63; dictated/action

[gottaknockhard]

( outside room 213 / aka Vicious' )

[Spike used to hate this time of year. He still does, honestly, but for the first time it managed to go over and beyond his general annoyance at forcing fake-romance in his face (which never ends well for him by any means). This time someone figured out a way to make it personal. And what's worse, is how easily Spike let them.

It was a ballsy move, but one that he should have seen coming, which makes him wonder if he'd set himself up for some purpose he's yet to digest. Of course the only thing he had left that held any value to him would be stolen. That's always been the trouble with having something to lose; which the castle seemed to be all too generous to supply. Except now the castle isn't the only one behind the scenes.

Spike has been noticeably quiet on the whole matter. Beyond his initial reaction in the woods, he hasn't acted on it the way he may have in the past -- guns blazing, daring whatever fate had in store to finish what it started -- all that impulsive macho bullshit he's famous for. For once, he took the time to get his ducks in a row. Confirm his suspicions before making a move. Once he has the whole sordid story, ironically with the help of the castle, he goes right to the source.

So on this particular night, he stops by a door he rarely visits, wearing an over-sized trench coat and carrying with him a modest bouquet of roses. A little late for the holiday, but with so few memories to go on, roses seems to be an appropriate reference.

Attached is a simple note, about as subtle as he ever is:]

Bang.

[He leaves it by the door and walks away.]

---

[Once he's finished with his delivery, Spike doesn't linger, half expecting to be stopped before he reaches the lobby. (He's ready, if he is. His gun is seconds from being drawn in case he doesn't make it out the door.) When it seems he'll be allowed to exit without incident, however, he takes out a cigarette. -- Stepping outside for a smoke is as much cover as he ever needs around here.

Outside, Spike takes a look back at the castle. He spends a few moments walking around and counting windows, before he brings out a gun and takes two perfectly aimed shots to break through the glass leading into a certain resident's room. Call him impatient.

And since he does have some indeterminate amount of time to kill, he pulls out the journal (with all the too-conveniently broken filters). Just in case something interesting pops up.]

I'm surprised it took this long to find the flaw in magic books. I guess you live and learn.


ooc: open to everything as always -- and feel free to hear gunshots, it's that kind of night

Comments

Action

[nothingtobelieve]

[The shots come as a surprise, more-so perhaps than they should. He's been here too long. He hasn't been keeping his guard up the way he should. There isn't much mystery as to the perpetrator however. The one good thing about this place--it's very easy to know who it is who might want to kill you. Of course, had the intent been to kill, the shots would likely have come through the door instead, but he doesn't take any chances, stopping to retrieve both his coat and the pistol Gren had given him before heading for the door.

At which point, all remaining ambiguity vanishes. He heads out, flowers in one hand and the gun in the other, down the stairs and out through the lobby, eyes immediately scanning his surroundings for a familiar figure]

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike didn't think that would take long. He watches from nearby, barely obscured by a large plant by the castle wall, and notes the distinct lack of Vicious' preferred weapon. They're taking this gun trade seriously.

He stays still, holding onto his temper as he waits for an opening. Or for Vicious to start talking. For once, he's curious what the hell he has to say.]

[nothingtobelieve]

[He could wait for Spike to step out from his cover and tell him what this is all about, but he's irritated by the unplanned interruption of his evening and the fact that he hasn't planned this himself that he doesn't bother. He simply tosses the roses out on the ground in front of him instead]

There are easier ways to get my attention.

[gottaknockhard]

[At that moment, he has a clear shot that he can take if he wants. He lets the seconds tick off as he debates the merits of seeing if Vicious' reflexes have atrophied since he came her. Ultimately, he abandons his idea to stay in the shadows, and steps out from behind him.

Smiling, like this is all replay of a joke from their youth.]

I could say the same to you.

[nothingtobelieve]

[He scowls, less from annoyance and more because he just cannot think of what Spike could be on about. Of course, he's always up for ruining his old partner's day, but he hadn't actually bothered to try in quite awhile]

I wasn't aware I was trying to get it.

[gottaknockhard]

[He doesn't buy that, no matter what he's selling it for. There's not a doubt in his mind who was behind it, and that Vicious would actually attempt to say otherwise does nothing for the flare of anger that dares to cross his face.]

I guess you just got lucky.

[nothingtobelieve]

What do you want?

[Because they're either going to fight, or they're not. He doesn't care either way,although Spike is doing a good job to rile him out of his current apathy on that subject]

[gottaknockhard]

[There's a waver in the mock humor that Spike always defaults to when he's angry. Has Vicious become so lax that he isn't aware of every move his associates make? It's hard to believe, so he doesn't. Not entirely. Even if petty theft seems beneath him just to make a point. -- Which brings him to his other less-obvious conclusion.]

You need to take a better handle of your subordinates, or they might get you into trouble.

[nothingtobelieve]

[He doesn't bother pointing out that he doesn't have any 'subordinates' here because there's no point, either in having them or in trying to convince Spike that he doesn't. It's not hard to tell who he means, anyway, and his scowl only deepens]

I'll take that under advisement.

Dictated

[3nterprising]

[Gunshots aren't something that are very easy to ignore. Especially not for Faye. Given the location of her room, they weren't hard to hear, either. It isn't until she takes a glance out her window and spots that idiot loitering around outside that she ceases to be surprised. However, there's something different from annoyance that she feels. Knowing what she knows, and fearing what she doesn't, it would be a safe assumption to say that she's worried about him.]

What the hell are you doing, Spike?

Dictated

[gottaknockhard]

[It's a good thing that he can't pick up on that worry from his vantage point. He doesn't need the distraction by now, and that coming from Faye never seemed to fit right.]

The journal's broken. [As if that answers her question.]

Dictated forever!

[3nterprising]

You can't break a magic book. You're not making any sense!

[gottaknockhard]

[He was hoping that she might pick up on it not being the best thing to use when the whole world could be listening, but he can't push it without giving himself away.]

Fits with everything else around here.

Filtered to Idiot Lunkhead

[3nterprising]

[She grumbles while scrawling an angry filter into the journal. It's more of an afterthought to filter it for his sake; she wouldn't want to give the whole castle the impression that she actually cared about him or anything.]

Will you just tell me what's going on?

[ Broken ] Filter

[gottaknockhard]

[At least she sort of got the message. He doesn't go on to explain how the filters aren't working, just because it might do him better to keep that fact from spreading too quickly.]

I let the dog loose. You might want to keep an eye out for him.

[ Broken ] Filter

[3nterprising]

I don't believe that for a second.

[ Broken ] Filter

[gottaknockhard]

He also might have run off on his own. I kept forgetting to leave food out.

dictated;

[whathedoves]

[He's no stranger to gunshots, what with being an international man of mystery and all. No sense in bringing them up directly on the journals, though: There's no need to alarm anyone.]

It's certainly causing a lot of trouble already. I'd hope no one would take this accident as a trigger to do anything rash!

Sounds like emotions are running high.

dictated;

[gottaknockhard]

[No need at all. Spike has some very specific targets in mind.]

I'd imagine a few people have reason to be pissed about it.

[whathedoves]

No doubt. They ripped the trust right out from under us. Didn't get you, did they?

It's natural that people are hurt by a breach of privacy. Luckily, I don't keep too many secrets, myself!

Don't you think this might be something we can just ride out? Just a matter of time, isn't it?

[gottaknockhard]

[Talks a lot... And ordinarily Spike would simply agree, but he's not in the mindset of waiting. He's done that enough.]

A lot of people say that.

[whathedoves]

Do they?

Does that surprise you, really? Lose the opportunity to choose how things go often enough and I think you get complacent!

Not one to go with the flow?

[gottaknockhard]

[He could laugh at the irony.]

I'm normally one of them. Everyone has an off day.

[whathedoves]

We sure do!

I thought you sounded a bit wayward this evening, mon ami.

You know, I'm not one to pry too much, so I'm not going to ask if you're in trouble. [The implied question here being, of course, "Are you in trouble?"]

[gottaknockhard]

[He's starting to suspect what he might have overheard. It's not like he was being subtle with that stunt.]

Wayward, huh? [Perceptive word.] I guess that can be expected.