The Library Is Open (11-28-05)

[janet_fraiser]

Janet unlocks the doors of the library, flips on the lights, and gets to work behind the Collections Desk.

Comments

[can_be_more]

After leaving 238, Aeryn wanders in, looking around for Parker.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker looks up from her happy feet, and notices Aeryn. "Hey, Sun. Can I help you with something?"

[can_be_more]

"There's a talk we were supposed to have," she says. "Do you have some time?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker looks around; Rory's talking with Cameron, Jack's studying, no one else around. "Sure. Let's grab the couch over here, no one should bother us if I don't look like I'm on duty."

[can_be_more]

Aeryn nods, and lets her lead the way.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker settles in on the couch near Cartography, swinging her feet to admire her shoes, then focuses in on Aeryn. "We were going to talk about the vampire crashing in your boyfriend's room, as I remember it."

[can_be_more]

"Right," she says, taking a seat. "I don't have a lot of information, and I'm curious about two things. How you were involved in Angel's resouling and how much you know about the people who will try to change that."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I did most of the research to find the curse." Parker rubbed the bridge of her nose, and then sighed. "Which was a lot of dead-ends, before I finally found it close to home here, at Phale's Rare Books. Angela talked Professor Maclay into it, and we were there when she cast the spell." She grimaced. "As for who's trying to change it, the front-runner is Belthazor; he's already threatened Professor Maclay and her girlfriend. The curse isn't perfect, there's things he or other JA members might do to get it revoked."

[can_be_more]

"Bel was at Caritas the night Angel was there. I don't think he did anything, but he was talking to someone. I didn't recognize her," Aeryn says. "What about Jonathan? Draco?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Draco is definitely bad news, and he knows enough magic to be a threat. I just don't know how interested he is in following up on it." Parker bit her lip, then added, "I may have, hypotethically, totally 'accidentally' gotten a copy of an e-mail Belthazor wrote-- he's quitting JA to concentrate on other things; I think that includes helping his good buddy become unsouled again. Crane? Again, can't be sure. He seems like the King of the Suck-Ups the one time I talked to him when Angelus was around, so I'd expect him to try as well."

She frowned. "What did the woman that Bel was talking to look like?"

[can_be_more]

Aeryn shakes her head. "They were at the end of the bar, I couldn't get a good look at her or hear what was being said. I can tell you she's blonde, but that's about it. I might recognize her if I saw her again. They might not have even been discussing this at all, but given that the entire school came out to see it, I doubt it was a coincidence, especially after he and Angel had already... talked," she says, though given the injuries sustained, it was a little more than just talking.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Blonde, and you don't know her by sight," Parker repeats, frowning, thinking, trying to remember.... "Darla, maybe? She came to Parent's Weekend, we had a short conversation full of instant dislike on both sides. She's the vampire that made him. I'd thought she left town. Fabulous." Parker rubs her temples. "I really hoped he'd go away, so this would be someone else's problem. Fangs & Wings staying here means we still have to worry about it." She cocks her head. "What did he 'talk' about with Belthazor?"

[can_be_more]

Aeryn really hadn't wanted to hear about more vampires in town, especially one with that sort of connection to Angel, but it was better to know. "I didn't ask, he didn't tell. I think it's safe to say Angel made his point. It doesn't look like the point stuck," she says, and frowns. "Fangs and Wings?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Wish I could've seen that," Parker says regretfully. "Or sold tickets to it."

"I can't call him Angel. I just can't. It's too stupid." Parker looks mutinous. "That's my father's nickname for me. And-- Mr. Azriphale, in town, seems to be the real thing." She shakes her head. "I'm not calling a souled vampire that name. He'll just have to get used to being called *anything* else. Although I doubt he'll answer to Bunny Foo Foo."

[can_be_more]

Aeryn doesn't really get it, because it's just a name. It means something to Parker, though, so she won't get into it. "I believe Callisto when she says she's on our side. I definitely want to talk to Anakin, but is there anyone else within the JA that we know is with us on this?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker frowns, ticking over the names in her head. "No idea about McDonald, although he doesn't seem crazy, so he might be as relieved as everyone else that he's not likely to get killed for no reason, now. Faith and Angelus were merrily playing sex games, but again, no idea if she knew about him killing Kitty Pryde. Or how committed she is to him. Talking to either of them, a third party might find out if they're pissed off, relieved, or just resigned."

"Two other non-JA people who may or may not be problems. Professor Drusilla tried to stop the whole souling spell from taking place; Marty said they're connected somehow, and we still don't know where she took off to. He hurt her pretty badly on that night, so she's probably still licking her wounds somewhere, but when she's better...." Parker shook her head. "And Beka Valentine. She says she's not on Angelus's side any longer, and I'd like to trust her, but she's friends with Belthazor. He could probably talk her into something stupid if he told the right lies." She frowns. "Although, I haven't seen her around. Is she still on Thanksgiving Break?"

[can_be_more]

"Crazy Squid Lady's involved in this?" Aeryn asks, definitely surprised by that. It hadn't occurred to her to talk to Marty, but it's probably a good idea.

"I have no idea on Beka. I haven't seen her since I threatened her and her new friends- I would imagine she'd stay clear after that- but she's flipped the whole thing so hard into being All About Her that I don't trust her to do anything that benefits anyone but herself."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"She's a vampire too." Parker makes a face. "Everyone who's surprised Drusilla's not human, raise your hand."

"You threatened Beka and her buddies? And I wasn't there? Damn!" Parker grinned. "Don't you know that's what cell phones are for? I'd have liked to have seen that. I had a 'chat' with her at the clinic, and God. Still whiny and making excuses. It was as bad as that whole mess with Mitchell, our first month here."

[can_be_more]

And the woman who once mindfrelled John is a vampire. Who can get into John's room.

She puts it out of her mind for now and says, "She tried telling John what a good thing it was that he and I are doing for Angel in the middle of Cyborg Theory. I may have overreacted, but I also got presents for it." Aeryn shrugs. "And the Cam thing... Again, everyone else gets to deal with the consequences and she tries for sympathy. It's a habit, apparently."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"It's annoying. I'd have sympathy that she got played by Angelus if I hadn't warned her and she hadn't blown me off. Rory and Logan are re-examining everything he ever said to them, wondering how they missed it, and she's just saying 'how could I know'?" Parker rolled her eyes. "And at least you and John worked out the consequences to my prank. Beka just made it worse with the body-switching you guys did. I still don't get why you went along with that."

[can_be_more]

Aeryn's quiet for a minute. "The switch was Beka's idea?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker blinked. "Of course. She said you guys didn't want to be separated from your boyfriends all day.... Wait. You thought it was my idea?"

[can_be_more]

"Honestly, I didn't even think about who came up with what, I just went along with it and did what I was told," Aeryn admits, and she definitely learned her lesson about that. "Considering the microt the switch was done she was calling me and telling me what a bad idea it was, I guess I just assumed..."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Oh, for the love of sanity." Parker makes a disgusted sound. "I told her if she wanted to do that, she was on her own. The plan was complicated enough without the two of you looking like each other on top of it. I assumed you both cooked it up, although I couldn't figure out why. The hypnotism was only on Cam, and it's not like you couldn't hold him off with your pinkie finger, even if he'd been the type to get pushy. More of Valentine's histrionics, I suppose."

She palms her face. "I apologized to Crichton and Mitchell for that stupid thing a long time ago, but now I'm apologizing to you. I got whammied by Drusilla later over Homecoming, so now I have some idea how they felt. I took revenge for a prank too far, and I should've left you and Valentine out of it."

[can_be_more]

"No, if Beka or I had a problem with it, we never should have done it, simple as that," she insists. "I didn't think or ask questions, and it got out of hand because of it... Can we just put it down to a learning experience?"