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 FIVE


Alexandreina shuffled the Tarot cards with one hand as the other loosely held her cigarette. The trail of smoke scented the corner booth she was sat in at the local Sunnydale Diner. Alexandreina had been coming here for one meal a day almost every day since she arrived here in town. Surprisingly enough nobody had bothered trying to kick her out or stop her from doing readings.

As long as everyone was purchasing something from the Diner then the waitresses didn't seem to mind.

It was nice.

Alexandreina had learnt to be discrete when giving Tarot readings out in public. A lot of people had a problem with either the Tarot readings themselves or the public place she would choose to do them. Some people would cause scenes and call her a scam artist before kicking her out. Though to be fair she was sure a few existed, but she wasn't one of them. As a result there's a list of establishments she had been banned from that's too long to memorise.

Not that she cared much.

She always found someplace else to go in the end.

Sunnydale was different though, as she was staring to realise. Firstly nobody had kicked her out of the Diner when she blatantly was doing business there. The waitresses would subtly make sure she was paying for some kind of food or drink, but other than that they never bothered her any. Usually Alexandreina was in the Diner for dinner which she more than made back the cost of with the Tarot readings she would do.

That's what surprised her the most.

The amount of customers she could get paying for a reading was a lot. Apparently the people living on the Hellmouth were a lot more open minded about things such as these. Never before had she had so many people seeking out a Tarot card reading. Not in any other town this size, at least.

It was good money though.

A few hundred a night if she was lucky.

And she usually was.

The thought made Alexandreina hide a smile as she took a puff of her cigarette. Tonight had been one of those nights where she'd had quite a few people asking for readings. Charging at 20 for one reading, plus 5 for extra questions, she had already made 135 in the past two hours.

"Excuse me"

Alexandreina looked up at the voice, her eyes landing on a young waitress. "Can I help you?" she asked, but not rudely. She couldn't afford to piss anyone who works here off or else she could get kicked out.

She couldn't risk that.

Not in a town as small as this one.

There wasn't very many places she could set up shop other than here, and she knew it.

The waitress smiled shyly and tucked a strand of blue streaked brown hair behind her ear. "I've seen you do these readings for weeks... I was just wondering if you could, I don't know, tell me something about my future?" the girl asked, sounding like she thought she was stupid as soon as the words left her mouth.

A common reaction, really.

But Alexandreina knew well how to deal with people like that.

"Sure" Alexandreina offered a warm smile that very few could ever tell was fake. She swept her hand out in a lavish gesture towards the other side of the booth. "Sit down. I'll tell you what, this reading is free"

The girl smiled, "Thanks"

"What's your name?" Alexandreina asked, remaining warm and kind to hopefully ease the shy girls nerves.

"Kira" The waitress responded favourably to the friendliness and visibly calmed down.

Good.

"Pretty name. Now, Kira, is there a specific question or area in your life that you wanted to consult the cards for?" Alexandreina asked, her manicured hand expertly shuffling the Tarot cards in a showy display.

"Uh, well, I guess maybe my love life?" Kira shrugged

Alexandreina nodded and set her cigarette in the ash tray again. She used both hands to shuffle the tarot cards, spreading them across the table in a fluent and performance like motion. While her readings were very much legit, the messages often didn't become relevant for the individual for some time after the reading. Meaning people often forgot what the cards tell them and so a more dramatic display helps keep the interaction at the forefront of their minds.

It keeps them coming back as well.

Especially when the readings ring true.

"Why don't you select a card, Kira. Just pick whatever one calls to you... whatever card feels natural" Alexandreina coached

Kira selected a card.

Alexandreina was honestly sick of seeing this card from so many people, but she didn't voice that irritation. It seemed like most of her readings were for heartbroken or lonely people. Everyone always wanted to know about their love lives.

"Three of swords" Alexandreina explained, "This card refers to suffering through a recent heartbreak that you've struggled to come to terms with. The card acknowledges painful betrayals of infidelity, disappointment and deceit. The card urges you to let these emotions run their course for they won't be felt forever"

Kira looked shocked.

Alexandreina wasn't surprised.

"Wow" Kira muttered in shocked awe. "My boyfriend and I just broke up. He cheated on me and lied about it until I caught him. I love him... the breakup is really difficult for me"

Alexandreina patted the girls shaky hand with a well practiced look of sympathetic understanding. "Don't worry too much, sugar" she spoke kindly, letting her smokey sounding voice sooth Kira. "You have to go through the motions. Acknowledge your pain and let it run it's course, because you won't feel it forever. It will pass"

"Wow, thankyou" Kira nodded with unshed tears in her eyes.

"Your welcome, sugar" Alexandreina nodded and watched the girl stand. She smiled when Kira reached into her apron and handed over a few bills - triple what she would have charged, before leaving the Diner.

"So, your the real deal, huh?" Buffy drew out, moving into view now that Kira had gone.

"You doubt me?" Alexandreina rose a challenging brow, but she wasn't offended.

Buffy shrugged, "Never been into the whole read-your-future thing, Y'know? Always seemed like a scam"

"Probably was" Alexandreina shrugged at that. "Some of it is real though. Just like witches - there's plenty of those fake magicians doing kids parties out there... but there's also plenty of real witches"

It was true.

For every real living and breathing supernatural creature that exists, there's most likely a fake imitation of it that humans entertain themselves with. Especially with the common ones like witches, vampires, fortune tellers, goblins and the likes. It made telling the real from the fake difficult sometimes, but it doesn't mean the real deal doesn't exist. Buffy of all people should know that.

"Guess that's true" Buffy agreed but still seemed sceptical.

Alexandreina smirked, "Want me to read your future, Buffy?" she mocked. "I won't even charge you"

"I won't be throwing bills at you like that girl did if it sounds real" Buffy warned but wore a small smile as she sat down in the booth.

Alexandreina laughed.

"So how does this all work?" Buffy wondered

"Well the cards are cryptic and are often only one piece of a large puzzle. Sometimes they warn you of something that's coming your way, other times they give advice" Alexandreina explained in her best effort to simplify it into something Buffy would understand. "Like a Slayer dream - cryptic, meaningful, but often not too helpful until after every thing has gone down" she joked

Buffy laugh at that.

"Anyway. Do you have a specific question you want to consult the cards on or maybe a certain aspect of your life?" Alexandreina queried

"Would I be totally cliché if I wondered about my love life?" Buffy asked with a sarcastic smile

"Yes" Alexandreina answered dryly. "But It'll give you an answer anyway"

She shuffled the cards in the same showy manner that she was accustomed to doing. It gave the reading a little more flare and made people pay more attention. Hopefully whatever the card is, it does Buffy some good. When she finished shuffling the cards she spread them out across the table in one fluid wave of her hand. "Okay, Buffy, pick whatever card you feel calls to you. Just relax and do what comes natural"

Buffy nodded and selected her card.

The Ten of Swords.

Alexandreina frowned at the card before she looked up at Buffy's now worried face. Alexandreina sighed before explaining what the card meant. "Ten of Swords. This card cautions you to a large betrayal that will affect you. There will be a loss, specifically of trust, and possibly of the entire relationship. A crisis will be caused by this betrayal and harm shall be done through extreme violence and destruction"

"Great" Buffy muttered sourly, dejected at the ominous card.

"Why don't you pick another one, Buffy?" Alexandreina implored. "See if the cards can elaborate a little more on that"

"yeah... okay" Buffy agreed before she selected another card. "Do any of the cards say 'and this big betrayal was really just a misunderstanding and everyone lives happily ever after' by any chance?"

"Not those exact words; no" Alexandreina smirked a little before she flipped over Buffy's card. "The Ace of Cups. This suggests something new is blooming in your life. Often referring to the beginning of a new relationship whether platonic or otherwise"

Buffy raised a brow, "Those are two very different things. These cards need to get their story straight"

"Not necessarily..." she countered with a curious look at the Slayer. "Has anyone new come into your life recently? Someone who you've put some trust into that might be hiding something?"

Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment before something close to suspicious realisation crossed her face. "Actually... yeah. There's this guy. He's kind of got that whole I'm-mysterious-and-just-pop-up-whenever-you're-in-danger-with-valuable-information vibe"

Well...

That certainly fit the profile.

"Okay" Alexandreina drew out the word after the odd admission from the Slayer. Then she shrugged, "He would be my first bet then. But know, whatever this secret is, there's a way that you can move past it. You just have to decide if you want to or not"

Buffy sighed.

"I've got some major wiggins now" Buffy muttered as she looked back at the cards.

Alexandreina chuckled in amusement and reshuffled the Tarot cards. She slipped them into her handbag as she stood up from the booth. "It's better than being blindsided though" she pointed out idly

"I guess" Buffy reluctantly agreed as she too stood up.

The Slayer was surprisingly fashionably dressed. A white button down shirt, a burgundy mini skirt and cute black boots. The look was a rather simple one, but Buffy made it look good. The girl was attractive in a completely different way to Alexandreina. Buffy was blonde, petite, elegant and pretty. It was a softer more gentle type of beauty but it was beauty nonetheless.

"Huh" Alexandreina muttered aloud

Buffy noticed her appraisal and self consciously looked down at herself. "What?" Buffy pulled a face

"Nothing" Alexandreina shook her head quickly. "You're not a normal Slayer"

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Buffy asked hesitantly

"Good" Alexandreina decided. "Definitely more fashionable, that's for sure. C'mon. I'll walk you home... I want to know where you got those boots?"

Buffy grinned.


Alexandreina was having a great time at the local club called the Bronze. She was glad she let those Slayerettes introduce her to the place. Even if it's mostly humans who come here to party. It wasn't as if she didn't enjoy the company of humans just as much as she did some Demon kinds... but humans were more boring.

With humans, her eccentric personality was a lot more noticeable.

It felt odd.

Though Alexandreina never minded the attention too much. Especially not when the attention was from hot guys.

She drank the last of her beer while feeling the stare of a hot guy on the other side of the bar. She stepped back from the bar, looking over to meet her admirers eyes with a small flirty smirk. Then she made her way through the crowed towards the dance floor. Pushing her way past couples dancing until she found a spot for herself amongst the crowd.

Lyrics: When a black cat crosses my path

Alexandreina began to dance as the live band on the stage started playing a new song. The song wasn't one she recognised or liked for that matter, but she could move to it regardless.

So she did.

Her movements slow and sensual as she danced in time with the music.

Lyrics: A woman in the moon is singing to the earth.
A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la

Alexandreina turned and looked over her shoulder when she felt a presence behind her. She smirked when the man from the bar began dancing with her.

"Hey" he smirked back.

Alexandreina just continued dancing with him. He was attractive. In a i'm-a-grade-A-asshole-who-knows-he's-attractive sort of way. But Alexandreina didn't care about his personality. She was an asshole something as well, so she couldn't judge. Instead she reaches around to pull him closer against her back. Guiding him to place his hands on her hips as she grinds against him.

Lyrics: La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la

Alexandreina reached back toward his face when she felt his lips on the shell of her ear. She urged him to do more as they danced sensually. Her breathing getting heavier as she continued to tease.

It was fun.

And that's the point.

Alexandreina thrived under the attention. The look of men and even some women nearby as they watched. It felt great. Alexandreina smirked to herself as she continued her grinding.

Lyrics: I'm riding on a camel that has big eyes
The buildings are changing into coconut trees

Little by little Alexandreina turned around in his arms. Tilting her head up so she was close enough to kiss, though she didn't let her lips do more than linger teasingly. With the anticipation building she continued dancing.

Lyrics: When a black cat crosses my path

Alexandreina slowly slithered around him, making sure not to lose contact with his body. She smirked as she moved behind him, feeling him shiver as she pressed herself against him. "Wanna get out of here?" Alexandreina whispered

"Yeah" he nodded, taking her hand and leading her out of the crowds. Both of them in agreement on how this night was going to end.

Lyrics: A woman in the moon is singing to the earth.
A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
La la la, la la la la la la

Alexandreina smiled to herself as she left the Bronze. The anticipation only growing as they agreed to go to the nearby motel for the night. Though she didn't plan on being there for breakfast in the morning.

That wasn't her thing.

She didn't want more than a night of fun.

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