Buffy sits uncomfortably in Roselyn's car as Roselyn drives them to her home, "Buffy, this is important. Tazin should have eaten already. But if he hasn't, he's likely to attack us immediately. If that happens, let me handle him, and go around to the back of the house. We have a brick curing building there, and there should be a haunch of deer hanging in there. Grab it and bring it back to me."
Buffy nods uncertainly, "Um, sure? But why would I need to do that?"
"Tazin's species has three overriding instincts, the three F's. Fight, Fuck, and Feed. If you know how, you can turn one of them to another."
"So, what will you be doing while I… Oh… So, why don't I just fight him?"
"That's my next point, if he doesn't immediately attack. Don't get too close to me, as I'm his mate, and he might see you as trying to take me away from him. If he still attacks, he probably just needs a fight and hopefully he'll be able to give you some warning. I can turn that too, but the fighting would be quicker."
Buffy groans, "Why are you with him again? Wait, you already told me. You love each other, and you're a masochist. Why is he with you?"
Roselyn smiles, "I don't try to kill and eat him when I climax."
"Wait! Like that mantis lady that Buffy Summers met a year or so ago?"
"Sort of, but not quite. His species lays eggs in the male corpse, after the female eats his guts and head. Their secondary brain in the base of the tail will keep the body breathing and moving long enough for the eggs to hatch and consume the corpse."
"Void, no wonder he's with you. What happens if the male wins?"
Roselyn looks at the road for a couple of seconds, before softly saying, "They don't. If the female is able to initiate sex, that's it. The male is dead. Remember I said that their three hungers were linked? If you satiate one of them, the other two are suppressed for a while, and they can't even summon the energy to defend themselves. He told me that it's not uncommon for a group of males to fight and leave the one who has their fill of fighting first to the female while the others run." Roselyn takes a deep breath, and the knuckles on her hands whiten as she grips the steering wheel, "You know, I've had my job at Mikes for around 5 years. It's the longest I've even been able to hold down a job with Tazin. Before that, we were on the east coast, and a female caught his scent. He was terrified, and that scares me. I bought the first plane tickets to the west coast I could, and we moved here in the hope the Hellmouth would hide his scent."
"Does he pass for human then?"
Roselyn laughs, "Not at all, but this was before 9/11 and we'd already got him an American identity. He does web design from home. A long leather coat, with a floppy hood, and gloves, and he looks like Aragorn from the animated adaption of the Hobbit. Or any number of other dark and mysterious men from Disney classics."
"Are you going to tell him about the offer at work?"
Roselyn pulls into her street, parks on the street outside her house, where she looks down, "I don't know. 75 years is a long time. And there's lots of rumors about succubae. Not that I have anything against you and Vhesthine, you understand."
Buffy sighs, "Do most of the rumors paint them as seductresses and sycophants who will attach themselves to the most powerful male in a group, sleeping their way up, and leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake?"
Roselyn grips the steering wheel again, "Yes, damn it. Yes, those sorts of rumors."
Buffy looks out into the darkness, "They're true, you know. Every single one of them. What you don't have is the full story. Most of those are courtesan succubae, the weaker sex you could say. Though Vhesthine calls them a sub-species. Succubae are already individually weaker than other demons, much like humans really. But they live in communes made of multiple families. Apart from those that were summoned, every single Succubus outside their own hell has been banished from their commune with no chance of joining another commune. There's so much about their society that most people don't know, or care to know."
"How did your relationship start?"
"Fear, misunderstanding, and acceptance. When she fed me the first time, she was afraid that I was going to go on a rampage and kill her and everyone else. I'm sure you know the rest, or you can imagine it."
Looking confused, Roselyn asks, "Why are you telling me this?"
"For the same reason I haven't told Vhesthine about your question. I want you to be able to make a fair choice. Also consider, that while Succubae aren't immortal, they do live for around 900 years. Also, while they don't have to kill to feed, it's a skill they have to practice so that they can stop eating. Anyway, we should stop sitting here, and go in."
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Riley jogs through the darkened streets of Sunnydale, the journey bringing back memories. Most of them unpleasant. Pulling out an earphone, he attaches it to his ear, "Coco, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear Patch. Status on the asset?"
"Negative on the asset. Quarry is confirmed to have spawned."
"We thought that was the case. Track and trace is still live."
"Asset has a lead on the eggs."
"Patch, lead with that next time. Did you even brief the asset properly?"
"Negative, she was in mixed company."
"God damn it Patch, they're not our enemy. The killers are our enemies, same as always."
"They're all killers Coco, do you have any idea how little it takes for them to turn?"
"Riley, that's not our job. We track the killers and make sure they can't keep killing. We have enough going on to worry about the ones that aren't killing. Now, what's the lead?"
"One of her coworkers partner bought a couple to eat."
"Well, why aren't you following that up then?"
"They kicked me out."
"God damn it Riley, if those things hatch because you burned bridges between us and the only people who know where the eggs are. Husband or not, I'm reporting your arse. I don't suppose they gave you some way to get in contact."
"Negative."
"Fine. If Walsh was still alive I'd put a bullet in her myself. Track and trace is still a go until we get confirmation the eggs have been found and destroyed. Over and out."
With a huff, Riley carries on his search. She's been on his case since Honduras, when they narrowly missed the last nest before it hatched, and this one escaped.
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"Vhesthine, are these demons really that bad?"
Vhesthine glances over at Dawn from the drivers seat of her car, "Like most things, that depends on where they are. In their home hell, no, not really. In the bosses hell, no not at all. In my home hell, very much so, same as here on Earth. They're growth cycle is driven by the availability of food, not time. So, they could grow to maturity in as little as a month, or as much as a year. However, their eggs will generally hatch in at most a week. That's it, and then you have 30 little demons eager to eat everything in sight that is weaker than them. If it's organic, they'll eat it. If left unchecked, within 3 months Sunnydale would be a wasteland and they'd be a plague of them spreading out looking for safe and secure places to nest. I don't know anymore than that, as the why's and wherefores of that sort of threat aren't important to a matriarch, just that they are a threat, and how much of one they are. Oh, there is one thing, they can't be seduced, so if you meet one run or kill it. There is no middle ground."
Dawn nods confidently, "Buffy will stop it."
Vhesthine smiles, "I have no doubt of that. I'm more worried about how many people will die between now and then. Especially as you and I are both people."
Dawn swallows, "I wish you hadn't added that last bit."
"Dawn, you are my juvenile, I will not spare you details that may save your conscience now only to kill you later."
"So, what are we doing then?"
"First, we are going home and packing bags for a few days away for us and Tara. Then we are going to Doublemeat to look out for Tara. While I'm driving, you're going to call Anya and Xander and tell them to find a motel for the night."
Dawn looks at Vhesthine, "Shouldn't we be out there looking for it?"
Vhesthine pulls over for a second, to look Dawn in the eye, "Dawn, do you think you could kill it if it found you? Could you beat a Vampire without a stake?"
Shivering, Dawn shakes her head, "But we should still be doing something."
Vhesthine nods, "And we are. We are preparing for the worst. Going to protect our friend, and after that, we'll see what happens."
"But what about Spike?"
Vhesthine frowns, "Who? Takeout?"
"Why do you both keep calling him that?"
Vhesthine starts driving again, "Because he wouldn't take no for an answer. And his response to finding Buffy unconscious outside, was to strip her naked and place her on his bed. Then imply, to the point of almost being explicit, that she owed him sex because she likes to look pretty, and must be leading him on. She now uses him to supplement my hunting so we have more time together, apparently she hasn't needed to feed him blood afterwards for nearly a month."
While Dawn struggles through that, the two of them get home and pack their bags. On the way to Doublemeat, Dawn says, "But, shouldn't Buffy be flattered by his attention? I mean, she dated Angel and Riley, and she had a boyfriend before we moved here." As Vhesthine starts to pull over again, Dawn quickly adds, "At least that's the way the older girls talk about it."
As Vhesthine speeds up again, Dawn lets out a sigh of relief, "Dawn. Do you think Tara should be flattered by the attention of a male?"
Dawn scoffs, "No, she's a lesbian. That's different… Isn't it?"
"Dawn… Nobody should ever be able to tell you how to feel about another persons attention. Ever. They can give advice, personal experience, and warnings. But it is your feelings about the person that matter, not theirs. The males I admire the most are the ones that respect other peoples opinions, especially females. The ones who may ask once, but won't push it or try to chat you up. I have taken a few males like that under my wing in my century on this Earth. With the right persuasion, they blossomed from being the awkward young men they were, into someone that genuinely enjoys the company of women for just that, company. Treating their opinions and knowledge as valuable in and of itself. Not all of them found their own female by the time we parted ways. And one of them was attracted to males."
Dawn frowns, "But isn't that the same thing you were warning me about?"
Vhesthine smiles, "Some would say it is. The difference is consent. I wasn't imposing my opinions on those young males."
Dawn stutters for a moment and covers herself by asking, "Did you. You know…"
Vhesthine laughs, "Feed? Dawn, I know you're human again for the moment. But you shouldn't be bashful about things like that. And yes, I did feed on them. Even killed a couple when they became too possessive, and wouldn't believe that they couldn't satisfy my needs. Do I regret those deaths? Not at all."
"Didn't you say that you didn't care about males, as they were just prey?"
Vhesthine laughs, "Dawn, there's a difference between caring about an individual and improving the quality of the herd. I would rather feed from those who don't look at me like a prize to be possessed. But, those who do look at the female form like that are far quicker and easier to find. Which is strange considering the number of vampires in this city. When you're older, I hope you'll never have to understand what I mean."
The rest of the drive to Doublemeat passes quietly as Dawn thinks about the conversation.
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"Slayer! You may be here to kill me, but I'll take you with me!"
That's all the warning Buffy gets as she finds herself leaping over a charging demon. Her left hand coming up to shoot it when a civilian gets in the way, "No Buffy, he just needs to fight it out. Please."
Buffy tackles the civilian out of the way as the infested charges at her again, resigning herself to a close combat fight without her warframe. A punishing rake across the ribs is met with an equally punishing kick to the thigh, though a bare moments thought activates void regen, and a second activates a guardian shell around both her and the civilian. Enough protection to keep them safe, but not enough to be firing void beams around when they could cross the line of fire.
As she slides along the floor underneath a lunging claw, she punches up with her own attack while trying to remember what her mission was. Another brief flurry of blows, and she's finally got it's measure, and fires a void snare slap bang into it's chest. As she steps back, and crouches down for a clear line of fire, the civilian runs into her line of fire shouting something about 'alive'. Stupid capture missions without the proper equipment.
A few minutes later, Buffy comes back to herself standing over a mewling demon that is bloody and bruised. Her own clothes tell of how hard the fight was for her, even if the blood stains don't translate to visible wounds.
"Um, are you ok?"
Whatever she was expecting from Roselyn's mate, it certainly wasn't an urbane New York accent, "Now that I am no longer in fear of death, I am more than ok. I haven't had a fight like that since we left New York. You must be Buffy, Roselyn's co-worker. Did you know you smell of the Doctor, or maybe the Doctor smells of you."
"Um?"
Roselyn steps into view and crouches down to stroke Tazin's horns, "Tazin Honey, I think she might be confused about your sudden switch in personality."
Tazin nods, "Understandable, would you help me up? As I can't feel my legs. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to stumble through a portal to New York at around 10 years of age. Just old enough for my personality to be coming through, but not so old that rumors of my existence was drawing… What's the polite term for them again…"
Roselyn interrupts, "Bitches. Just call them bitches like I do."
"Yes, well, I'm sure the slayer isn't interested in my story."
Buffy shakes her head, "Actually, this slayer very much is interested in your story. But she needs to know where the Suvolte demon eggs are before they hatch."
Tazin shakes his head before glancing at Buffy's crotch, "I don't know. All I can tell you is that he's a vampire, and he smells of you, and you smell of him."
Buffy mulls that over for a moment, "Wait, Takeout is the Doctor? Really?"
"Takeout?"
Buffy nods, "About so tall, British accent, short, white, waxed hair, ego the size of a planet."
Tazin nods, "You'll have to tell me about that nickname sometime."
Buffy laughs, "Come to my birthday party tomorrow, I'm sure they'll be time to just chat. I need to go and talk to a vampire about the perils of responsible pet ownership, and accountability."