Thursday Night, Phoebe's Suite At The Arms

[sensethevisions]

After Paige orbed her to the Arms and then left, Phoebe decided two things. One, she was never leaving the hotel again. Two, there were way to many dopplegangers here in Fandom.

She changed into something more comfortable and then stepped out onto the balcony. She gripped the railing as she sighed and tried to think things through.

The entire school was convinced she was back together with Cole. They weren't. There were a lot of things that they needed to talk about, but she hadn't jumped right back into things with him.

It bothered her that people thought that little of her and her her promises of certain things. Cole wanted to do something that would get people killed and everyone believed she was okay with that.

She needed to talk to Crowley and get his advice about a few things... and let him know that she might have found the Cole lookalike who had been in her room a couple of weeks ago.

She went back inside and curled up on the couch.

She had been doing so well, feeling stronger, and the last few days had made her feel alone again.



[[Locked to crawley_demon]]

Comments

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

He walks in, grinning. He looks incredibly proud of himself.

"Hello, poppet. You're looking lovely this evening."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe lifts her head up and smiles at him.

"Hello, dear one. Thank you. How are you tonight?"

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"Smashing, poppet. We'll be making some money on Monday, several people are deeply unhappy, and there's a proper English gent opening the angel's shop."

He flops on the couch, legs splaying out, "And I come home to you. I'm a very content demon."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe smiles and lays her head down on his shoulder. "Happy I can help."

She's silent for a moment. "Dearest? I am in need of a bit of guidance and suggestions and thought I should ask you first."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

He leans forward attentively, "Of course, pet. Please...ask away."

[sensethevisions]

"To begin with? There is something that Kiki and I need to do that requires us to be somewhere we know is safe -- magically guarded or protected in some way. I was wondering if you would have any suggestions of where she and I can go to do this? Of course, we wouldn't mind you knowing where we are just in case, but we'd kind of like it if no one else knew how to get to us as if something doesn't work right, we don't want to be left vulnerable to an outside attack."

She smiles a little. "This is something she and I feel we need to do - and you're probably not going to be happy about it."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"You tell me what it is now, sweet. I can't have you getting hurt, and the brat isn't very good at magic. She tends to get possessed or make avocados go wild. Which isn't near as stimulating as those videos from Miami at spring break, but that's neither here nor there. Come now. Tell me."

[sensethevisions]

Okay, she did expect the question, but she did have that slim hope...

"I can't lie to you, and you know this." She bites her lip. "Uhm... well, you see, both Kiki and I have been attacked by demons recently. She was killed and I was... well to be honest I almost died and my mind is still not exactly a hundred percent from it. So, in discussing both attacks, we came across a few things that we have in common... like being able to open gateways and we both have strong leanings to divination. So, we had this idea of closetting ourselves somewhere safe and... using my spirit board to see if we could figure out why this happened to us." She looks him in the eyes. "We thought that maybe if we could find someplace where we were safe, we could figure these things out and not cause disturbance or worry to anyone else..."

Their plan had sounded so much better when they were discussing it in Kiki's room.

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

His eyebrow arches and his lips twitch. Standing, he begins to pace, "Phoebe, do you have any clue what a bad idea that is? Really? I don't know that I can even provide you enough protection to do something like that. I'll of course help you, because you're both stubborn enough to run off and do it without any guards...but let's don't rush into anything. Yes?"

[sensethevisions]

See, she had told Kiki that Crowley knew them well enough to know they'd consider running off to do this alone. She wasn't so sure it was a good idea that he knew them so well. Not liking that she has upset him a little, she gets up from the couch and lays a hand on his arm.

"Alright, we won't rush into anything, I promise, Crowley, we won't." Phoebe doesn't add that she had considered not telling him at all, because it probably wouldn't go over well. "I wanted to talk it over with you first, anyway."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

Rubbing his fingers over his lips, he sighs, trying to hide his concern. "It's just...you're no good to me dead, pet. And the brat, she's not yet of age. Can't have her snuffing it before I get a crack at her, right?"

[sensethevisions]

Damn heartstrings.

Phoebe shakes her head and kisses his cheek.

"Alright, we won't rush into anything, okay? If we feel something needs to be done, we'll come talk to you first, you have my word on that." She smiles. "No, can't have that."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"That's a good poppet." he says gently as he traces her jaw with soft fingertips. "One day you'll be a powerful and trained witch, but for now...forgive me if I worry."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe nods. "I won't tell anyone," she says with a gentle smile. "I'll call Kiki tomorrow and let her know that I promised you we wouldn't do anything rash or without consulting you."

She is silent for a moment and then looks into his face. "There's more, dearest."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

His eyebrows rise and he looks at her like no torture Below could rival dragging information from a teenage girl. "More?"

[sensethevisions]

If he was anyone else, Phoebe would punch him in the arm.

She sighs. "Cole," she says softly. "He and I talked. He won't believe that I plan to follow through with everything I've promised you. He won't accept..."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"Why do you think that is, pet?"

[sensethevisions]

"Pissed off because I won't leave you? Pissed off because I offered myself to you? He seems to think that..." Phoebe is tempted to utter many cursinsg, but she knows he doesn't like it when she does.

"He thinks he can come to you and make arrangements to take me from you."

Phoebe sighs.

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

His mouth opens wide and he throws his head back. Laughter rolls from him...genuine, deep laughter that he can't control.

"Oh...Phoebe...arrangements...hooooo...."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe frowns, getting the distinct feeling he might be laughing at her.

"Look, he told me he'll break the contract and I don't want him dead, okay?"

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"Sweet, I'd love to hear his ideas. What he must think of me to think I'd let you go so very easily..." he shakes his head, still amused. "When will any of you learn? None of you are any good to me dead. Death is final. Your soul goes where it's meant to. It's only while you live that it's a game for my amusement. Death is so...boring."

[sensethevisions]

"I told him that I was staying..." She frowns. "I'm also not ready to die like I once was. I made my decision. I also told him I was a game to you and that I was in no danger of being killed by you."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"No danger whatsoever, my dove. I'm not a monster. I leave murder to men."

He blinks slowly, almost seductively, and moves a bit closer.

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe tilts her head at him. "That's what I told him. You're not a monster. Murder is too quick and too final."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"Quite. I far prefer the long term tear down of a soul. Like a fine wine, it is."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe nods, exactly. "You cannot enjoy your work if it's over so quickly..."

She has lost her damn mind to be having this conversation with him.

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"Of course! Now you're a smart bird. No one like a bloke who can't stay the course."

He laughs softly, hissind that rasp that is uniquely his.

"I mean, neither of us get any satisfaction if it's all death and judgement. Where's the sport?"

[sensethevisions]

"The sport is in the hunt and the twists, but not in the destruction of the life."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"Precisely. Now, if only the boy were sophisticated enough to understand that..." he shakes his head, mildly disappointed in Belthazor.

[sensethevisions]

"It's all he knows," Phoebe defends him. "He was brought up the rule of kill or be killed."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"And I came up with the idea of an eye for an eye. Doesn't mean you can't move on. Nature versus nurture, pet. Fantastic debate, been going on for centuries."

[sensethevisions]

"You do have a point," Phoebe agrees. "Then again, this is the place where people refuse to understand or accept that sometimes humans are more montrous than demons."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"You truly are. It's the imagination, you know. Demons are pretty well set in their ways. People come up with the most amazingly wicked ideas...as well as some of the most spectacularly Graceful. I've learned more from humans than I care to admit."

[sensethevisions]

"I've learned more about the nature of monsters than I have ever thought possible since coming here. I've also learned a great deal about myself since coming here..." She smiles faintly.

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"It will only serve you well, poppet. Keep your eyes open and harden your heart a bit, and you'll do well."

[sensethevisions]

"I'm determined to see how much I can take... and then extend it from there. Between the demon attacks and other things going on... I don't ever want to feel the way I did when Klea had me trapped in my mind, Crowley."

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"With that kind of determination, I can see you'll become a force to be reckoned with, pet. Soon you may not even need my protection...although you'll always have it."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe smiles slightly at him. "Is it going to bother you any if I say I think the idea has comfort?"

[flash-serpent.livejournal.com]

"Not in the least, poppet."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe smiles slightly. "I'm glad to know that."