Gypsy Girl
Pairing: OC/Spike
Summary: When a travelling Gypsy from the Kalderash clan settles on the Sunnydale, she'll be no exception to the challenges of life on the Hellmouth. Alexandreina will survive though, she always does, but will she get a chance to live?
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CHAPTER TWO
Alexandreina had spent a month in Sunnydale already without any sort of issue. Life was peaceful at the moment and she felt herself wanting to relax into the feeling. However, life had unfortunately taught her to do differently... She struggled with that. There was no real reason to not embrace the comfort that comes with peace and safety. There was no threat looming that she could feel, no worry of being forced out of town if she wasn't careful. If anything she was one of the more normal people living on the Hellmouth at the moment.
Even the Slayer was apparently odd.
Not that she was surprised.
Life on the Hellmouth was not what she had expected it to be. Instead of demons and the not-entirely-human kind living in the shadows and hiding, here in Sunnydale, they walked freely in the open without anyone so much as questioning it. At first Alexandreina had been shocked enough by that to question if she was seeing things... but no, the humans were pitifully oblivious to what was staring them in the face.
It was like they had all accepted that the supernatural exists.
Though there was no verbal acknowledgment of that acceptance, if it was truly there at all.
But at least she wouldn't ever have to worry about being run off by a mob or something of the sort. The worst case scenario was that she pisses off the Slayer and gets a good beat down for it, if that. This Slayer seemed to only target vampires if what Alexandreina had heard at the Demon bar was accurate. She knew how some folks like to embellish when it comes to the Slayers.
Alexandreina rolled her eyes.
But in the process her eyes caught the pile of sage and crystals that she had left out on the table.
She sighed.
As it turns out, there was something about stopping in one place for so long that made her more particular about her living arrangements. Of course she would absolutely never trade her remodelled school bus home for anything in the world. But it did ignite a need to add more to her comfortable home knowing she was finally still long enough to focus on home building rather than getting from town to another.
It felt good.
Not that Alexandreina thought she would admit that to anyone.
She has a reputation to keep.
But that reputation didn't include being a slob, and so she didn't hesitate to stand from her lounge and begin tidying up the place. It wasn't like she had much else to do anyway. The first two weeks upon arrival had been about exploring the town but there wasn't much else to explore now. It wasn't like she needed a real job when she could do her readings in a local café and earn enough for food that way. Especially when she had found that the little man-made cave was situated above the towns water lines. It was easy to rig up the clean water pipe to her tap and bathroom, having been taught when she was a child.
Her people weren't exactly known as the bill paying sorts.
And a little magic incantation was all it took to get what little electricity she needed. Not that she used electricity for much anyway... she wasn't big on owning much technology.
She didn't need it.
Alexandreina turned on a stereo that played her favourite mix tape of punk rock songs. The enchanted stereo was one of the few pieces of technology that she actually used quite often. She bobbed her head along to the music as she tidied up the place. The refurbished school bus was large and almost unrecognisable from the inside with all the changes made to it. It had taken her months to find the right vehicle for her, having upgraded and traded in her smaller camper van to aid in paying for this. The bus was an older model and larger than the regular school busses are now. It had taken her a further year to get the construction done and she'd had to swindle and steal for most of it.
Not that she cared.
It was well worth it in the end.
The ceiling had been raised on the original metal frame. Now affording enough room for her to have a concealed area of storage and a nook in the ceiling. The ceiling was covered in light washed faux wood with small enchanted lights spaced evenly throughout. The front of the bus was sectioned off with a fake dark brick wall and a tinted door. The drivers cabin of the bus wasn't much too look at - a simple black seat covered in a comfy blanket and cushion. However the rest of the bus looked nothing like an actual bus. Once again it was divided into another, but more subtle, section. Though the cozy rustic and bohemian theme continued throughout the entire bus. The floor was a dark faux hardwood flooring, though it was only really noticeable in the main section of the bus. The wall on the left side on the main area was white, with only 4 windows covered by simple grey shades. A brown leather couch sat against the left wall under the windows, though it was covered by various throw blankets and more cushions than it really needed.
It's comfy though...
The side table that sat beside the couch displayed some burning sage and a few crystals. Naturally, one of many sets of Tarot cards were stacked on the table. A vibrant green plant that she struggled to keep alive was in the corner between the drivers cabin and the couch.
Alexandreina watered the plant with pursed lips.
She wondered how long it would take before she needed to give it a little magical revival again?
She rolled her eyes.
Grabbing the cleaning supplies she turned to the right side of the main section. There was a oven and stove top, a sink and a line of bench space across the wall. The appliances were all white with a darker grey accent to match the rest of the space. A window sat directly above the sink, two cabinets on each side of the window that housed most of her food and cooking spices. Beneath the dark grey countertop, the cabinets held cooking and cleaning appliances.
Alexandreina loved to cook.
Though when money was tight she tended to only cook small meals with as little ingredients as possible.
A valuable effort to spread her food as long as it can last.
Alexandreina opened the window above the sink as she cleaned. Letting the little natural light shine onto the plants that were potted and hung on the wall she had added in construction. The small wall only extended halfway across the main section of the room, creating a small hallway that led into the rest of the bus. The bathroom was by far the smallest section of the entire bus. It was long rather than wide, but it was still comfortable enough to move around in. The walls were painted a lighter grey, almost white in colour. The floor was done in small white tiling with dark grooves that spread up the wall in the shower where a plant hung from the ceiling and grew out in vines that spread slightly down the wall. The shower having a hidden drain that leaks right out into a rigged up pipe system to dispense of the water away from the bus. The copper taps had been painted a dark brown to match the cabinet under the sink, unsurprisingly carrying on the bohemian styling.
She had surprised herself with the modern-ness of her styling though.
But she liked it.
Alexandreina added a new roll of toilet paper and fresh towels in the bathroom as she went along. Checking the various plants in the bathroom and making sure none of the crystals near the sink had been broken.
Satisfied, Alexandreina moved back into the hallway. The bathroom door opposite a small angled wall that had been added to create a little cupboard. The angled wall began not far from the couch and had shelves of books and knickknacks displayed. The subtle cupboard that the angled wall created was full of sheets, towels and the more homey sorts of necessities. Which admittedly mostly included a few guns, stakes, a bow and arrow, a selection of knives, a few poisons and some magical herbs. Alexandreina didn't bother checking those were all in place though. Instead she moved through the hallway into her bedroom which was undoubtedly her favourite section of the bus.
Though that was likely because of the enchantments she had added to the space...
But she tried keeping that to a minimum.
Necessity only.
The flooring was the same dark rustic faux wooden style that it was in the other parts of the bus. However her bedroom floor was layered in so many random rugs and antique tapestry that she could barely see the flooring. Alexandreina liked the fact that her bedroom was where more of her personality showed in the decor.
The other parts of the bus were mostly kept to a minimum due to practicality.
But not in her bedroom.
This room practically radiated warmth and comfort, describing who she is in it's very decorations.
Alexandreina loved it.
The room was larger than what it naturally and logically should have been. A few strong enchantments to make the space larger on the inside than it is on the outside of the bus had to be done to achieve this. It was rather complicated but well worth the effort. The main backwall in the room was covered in the dark mix of bricks while the side walls were white. A king sized bed was only slightly off centre in the room, but aligned with the off centre hallway. The bed had silky soft dark grey sheets and a mountain of cushions and pillows in all different size, shape, colour and pattern. Alexandreina picked the pillows that had slipped off to the floor and placed them on the bed in the aesthetically pleasing mountain that had accumulated over the years.
She wasn't even sure how many she had anymore...
Alexandreina made the bed and moved over to the right side of the room. The added height and space from the spell had afforded her more luxury when designing the room. In the far right corner was a loft - the bottom section was were she had installed a display cabinet for her precious antiques and a proper bookshelf that stored her important books. The latter that gave access to the loft was a sturdy dark wood that she climbed to reach the large area above the ground. The loft area had various animal skin pelts spread randomly to cover the floor - the various textures feeling good against bare feet. A few grey beanbags sat against the corner wall with even more patterned cushions. Another shelf had been installed against the wall - holding a few crystals and more Tarot cards but combining a small kettle and a cupboard of teas and coffee.
Alexandreina restocked the Oreo cookie jar.
Again.
A sheepish smile that nobody was here to see graced her face as she did so. It was safe to say she had quite the sweet tooth and her favourite little nook in the refurbished bus was were she spent a lot of her time.
Alexandreina couldn't help but snack on a cookie or two while she was there, but she didn't stop for long.
Climbing back down to the latter she cast a look at the rest of her room. She had left the most messy places to last... naturally, and she couldn't help but sigh. Her vanity and her closet were the two places that were almost constantly messy. Especially since she was known to leave the mess for 'later' when leaving in the morning after getting ready for the day.
She sighed.
Directly opposite the loft area against the wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom, is her makeup vanity, in all it's beautiful chaos.
The vanity sat against the wall with a matching white shelving unit as tall as herself on each side. The mirror was smudged with some auburn lipstick and the vanity piled with makeup items or jewellery that should be in the two shelving units. Alexandreina rolled her eyes and set to work putting the excessive amount makeup items, perfumes, jewellery, hair products and nail polishes away. The task by far took the longest and by the time it was done she craved a coffee and some cookies.
Alexandreina sighed.
She wasn't looking forward to even going near her closet after this...
The closet, naturally, had been enchanted to manipulate the inner and outer size. From the outside it looked like a regular closet would - the double doors were a dark wooden oak with antique handles she had found years ago, next to them a floor length mirror. But on the inside the closet was an entire room all in itself. Divided neatly by shelving units she had conned a rich man into paying for. The organised shelving housed the consequences of her sticky fingers.
Most of these things had been stolen in all honesty.
But that was normal.
Or at least, normal for Alexandreina.
The wall of shoes mostly consisted of boots, Doc Martins or timberlands in what could be mistaken as every colour or pattern that had been made. The racks upon racks of shoes would have been embarrassingly like an addiction if she wasn't certain that she had worn each and every pair at least a handful of times. Alexandreina, while she often 'acquired' more items like makeup or clothing than she needed, was good about not letting any of it go to waste.
This was one area where she indulged to her whims desire.
It was an outlet.
Alexandreina smiled as she tidied up the closet, picking up and re-hanging the clean clothing that had been pulled out in the mornings. Her clothing was even more excessive than her shoes but a common theme of her style was easily shown. Alexandreina's style was very much in line with what was 'stereotypical' of a modern Romani woman. Though she had a lot of clothing considered bohemian in it's patterns and fringe, she also had a lot of punk style clothing. Band T-shirts and acid wash jeans had their own smaller section in her closet, only to be matched by the size of her party dresses that were more skimpy than anything else. A smaller section of the wall displayed handbags, a few hats, hair accessories and belts or all sorts.
It took her an hour to clean up.
Alexandreina huffed as she finally had a tidy closet for the first time since she got to Sunnydale.
No matter how many times she resolves herself to keep the room clean it never works. Even when she was determined to make it happen, she just can't do it, it seems.
She sighed.
With a shake of her head in exasperation she grabbed the basket of yesterdays dirty clothing and headed to the sink to wash them...
She did feel a lot better now that the place was nice and tidy. Looking around as she entered the main area of her bus. Alexandreina wondered what more she could possibly add to make it more of a home. It was missing something, she noted, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what that happened to be.
Moving to Sunnydale permanently meant good things for Alexandreina so far. Shockingly enough she was even considering getting a real job. Only this time she wasn't getting the job to steal from it, or learn a specific skill, or even to be able to acquire construction services with an employee discount.
The thought was slightly unnerving.
But when she consulted the cards, she had received encouragement.
Alexandreina sighed slightly.
Since she arrived in town she had been doing her usual gig or expertly stealing from the mall without getting caught when she needed to. Every night Alexandreina would go to one of the local diners or cafes and order a dinner and coffee while charging 20 for a reading from the Tarot cards. Sunnydale was a place where people weren't as sceptical of things like that, so she had been getting at least 5 customers a night.
It was generating a nice profit.
Especially when she didn't have many expenses in the lifestyle she leads. Aside from food, gas, alcohol and cigarettes, she didn't pay for much of anything.
She has everything she needs.
Except more cigarettes, that is, which is what led her to the convenience store this late at night in the first place. Of all the nights to stay in doors Halloween was certainly the one to pick. Alexandreina had never participated in Halloween herself as a child and she wasn't about to start as an adult.
That would be weird.
And while she might technically be 'odd' when compared against most people, she wasn't that odd.
"What can I get yah?" the man behind the counter at the convenience store muttered, barely looking up at her as he spoke. The man sounded like he would rather be doing anything other than this and she didn't blame him for that.
"2 packs of smokes" Alexandreina stated with just as much enthusiasm
She wanted to get back home.
The crowds of kids dressed up and running around on sugar-highs tonight was something she wanted to avoid. Especially knowing the no good they could get up to when with sugar and without supervision. Her bus had 'attempted' to have been vandalised a few times on Halloween and she would rather nobody stumble across her little place.
The man looked up, "ID?" he asked, eyes narrowing in a way that said he wasn't able to tell if she was old enough or not.
Alexandreina groaned.
She handed over the fake ID that was worn from use and age. She'd had that particular idea claiming her to be 'Alley Jane' for about 3 years now. It was one of many though and it claimed she was 23 years old.
Which, to be fair, didn't appear to be that ridiculous.
The Kalderash beauty was shown through darker and more seductive features. Despite being only 17 years old she could pass easily enough as 23 and maybe even 24 if she was pushing it. Either way she didn't look 17 at all. Most people who guessed placed her age to be around 20 years old. Especially once they get a look at more than her face - tan olive skin, toned body, tiny waist, round booty, large breasts and a hard look in her eye that aged her even further. A look that spoke volumes as to what her life had been life leading up to her arrival in Sunnydale.
A look that 17 year old shouldn't have...
But she does.
Hence the reason she developed her nicotine addiction in the first place.
Alexandreina knew the addiction wasn't a good one, knew the risks of it, but she never bothered trying to kick it. After everything she had been through a little relief every now and then was good for the soul. It wasn't like she wanted to get old and wrinkly anyway. She would much rather live life to the fullest for as long as possible.
So she gave in to the craving.
She always does.
Because the craving is more than just the nicotine, it's the freedom that comes from being able to have it in the first place.
That's what she truly craves.
Freedom.
Alexandreina shook the thought off and watched as the man behind the counter unlocked the cabinet with the smokes. He grabbed the two packs she requested and threw them onto the table. Punching something into the computer before looking back at her for the money. She handed the cash over and grabbed the smokes, walking away before he finished his monotone line about having a good night.
She didn't care anyway.
She just wanted to have a smoke and get back home.
Those delicious baked fudge brownie cakes were waiting and cooling back in the kitchen. The reminder made her quicken her step just a little as she headed in the direction of her new home. As she walked, Alexandreina finally noticed the real reason for her hesitance to go out tonight. A foreboding feeling that had been nagging her all week had flared.
"Fucking hell" Alexandrine cursed when she realised she had let her craving for nicotine distract her from the warning.
It was too late thought.
She could feel that whatever was about to happen, was happening now and she wasn't going to be clear of it. As if summoned by her thoughts a wave of wind knocked her forward enough to make her stumble. There was a deafening silence in the busy streets as she righted herself, but before she could make heads or tails of it, all hell broke loose.
People were screaming and running in every which direction. A few knocking into her as she tried to figure out what was happening.
She could feel their fear.
Her senses picking up on the strong collective wave of fear surrounding the streets. It was impossible to not feel, even for someone who didn't have very strong empath abilities.
Alexandreina sighed.
She hated feeling what others did, especially since it needed to be an intensely strong emotion for her to catch it. In her opinion Empath abilities were worth nothing more than the radar for lies it enhances. Which was the only aspect of Empath abilities she had attempted to hone and strengthen over the years.
As she looked around the street she could see why people were afraid. It seemed as if some of the people who had been dressed up in costumes had literally become that character. A boy who had clearly been dressed as a scarecrow was now a stick figure of straw and screaming his head off in panic. There were tiny little demons running around, and a few who had even turned into animals. Alexandreina watched as a little lion stalked a small purple pig and pursed her lips.
She wondered what damage this spell would obviously cause.
Would it be permanent?
Or would the effects wear off and everything return to normal in the morning?
This felt like a prank a moody teenage witch would pull to be honest.
Alexandreina muttered a few curse words under her breath and resolved herself to return home. The Slayer lived on the Hellmouth after all, so she was sure it would be sorted out soon enough. Especially since everyone knows that Slayers take their oath to the Watchers council very seriously... the superiority and hero complexes they develop only further ensuring the mass public remain unharmed by such events.
Great Uncle Morhad had paid the price a few years ago for trying to help a Slayer. So she knew better than to get involved.
It didn't directly affect her, after all.
So she would stay out of it.
The last thing she wanted to do was make an enemy. Especially considering the Slayer and Watcher Councils opinion if her people. Apparently because her people aren't humans learning to become witches, but are instead born with magic and intuition, it makes them not entirely human. In the books of the Watchers Council that means without her peoples explicit conformity and declaration of service, they amount to nothing more than evil demons.
It was disgusting!
And complete bullshit!
But what more could someone expect from an organisation as sleazy and manipulative as the watchers council. The fucking lot of them were probably plotting world domination, she theorised.
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