Of course they'll try it. I told them that it was a powerful artifact, and that they should under no circumstances try to invoke Goriknak. I figure they'll be chanting within forty eight hours tops."
"By telling them to avoid it, you are certain they will use it? Such curious people…" The odd pale man shook his head, his square white teeth showing in a smile that held more calculation than amusement.
"Yeah, well… curious thing. I don't feel the need to take orders from some out of towner." The vampire snarled, his features changing as he stalked towards the pale figure.
"Ahhhh, aggressive behavior. A challenge, and a situation demanding the death of one rival. If you insist." One hand reached out, shifting into an orange tentacle with several ends, wrapping around the vampire's head and jerking back, the sound of the vertebra popping clearly audible before the vampire's head was removed entirely, the spinning body crumbling to dust as it fell.
Wiping the appendage that once again looked mostly like a hand, the few clinging specks of dust fell away as the flesh returned to a flat pale hue, entirely unlike the orange tentacle. "So hard to find decent help."
Dismissing the fallen vampire, the creature in the suit pulled out a small device, and activated it with a chirping noise. Leaning slightly towards it, a series of clicks, chirps and other noises, almost like something from a dolphin or whale emerged from him. A similar group of noises, made slightly tinny by the communications device emerged in response.
Once again with the calculating smile in place, the pale creature began to move, on his way out of the meeting place. There was still so much to do. More things to spread out, in preparation for establishing their power base, more groundwork for their plan. After all, if conquest was easy, more people would succeed at it.
End part 4.