Poker Night/ Angelus & Logan discussion
Oct. 13th, 2005 08:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fh_jackass[ooc: c&p'd from here]
Logan's home. There's a poker table set up in the living room, with booze and snacks on a nearby table. There's a hole in the wall near the entry way, just about fist level for someone Logan's height. If one stepped into the kitchen, one would find the shredded remains of a coffee plant strewn about.
Logan sat on the couch, viciously pounding the buttons on his Playstation controller and drinking from an already-half-empty bottle of tequila.
Belthazor decided to be polite and use the door. But he didn't wait for an answer after he knocked, and instead just opened the door and stepped inside. "Hey," he said, nodding at Logan. "Angelus is running a little late. He had his hands full with
"Yeah?" says Logan, not looking up from his game. "Shame. Which one are you?"
"Belthazor," he said. "What, you missed the evil demon terrorizing the school population video?"
Logan actually turns and looks at Bel this time. "Oh, right. Well, drinks and snacks are there - uh, do you drink blood or anything weird? 'Cause I don't think I got enough for two."
"Save it for Angelus," Belthazor said. "Not much to my tastes."
Angelus arrived sometime after Bel. He was dressed in what was for him a comfortable pair of leather pants, a black silk shirt, and a long black trenchcoat. He carried a box of Cuban cigars in his hand.
Finding the door open, he came inside. "Hello?"
"Hey," Logan says. "Make yourself comfortable. There's a black cooler in the kitchen with your name on it." He takes a drink of tequila. "Well, not literally, but there's only one, so a smart guy like you should be able to find it."
"Cigars," Angelus tossed him the sealed box. He nodded at Bel. "Hey. I'm parched, I'll just grab - " out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the hole by the door. It distracted him just enough for him to give a slight verbal stumble, but he quickly recovered. " - uh, drink. Be right back. Anybody want anything?"
"Surprise me," Belthazor said to Angelus, unable to hide a smirk.
"Nothing...kinda like what was going on today on the field trip?"
"Nothing!" said Angelus.
"Yeah, a whole lot of nothing, from what I saw."
"Wanna enlighten me, or should I wait for the radio broadcast tonight?" Logan grinned.
Angelus came back out of the kitchen with a highball glass filled with blood. "Fuck the both of you. Seriously."
"I'm not in the mood for sloppy seconds," Belthazor said, almost bouncing with glee at being able to taunt Angelus.
Logan sat down at the card table, along with his bottle of tequila. As an afterthought, he got up and fetched himself a glass, then came back to the table.
"Five card stud is the game, boys." He shuffled the cards as he waited for the guys to get seated, offered the deck to Bel for the cut, then dealt out the first hand. One card down, one card up for the first round of betting. Logan was showing a Jack of Spades, Angelus was showing a Seven of Diamonds and Bel was showing a Four of Diamonds.
Logan turned to Angelus. "You gonna put some cash on that seven?"
Angelus checked his cards, then tossed in a hundred. "It's a lucky enough number. Also, I want to make Bel cry like a little bitch."
Belthazor considered his cards, then threw in a hundred as well. "If seeing what I saw this afternoon didn't make me cry, I don't think anything can."
"You are quite the tease," Logan said to Bel. "Raise." He tossed in two $100 bills. "Angelus, you wanna toss me one of those Cubans?"
Angelus reached over for the box and cracked it open. "Lighter? Clippers?"
Belthazor looked over to Angelus. "I don't suppose you'll give me one of those."
Logan got a guillotine-style cigar cutter from the cabinet and offered it, along with his Zippo lighter, to Angelus.
"Sure," Angelus told Bel, taking the cutter and lighter from Logan gratefully. He snipped the cutter closed a few times, giving Bel a grin. "Just put something of yours in here and I'll be happy to help."
"Might want to think about putting something of yours in there," Belthazor said with a grin of his own. "Might keep you out of trouble."
"Might want to think about putting something of yours in there," Belthazor said with a grin of his own. "Might keep you out of trouble."
"Wouldn't fit," Angelus grinned.
"You gonna play the game or what?" Belthazor nodded toward the pot.
"Would you circumcize that thing already?" Logan asked. "And are you guys in this round, or have you pussied out so soon?"
"Good things take time," Angelus said. He took a cigar out of the box and rolled it between his thumb and four fingers, his head tilted, listening. Not satisfied with what he heard he tossed it aside and took out another. This one passed the roll test, then the test of passing it under his nose. Only then did he apply the clippers.
"Here," he said, tossing them to Logan. He also added two hundred to the pot, then busied himself with lighting the cigar. To Bel, he said, "You can bite me. And coming from me that's saying something."
Belthazor matched the bet, then peered at Angelus' neck. "Looks like someone already beat me there."
Angelus gave him a coy look. "
Logan dealt out the next round face up - a six of diamonds to Angelus, an eight of hearts to Bel and a three of spades to himself.
After the cards were dealt, he helped himself to a cigar. "Who was it?" Logan asked. "Beka again?"
"Haven't hit that in a while," Angelus said, looking at his cards thoughtfully. "Been trying to stay on the straight and narrow with regards to the girl question. Shut up, Bel."
"They're roommates, aren't they?" Belthazor mused, studying his cards. "Wonder if they'll compare notes."
"Fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you," Angelus told Bel, gesturing at him with his
"Does this chick have a name, or shall we just call her 'Lilly'?" Logan asked.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it was a spell?" Angelus said, with the tone of voice of one who knows he has so lost this battle
"I think Angelus should be the one to confess her name," Belthazor said, in answer to Logan's question.
"
"A pain in the ass," Logan said, tossing his cash into the pot. He dealt out a seven of hearts to himself and a five of clubs to Angelus. "You run into her or something?"
"Yesterday in the dorms," Angelus leaned forward, appearing to put his focus on his cards. "Apparently there was pencil trauma or something. Wasn't really paying attention."
"Yeah? So why do you want to know about her?" Logan asked.
"Mentioned your name," Angelus shrugged. He toyed with his pile of cash, debating his bet. "Actually, told me not to tell you she mentioned your name but, you know, oops."
Belthazor leaned back in his chair, just observing the conversation
Angelus might have given Bel a quick flash of a secret smile. Or he might have been pondering his bet some more.
Logan sighed and leaned back in his chair, shifting the cigar in his mouth slightly. "Did she warn you about me?"
"Actually yes," Angelus said. He leaned back, looking up into the air as though he could pluck the memory out of it. "Said something like... you're dangerous and can't handle difficult situations and that if I was a friend of yours then she's no friend of mine."
Logan smiled with mock pride. "That's my Veronica. Always willing to give a guy a fresh slate. You putting money on those?" He gestured at Angelus's cards with his cigar.
"Fuck, why not," Angelus shrugged, raising the pot. "Bel's already taken my dignity, might as well throw my petty cash into the void."
Logan considered his cards, and Angelus's. "Fuck it," he said, tossing down his cards. "Your pot."
"Just like the old days," Angelus grinned, raking in his winnings. As though it were a propos of nothing, he asked, "what gremlin attacked that plant in your kitchen?"
Logan frowned. "Knocked it over earlier. Totally an accident. My roommate'll probably be annoyed, but hey, he's not going to be living here much longer, so why should I give a fuck?"
"You're going to have a room to rent?" Angelus asked.
"Dude, I've got three to rent, and soon I'll have four. Keeping roommates in this town is a bitch, I tell you," Logan said.
"And yet I couldn't give mine away if I tried," Angelus took a long swallow of his blood, grimacing slightly at how it had gone back to room temperature. "Tell me how that is fair?"
Logan looked at Angelus for a moment. "If your roommate made out with your girl in front of you, what would you do to him?"
"Punch him directly in the face," Angelus said. He did not add that he would have said the exact same thing if Logan had asked him what he would want to do to Xander if he saw him making out with his boyfriend, petting his dog, or simply breathing air in the same 100 yard range that Angelus happened to be standing in.
"Well, yeah," Logan said. "But after that."
"Laugh at him? Hit him again?" Angelus shrugged, checking the end of his cigar to make sure it was still lit. "It's an agony of choice, really."
"I was going for a kick to the kneecap, but Spider showed up," Logan said. "Setting his room on fire is, unfortunately, out of the question, seeing how it's my house. If he shows up back here, a beating would not be uncalled for, but I'm kinda in deep shit with Spider over the aforementioned punch to the face, so I gotta lay off the violence on campus right now."
Logan took the cigar out of his mouth and fiddled with it. "So, you've been around longer than sliced bread. You must've dealt with guys like him before. Any suggestions?"
Angelus glanced at Bel, as though this topic of conversation was not unknown to the both of them.
"Well," Angelus said, "depends on what exactly the guy did. I tend to like making my revenges personal. Not saying I hate the direct application of violence. But if somebody destroyed something of mine? Touched someone of mine? They'd regret it."
Logan scowled at his cigar. "Fuck," he said, draining his glass of tequila. "FUCK!" he yelled, standing up and throwing the glass against the opposite wall, away from the guys at the table. He stared at the shattered remains for a moment, then sat down again, elbows on the table and head in his hands.
Angelus shot Bel a look that said to let him handle this. He put his cigar down in an ashtray, then got up to cross to Logan's side of the table.
"Logan," he said, giving a light tug to Logan's shirt. His demeanor was that of a friend providing a graceful exit from a suddenly tense room. "Why don't you show me where the bar is, huh?"
Logan glanced over at Bel, then back at Angelus. "Sure," he said wearily. He led Angelus out to the verandah. "So, what's your poison? Whiskey? Bloody Mary?"
"Whiskey if you've got it," Angelus hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and looked out over their surroundings. "So what happened today?"
Logan poured a whiskey for each of them. He handed one to Angelus and sat down on one of the deck chairs, looking out over the ocean. "Well, apparently Rory wasn't too happy with me kissing that guy at the party. So she and her buddy Jake, aka 'my roommate' decided to play a little 'joke'" He's using airquotes. "See, Jake can change into a woman. So, ha! Wouldn't it be funny if someone dared Jake to change into girlform and kiss Rory?! In front of Logan?!" He drained his whiskey and returned to the bar for a refill.
Angelus contemplated his glass as Logan told the story. He took a sip, as though drawing a conclusion as he did so. "Well that's... bitchy." He looked at Logan. "Does it count as bitchy if it's a hermaphrodite?"
"Not finished yet," Logan said, holding his hand up as a request for patience. He took his whiskey and sat back on the deck chair. "It wasn't just a kiss. There was kissing and rubbing against each other, and if I hadn't pulled them apart, they probably would've screwed right there in front of me. And wow, don't I have the best luck with women?"
"Oo," Angelus gave a sympathetic wince. He shook his head, as though trying to picture what Logan described and not liking what he saw. "Oo. That's just - okay, no offense but what the hell? It was a party prank. With a guy."
"I know!" Logan said, gesturing wildly with his whiskey glass. "I should've know," he muttered. "She kissed another guy a couple of weeks ago, but stupid me, I believed her when she said he initiated it and she didn't want to." He shook his head. "And I fall for it. Every. Single. Time."
"There's always one solution," Angelus came over to sit in one of the chairs beside him. He stretched his legs out in front of him. "Strippers."
Logan shot him a look of scorn. "Yeah, what I need is women who want my money and won't sleep with me."
That earned him a bark of laughter. "So what happened?"
Logan shrugged. "Pulled him off her. Waited for him to change back to boyshape and punched him in the face. Spider showed almost instantly. Didn't even get a chance to kick."
"Did you know he has cameras everywhere?" Angelus asked. "Or at least he could? Which, mind you, amazes me considering that somehow they don't seem to be around when it comes to proving my side of the story when somebody like Buffy starts to bitch."
"That's fucked up," Logan agreed. "But hey, we're the bad guys, right? Gotta protect the sweet little girls from us." He took several gulps of his whiskey.
"Naturally," Angelus saluted him with his glass, then downed his in a long gulp. He put the empty glass on a nearby table. "Found out my ex is fucking a rent boy. Tell me that doesn't put you off the idea for life."
"Holy shit," said Logan, looking over at Angelus. "Talk about slumming. She's gotta pay for it?"
"I don't know what's worse," Angelus said. "The thought that she might be paying for it, or the thought that she looked at the male whore and decided she wanted a piece of that even if he was giving it away for free."
He folded his hands across his stomach, staring out towards the water. "So what'd Spider do to you?"
"Detention," Logan said. "Said he'd expel me if I hit someone again so," he looked at his watch, "I've probably only got a few weeks left. Enjoy me while you can."
"See?" Angelus said, as though Logan had just proven a point for him. "It's that kind of bullshit double standard that pisses me off. Lemme guess, nobody else got the same warning you did, right?"
Logan shrugged. "They all got detention. Even Lilly. So yay! Should be a fun Saturday!" He grinned and raised his fist in a cheery salute.
"Might not be as bad as that," Angelus said. "My dentention I was totally oblivious to anybody else in the room. Of course that's because causing deep psychological scarring is apparently not against the school rules. Who'd you pull? Don't tell me Grissom and another bug study, or whatever the hell that was."
Logan shook his head. "Nah, got that creepy psych teacher. She'll probably hook us up to machines and make us shock each other, or something."
Angelus was momentarily stunned.
"You got Dru?"
"You know her?" Logan asked, surprised. "Like, in a first-name kinda way?"
"You could say that," Angelus turned to face him. "So you're telling me that today you found your girlfriend making out with another guy, beat the hell out of him, and then got slammed into detention with Professor Drusilla?"
Logan frowned. "Yeah..." He drained his whiskey and set the glass down next to the chair. "Your point?"
"Are you Catholic?"
"Nope. Not religious at all," Logan said, confused.
"There goes that bet," Angelus muttered. He picked up his glass, as though he'd forgotten it was empty. Reminded, he put it back down again. "I'm kind of related. To Dru. For whatever that's worth to you."
"Related... from before or after you, uh, died?" Logan asked.
"After," Angelus said. "By about a hundred years. But with vamps if you share a bloodline you, well, share a bloodline. It's what passes for family with us."
"Does that mean the same vampire made you? And how does that work, anyway? You just get bit and wake up dead?"
"It can mean that," Angelus held his hands out to sketch the picture in the air in front of him. "Picture it like a family tree. First vamp makes two vamps, they make two vamps, they make two vamps more. Actually now that I think about it it sounds like a pyramid scheme. But point being you have grandpa up top and all the kiddies and cousins on the way down. Dru and I can trace our line back to a single vamp. Ergo, related.
"And it's not that simple," Angelus said. "We're not werewolves. If everybody we bit turned into one of us, we'd run out of humans pretty fast."
Logan frowned. "How many humans are you biting, then?"
Angelus gave him a very masculine grin. "You say biting like it's a bad thing."
Logan smiled. "What's it like?"
"For me or them?"
"Either. Both," Logan said.
"Warm," Angelus folded his hands over his stomach again. He rest his head against the back of the chair, turning it so that he could look at Logan with eyes that were half-lidded as he lost himself in memories. "I'm room temperature. The only thing that makes me warm is blood. The only thing that stops me from being hungry is blood. When I'm holding someone who's hot and willing, baring their throat, gasping for me to take them... there's nothing like it."
When Logan did not interrupt, Angelus continued.
"As for you - it hurts at first. You are being bitten. But - " Angelus's mouth curved in a lazy smile " - it's not as bad as you'd think. My fangs are razor sharp. Instead it's a flash of pain and then heat. You feel me holding you in an embrace that's stronger than any mortal's, you feel my mouth on your neck with this suction and pull that's impossible and total all at the same time. You feel dizzy. Drunk. Lost and yet centered. You know that it's entirely possible that I could lose control and kill you. That you could lose control and want me to. And yet, if I like you, you'd never know anything but safety while you were in in my arms."
Logan blinked. "Huh," he said. He coughed, got up (adjusting his pants slightly as he stood) and refilled his drink. "You need some more?" he asked, holding out the whiskey bottle to Angelus.
"Ta," Angelus picked up his glass and held it out. "Not bad. Who bought it?"
"My roommate," Logan scowled, pouring the drink. "All my booze disappeared zombie weekend, then a replacement batch showed up a few days later."
"From tone I'm guessing this isn't the one you want to kill."
"Same guy. Never trust someone who steals your alcohol," Logan said. He frowned at his glass, then chugged the whiskey angrily.
"Going to burn your throat," Angelus warned him. He sipped his drink then put it aside. "So what are you going to do with this bad boy?"
"I've never eviscerated anyone," Logan said with a tight smile. "Might be fun."
"That can be messy if you don't know where to aim," Angelus looked out towards the water, watching the waves lap on shore.
Logan watched the water in silence for a moment. "Have you killed people?" he asked finally.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Angelus reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Because I wanted to."
Logan stared at Angelus.
Angelus lit a cigarette using his own lighter. "You asked."
"I did," said Logan, running a finger over the top of his whiskey glass. "Why did you want to? Food? Fun? Revenge?"
"Sometimes all three," Angelus said. "I'm not telling you anything you wouldn't find out if you didn't look me up in a book. I don't know if you wanted me to lie to you, Logan. Or pretty up my past and pretend I've always been a nice guy who's never hurt a living soul. There's no point to that. It's not true. Yeah, I've killed people. Yeah, I've even liked it. People used to say I was the stuff of nightmares. Guess it used to be true."
"Used to be?" Logan asked. "What changed?"
"Fed from the wrong gypsy," Angelus grimaced. "Never cross a gypsy. Their concepts of revenge are very creative."
"Put a soul into me," Angelus said. "Made me feel every horrible thing I'd ever done as though it had happened to me personally. It's not something I'd wish on my own worst enemy."
"I think I like gypsies," Logan said. "Does that spell work on humans, too?"
"Never asked," Angelus flicked his ashes into the wind and away from Logan. "But bet there's plenty of spells that could do something similar. All you need is a witch with enough skill."
"I'll keep that in mind," Logan said. "So you got a soul? I gather that's not part of the standard vampire package?"
"Nope," Angelus looked as though what he was saying was taking some effort to get out, as though each word was physically painful. "All vampires are soulless, but don't let that fool you. Soul doesn't really do anything. I spent nearly a century in unrelenting agony because I had that thing inside of me. Good for gypsies, not so great for anyone else. Gypsies never asked themselves what would happen to a vampire who felt nothing but misery for every day of his unlife. If they thought it would make a hero, they were sadly mistaken."
"Spent? So you don't have it anymore?"
"Nope," Angelus said. "If I did you'd have a vastly different vampire in front of you. One who isn't nice, and isn't trusthworthy."
"So, you are nice? And trustworthy?" Logan asked dryly. "How many people have you killed?"
"I'm still not going to lie to you, Logan, it's enough that I can't count them all," Angelus sat forward, resting his feet on the ground on either side of the chair. "But let me ask you this: what kind of vampire would you rather have in front of you right now? One who can acknowledge the things he's done and have the control that says he will never kill unless he makes the active choice to do so, or one who can't face the horror of his actions and kills innocents because he's too weak to stop himself? Buffy was stupid enough to think Angel was a good guy. Don't tell me you are too."
"Why not just kill yourself?" Logan asked. He set his empty drink glass down next to the chair and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "Safer for everyone."
"Angel couldn't," Angelus said. "He was never strong enough. As for me - I don't see the need. I'm not a danger to anybody."
"When was the last time you killed someone?" Logan asked.
"I'll assume you mean humans," Angelus tilted his head thoughtfully. "Sunnydale. One of the members of the gypsy tribe came after me. She tried to kill me, I killed her first. If that makes me evil so be it."
Logan shook his head. "I don't know if you're evil. I don't know if there is such a thing as evil."
"Honestly?" Angelus took a drag off of his cigarette, exhaling as he spoke. "I don't either. You saw the pin - " he gave Logan a quick grin " - but that's just me having fun. Too many people try to get something over on me by saying I'm evil, I'm a bad boy, I'm going to bring down the entire school and blah blah blah - " he made a circling motion with the hand that held the cigarette.
"I'm just me. I don't care too much about the Powers um - " Angelus frowned as he tried to think of a comparison " - God, I guess, if you want a word for your dimension. And I've met the guy who swears he's the First Evil and he's a pompous asshole if ever I saw one. I don't serve anybody no matter what their label is. I'm me. I take care of those who are mine. If somebody doesn't like that, too damned bad."
Logan nodded. "Same here." He gave Angelus a small, wry smile.
Angelus returned the smile, looking Logan right in the eye as he did. "So Logan, do you want me to kill someone for you?"
"Would you? If I asked?"
Angelus gave Logan a long and hard look, clearly trying to assess his worth as it related to the answer to his question.
"I might," he confirmed.
Logan considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "No. If anyone's going to kill him, it's going to be me," he said.
"Your dad?" Angelus guessed.
Logan pointed his finger at Angelus. "Kewpie doll for the vampire," Logan said. "Though I guess it wasn't a tough question."
"You're not wrong," Angelus said. "If anyone should deal with him, it's you. Had you asked me to kill him, I would've said no." He gave Logan a familiar grin. "Obviously not because I'm a huge fan of his movies."
"'Family stuff should stay within the family,'" Logan said, as if quoting someone.
"And you'd never get closure if you let someone else dictate how to handle it," Angelus gave a rueful smile. "Ask me how I know."
Logan raised his eyebrows at Angelus. "How do you know?" he asked.
Angelus smirked. "Are you this obliging to all the dead boys or is it just my innate charisma?"
In response to the question, he said, "I allowed my sire to dictate when my father should die. It was a mistake. I'm not one for regrets, but if I was that would probably be one of them."
"Just you, baby," Logan said. "What's a sire?"
"I'm touched," Angelus put a hand to his chest, mimicking being flattered. More seriously he said, "The vampire who turns you. Or sires you, because my people are nothing if not redundant with their vocabulary."
"Who was that for you? How did it happen?" Logan asked, leaning forward a little.
"Her name was Darla," a look of nostalgia and fondness shaped his face. "Met her in an alley when I was out and about enjoying the finer pleasures of life. Which for me meant as much women, gambling, and booze as I could get my hands on. I'd never seen a lady so fine or lovely. She offered to show me the world. I took her up on it."
"And she told you to kill your father?" Logan asked. He drew up one leg onto the deck chair and rested his chin on his knee, looking out over the water.
"It was one of the first things she suggested when I crawled out of my grave," Angelus confirmed.
"Is that a standard hazing ritual for new vampires?" Logan asked.
"Depends," Angelus said. "Some like the ceremony, others don't care. I come from a family that often likes the ceremony. Then again I come from a family that likes living underground and only interacting with humans if that means you're going to kill them. You can see how I'm something of a rebel."
"You really consider them your family?" Logan asked, turning his head to look at Angelus.
"Of course," Angelus looked perplexed that anyone would think otherwise. "Darla and I spent 150 years together. All the others who traveled with us, and the ones that we made - they were special. Chosen because we wanted them. Because we saw something in them that nobody else could see. Well," he amended, "except for the ones who Dru made but after a while you learned to put up with them."
"That's awesome," Logan said.
Angelus smirked. "Logan, have you perhaps lost the battle against that bottle of whiskey?"
"Never," Logan said with a wink. He looked down at his empty glass, frowned, picked it up, and attempted to stand.
Vampire reflexes meant Angelus's hands were there to catch him before the floor beat him to it.
"Of course," Angelus said. "I'd never suggest otherwise. But perhaps it's time for me to call it a night. I need to take Bel home before he becomes cranky and overtired."
Logan nodded thoughtfully, and kept on nodding for a moment. "Right," he said, bracing himself up against the wall. "We should do this again sometime. And next time we can actually play more than one hand." He smiled ruefully at Angelus.
"I'm considering that a promise," Angelus told him. "Now how's about we put you to bed?"
"Why, Angelus, are you trying to take advantage of my inebriated state?" Logan grinned. "Actually, think I can make it to my room from here. Been there before, you see." He offered his hand for a handshake.
"Fair enough," Angelus offered his own hand out in return.
"Later, man," Logan said as they did their special handshake. He pushed himself away from the wall and staggered towards his room.
Angelus watched him go, then went to collect Bel so they could return to the dorms before sunrise.
