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(no subject)

Who: Benny and youuuu. This sucker is totally open.
Where: All over.
When: Body Snatching Event.
Rating: Highest? A lot of folks are nuts.
Summary: Basically Benny is having no mirror trauma right now. So he's going to try to keep some of the crazier folks sane with his vampirey vampireness. Basically if you wanna come torture, abuse or just be a general ass to a fuzzy vampire come right along.
The Story:

Folks is nuts ninety percent of the time. He's fully convinced that a lot of these folks could use a good ding to the head to get their motor acting right. Some of them need some therapy well into their old age. He ain't gonna say who--coughcoughdeancoughcough--but they're just completely losing their shit. Things are getting worse. Mirrors breaking and a crazy Queen speaking out about someone stealing her mirrors over the network. Benny damn near spit out the blood he was sipping on when he saw that crap. This whole thing kinda just seems like it's nuts, but it's unfortunately very well. Benny got lucky. No deaths in the last Event, but he's not sure what's gonna happen now. He's gathered mirrors are sharing the bodies of people he knows. Sometimes it ain't easy to tell when it's happened, but if you look close enough for a cut then you can piece if together. It ain't easy to keep up someone's typical behavior when yours is just itching to get out. Benny knows. He does it every day with the real him.

All he can do now is try to help maintain order. He's got an advantage over a lot of them. They're still just human. All shiny and nice. Benny's a vampire though. He could overpower them. He's just gotta make sure he don't get rough. Last thing he needs is an accidental draining because he roughed them up and some blood was spilled. After Clara's issue on the beach he's not sure how well he'll far if someone is bleeding in front of him again. He almost lost control. He can't have that happening with these folks. He's aiming to help them. Not treat them like they're dinner. That'd be awful bad.

He's trying to keep himself from getting swept up in vines, but he's also trying to keep his eye out for anyone that needs him. He wants to make himself available because it's what Dean woudl do. If there is one person he believes in it's Dean. Even if he's been avoiding him since the superhero incident. He wasn't that upset about it. It happened and he woke up a day later. It was kinda like a nice long nap. Benny hasn't had a nap in--ages. He doesn't blame Dean for what happened. He wasn't in control. Just like he's almost certain Dean won't be in control if he manages to lose himself.

Benny's moving. Roaming. He's trying to make his way all around the mansion to keep an eye out for people who may look a little off or like they need a hand.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lena's not in the best state right now and that's due to the fact that there's a evil bitch version of herself up in her head demanding control. She always knew that her Mirror was a Dark Caster from the taunts she'd write on Lena's mirror, and she felt sorry for the poor Mirrors that Dark Lena had probably harassed. But given the choice between letting the Mirrors deal with that version of her and having to deal with Mirror Lena herself, Real Lena would have chosen to keep her on the other side of the Mirror, no question.

Mirror Lena is having fun roaming around this side, especially since she covered the cut on Lena's arm with a long-sleeved shirt so people think she's still just Real Lena. Whenever Mirror Lena breaks through she pretends to be scared little Real Lena and draws people in so she can toss them to the roots and watch them struggle. Real Lena, on the other hand, is fighting for control and to warn people to stay away as she tries to navigate through the mansion to the outside, where hopefully she can't hurt anyone if Mirror Lena wrestles back control.

She stumbles through the halls, fighting her Mirror nearly every step.

Blood. He smells it. Spilled blood is real easy for a vampire to pick up on. It's easiest when it's the strongest scent in the area. He can smell other people in their wounds, but right now Lena's is the strongest scent. It's the closest. It's especially easy considering that Benny is having a hard time controlling himself these days. Now with all this blood mixing into the air--is dizzying. He follows it though because he knows the other scent. The person part of Lena. Not just the blood that's lingering in the air. He's not sure who it belongs to mixed with everything else that's going on, but it's there.

When he comes upon her he sighs as if he's at ease knowing it's someone he recognizes. He's not sure how to approach those he doesn't know in this situation. He won't be able to detect the difference in personality maybe. The beating of their heart might be easy if they get flustered about lying. He's on the look out for anything to tell him how they don't normally act. He's not even sure he's qualified to say how Lena normally acts. "Real glad it's just you, darlin'. You okay?"

Lena stops in her tracks, looking wary of him. It's a stupid thing, since she's powerful and she knows it. A vampire in her path should mean nothing to her safety. But there's the fact that she knows Benny is a pretty chill vampire, which means if his Mirror is also a vampire, he is probably way less chill. That's dependent on if he actually has his Mirror inside him right now.

And that thought is what reminds her to speak. She swallows hard and shakes her head no, feeling the other Lena pushing and slamming and clawing at her mind to be let out.

"No. Not okay. It's-- it's--" Not just me in here, she wants to say, but the other Lena bursts through and takes over. Lena's body stiffens and then relaxes. Mirror!Lena regards Benny carefully before saying in a scared voice, "It's crazy out here. People are going crazy. And those roots... I'm really freaked out right now."

He lucked out when it came to these roots. He's not had a run in with them just yet. No mirror leaking it's way into his body. He's seen how mirrors can be polar opposites of what they're normally like. Benny's trying for self control these days. He's trying real hard to keep his condition isolated and not let it take him over. He'd had to see what his mirror could be like. Probably running around giving into the hunger left and right. That's why he's fighting so hard not to let anything like that happen to him. It's not just about losing control. He doesn't want to subject these people to that.

"Hey. Hey. It's alright." His hand lifts and comes to rest on her shoulder. He gives it a squeeze and smiles. "Ain't nothin' gonna get you now. You're safe with me. Calm down." She seemed a little off before and she still does, but once again he's not sure what it is. It could just be fear. Fear makes folks act all kinds of strange.

She dips down her head and lets her hair fall forward. It helps her hide her expression of annoyance at the fact that he's being all ooey-gooey comforting and sweet. What a pansy. He should be enjoying the chaos around him. All these scared people caught off guard or fighting with themselves leaves them perfectly open for feeding. That's what her Uncle Hunting would do if he was here. It would be like a buffet.

"Thanks," she manages to get out in a scared little voice. If she couldn't sit back and be entertained by him biting people, maybe she should just get his Mirror to come out and play.

Benny can't enjoy the chaos. If Benny lets his natural instincts take over for even a moment then he leaves himself vulnerable to falling deeper inside that pit. He'll drink live. He'll get Dean and Sam on his ass eventually. Probably even Castiel as well. He's got too much to lose. Plus he promised Dean that he'd stay right in this place. He'd stay on top of his hunger. He wouldn't hide. He wouldn't let this place get the better of him.

"You run into anyone that's losing it? Anyone I needa handle?" He hasn't had the pleasure yet, but he's been on the look out.

Benny may be roaming around looking for someone to help out, but Meg? She's roaming around in order to avoid getting attacked by vines. The mansion has turned into something reminscent of 'Little Shop of Horrors' and she is not having it.

Staying in her room, barricading herself, that was her plan. As it always it. Like usual, though, those plans feel through so completely that she wonders why she bothers with them anymore.

She's not been paying much attention, especially to what was happening mirrorside, but now she's keeping alert. Seems like coming into contact with these vines? Ends up being real shitty. Meg doesn't want to share anything with her mirror, much less her body (ironic), so she's managed to stay herself without the internal conflict everyone else seems to have developed once they merge with their mirror.

It's not hard to spy Benny in the main lobby of the mansion, and there's no reason not to be friendly, right?

'Friendly' is probably pushing it just a tad, but that doesn't deter her from approaching him.

"Having yourself a good time?"

He's not startled at her appearance. He's slow to face her. He's trying to keep his eyes peeled for trouble. Running into Meg out here is a tad surprising. Benny's been around the block more than his fair share. He knows demons. They're not exactly the type to run around risking their life for folks. Then again vampires aren't either, but Benny's out here too. Doing his best to keep his humanity (or what's left) in check. He wants to believe he's got some good in him, but the truth is that he just doesn't know. He's been through too much and he feels too dark to really know the difference. It's mostly a shock to see her out here though and not holed up watching her own ass. It's a delight though.

He shakes his head and offers her a tired smile. "I'm a big fan of vines, sweetheart. Makes me feel very George of the Jungle." Look. The crotchety old vampire made a joke. Or at least attempted one. It's still unknown if the joke was even remotely funny. All that matters is that he made one. "Trying to make sure folks don't start killin' each other. Also tryin' to avoid the vines. Ain't no tellin' what my mirror is like." He could be completely lost to his urges. This whole place wouldn't be safe with him on the loose.

The mental image of him pulling a George in the Jungle impression makes her lips twitch. The joke might have fallen a little flat, but the picture in her mind makes up for that.

"Nice." She comes closer, keeping close watch for any frisky vines but otherwise seeming totally at ease. "Haven't had the pleasure of running into your mirror, then? Too bad. He's got to be a little interesting."

This translates to violent in her mind. What can she say, she's a simple girl. Violence tickles her.

"What's with the keeping the kids in line? Let them off each other, by the time they get back maybe the mansion will slow its roll and get with the plant removal."

She's not saying this out of the goodness of her heart. More like curiosity.

"Darlin' I'm a ticking time bomb most of the time. Calm chaos. I'm guessing he's a little less calm and a little more chaotic. I'm bettin' he won't hesitate to drain anyone that gets in his way." He's never met him. He's thankful for that too. He wants to avoid it if that's at all possible. He doesn't want a body count. Technically it wouldn't be his fault, but once the mirror left then what? Benny would still be left with the taste of fresh human blood in his mouth. Fighting the urges would be damn near impossible once that happened. He'd rather not. "Probably don't make friends as well as I do either."

Violence is fun, but not when it's done like that. Not when people don't deserve to be exposed to that side of him. "I ain't gonna stand by and let people just off each other. Ain't my style. These folks have been decent to me. Acceptin' me when they coulda just attacked. Can't let 'em just die."

Peter's roaming too, but the voice in the back of his mind, or in the front of it, since it's pretty persistent, is telling him he should hole up in his room until this madness passes over.

But sitting idly has never been good enough for Peter. Whenever he does, he just starts feeling reckless, and that's when things start happening. Things like having two versions of the same person duking it out in one body.

All things considered, though, Peter's managing. But he's on thin ice, and the other him could wrestle away control at any moment.

Benny's got a calm head. He survived a long time in Purgatory on his own. This place and the vines? It ain't nothing, but a Sunday afternoon stroll for him. He's adjusting. He's hoping to run into Dean. He's hoping to run into Dean without a mirror inside of him. There's no telling what kind of guy could be stowing away in his friend. He's seen Dean tearing into demons and monsters in Purgatory. He doesn't want a repeat of that up top. He's pretty sure that would benefit nothing here. He's just hoping that Dean is still himself. Sam as well. He'd hate to know what kinda crap he's dealing with. He needs some of the more rational folk to keep their heads on their shoulders.

Peter's pretty easy to pick out. Even if the hallway did have people or vines in it. This one though? Empty. For now. He's sure they're just working their way towards this one. He can smell blood, but he can't see an injury. Wherever he's hurt--isn't visible to him yet. He's wary to approach, but he makes his way over to him just the same. "You alright?" He treats it like a skittish and wounded animal. If he is harboring a whole bunch of crazy he don't wanna set off those alarms.

Actually, all things considered, his brief time in Wonderland has been fairly tame. At least, so far, there hasn't been anyone with Sylar-levels of crazy gunning for him, which is definitely an improvement. Really, he doesn't miss the threat of having his head sliced open.

The manner of his arrival to the place left something to be desired, but he's getting over that. And as much as he does not like having another version of himself holing up in his head, there's nothing to do about that except suck it up and deal.

So he might be harboring some form of crazy, but he's not about to take it out on anyone else. He nods a little more grimly than he might have on a more normal day, and replies: "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah. Ain't been touched by the vines. Lucky I'm good at evadin' them." Some people aren't that lucky which is why Benny's out here doing what he can. Elizabeth would want him out here. Andrea would want him out here. That's enough for Benny to want to put himself out in the line of fire. Besides Dean would be out here if he could. Though Benny's starting to wonder if maybe Dean hasn't fallen victim to them himself. He's hoping that the mirror version of Dean is a little less tame than the guy he met in Purgatory. It'd save this place some trouble.

Benny looks Peter up and down for a moment before nodding. "You got yourself hurt huh?" Most of the folks around here know he's a vampire. Most don't. "Can smell the blood."

"That's good. Because let me tell you, it's definitely weird having someone else hanging around trying to take over." It's definitely unsettling, like Peter's mirror is just waiting for an opening so he can take control.

He nods, though, in response to Benny's question. "Yeah, but it's not bad." The spot where he got hit by one of the roots (a gash on his right arm) isn't even really a wound anymore. At least, it's not something that's bothering him. It closed up shortly after the fact, but cleaning himself up wasn't really something he was thinking about, not with those roots all over the place. "It's actually happened before. Getting hurt, I mean."

No point in telling him that he's still working through his reactions to certain things like any special abilities that he may or may not have.

Edited 2013-11-11 04:42 (UTC)

"Son, I deal with that everyday." Everyday is a struggle for Benny. He was human once, but once you get the bite all that can fade away. Sooner or later the hunger eats away at that humanity and you let it slide away just to satisfy your own cravings. He didn't fight it. He gave in and he slaughtered people. He got real good at keeping them alive too. Keeping them alive so he could have more to eat. When he gave it all up there was still a part of himself that wanted to rip into people, but he ignored it. Ignored it for her.

Benny's head tilts. It's a peculiar thing to mention to someone. Everyone gets hurt. He knows that. This kid is all kinds of strange if you ask Benny. "Somethin' you wanna share with the class?"

"Yeah?" Peter looks at him a little curiously, wondering what this guy's story is. "Well, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'd ask you what you did to adjust to it, but there's probably no real answer to that question."

It is a peculiar thing to mention, and Peter himself is a little peculiar. Why he's even considering telling Benny this is another question, but again, he can't really see any harm in letting a few choice words slip. "I have this power that lets me heal after getting hurt."

He's got way more powers than just that, but that'll do for now.

"Vampire. Accelerated healing kinda comes with the territory. That and a vicious bloodlust, but if you work hard enough you can make it--decent. If you train yourself to drink from blood bags it gets less--violent." Then again his life has always been violent. Ever since he was turned. Things got even more complicated when he got off live blood. People still wanted to kill him and he had a conscious over killing them too. All thanks to Dean Winchester and that stupid confidence in Benny he had. It was just silly.

The boy is right about Benny having no real answer. There's no real answer to living with the voice telling you to tap a vein. You just try to tune it out the best you can. It ain't easy, but you try. Keep trying. "Well, you and me are birds of a feather, kiddo."

"Are you serious? You're actually a vampire?" Eyebrows can't exactly shoot off the head, but Peter's have come pretty close. There's always a first time for everything, and he guesses that includes meeting a vampire. And let's not forget about the personification of America. "So you don't drink human blood? From... living people, I mean?" Because that is an important distinction to make, even if talking about it makes Peter's stomach churn a little.

"It sure looks that way, doesn't it?" He's not 100% sure what to make of that realization, but it's definitely an interesting one.

"Yeah. Happened a long time ago. I came to terms with it after a while." He's been alive too long sometimes. This life gets awful tiring eventually. Then again that might not be how it is for other vampires. For Benny though he just got exhausted. Being Andrea made things easier, but that life is done. Been done since that night the Old Man took his head clean off. Been done since the Old Man turned her into the same kinda monster that Benny has to face every morning. Makes him sick sometimes.

He's amused. The kid has questions and that's fine. It happens. People get curious. They wanna ask how it works and he's fine with answering the questions. He's not shy about it He told a lot of people via the network when he hadn't eaten for a while. "I don't. Ya make a choice and ya stick to it. I stuck to mine. Though some days I do start to wonder about the point." It sounds like a joke, but it's the truth.

"I guess you'd kind of have to. That's not something that just goes away." Peter realizes he sounds like he's taking this all in without too much of a fuss, but really? The things he's used to hearing about don't typically encompass being a vampire. Evolved humans might be fairly commonplace in the world he's from, but vampires? Not so much.

Peter looks like he wants to ask what would happen if Benny decided to forget about the point and just help himself to whoever happens to be around at the time, but that's not really something that can be translated into delicate language, so he just skips that one. "I think everyone starts to wonder about that, whatever's happening in their life. And not everyone's great at sticking to their guns."

He hopes that this guy is, though, because a blood-sucking vampire on the loose would just add another complication to a situation that's already kind of crazy.

Angel's been on the move, too, having been bracing himself for what was to come even before the roots and vines and come through to this side. He hadn't been able to put his finger on it, and had nothing like the clarity Cordelia's visions tended to offer, but there had been a sense of wrongness in the air, something that had been impossible to ignore.

He has an axe in hand as he makes his way through the hallways, prepared to slice through any vine that dares to cross his path while he's on the lower floors, but more than anything he's on the alert for anyone in need. Getting a hold of Cordelia has been difficult despite his ability to track her scent, and it makes him wonder if her mirror has already taken control and she's actively avoiding him. Not a good sign, if that's the case.

He hadn't been lucky enough to avoid getting nicked by the vines himself. His mirror is exactly who he'd feared it would be, which meant restraints were in order. Cordelia was the only one he trusted to take it seriously, do it right. He was used to fighting off his alter-ego, but Angelus was so much stronger now -- the curse wasn't enough to keep him in place, because this Angelus, this mirror version, was his own person. Problematic, to say the least.

He halts in his search when he catches the scent of someone who's markedly different from the other residents of the mansion. There's so much human blood here, so many hearts beating so close to each other that at his hungriest it's almost deafening, but this-- whoever this was, they were like him. He's caught their scent before, felt them before, but never pursued them. This time, they were close.

He slows his pace as he turns the corner, brow drawn, both thoughtful and cautious when he finally lays eyes on the other vampire.

"We finally meet."

He's almost certain of who this man is even before meeting him. Cordelia has definitely done a very good job at describing him before hand. No facial hair with a stony face. Can't dress himself. She was very clear in all the things that made Angel--Angel. He's actually not that surprised to see him though. He expected to run into him eventually. It's real easy to figure out you're not the only vampire in this joint. He thought he'd come around sooner, but he can't really say he's not happy to see the guy. The way Cordelia described him made him sound like a full blown hero. He's nice to see someone that might understand what Benny is going through.

"I thought you'd come 'round a little sooner, but I'm happy to find help where I can get it." He's not sure what to think of this guy. He could go off on him and try to lob off his head. He's probably only used to his kind of vamps. From what he's gathered from Cordelia the two are from very different breeds. There's no telling if something new like Benny could make this guy antsy. He doesn't wanna have to round up the hunter brigade to keep this guy off his ass. He's hoping he can make friends before things get strained.

He takes a few steps towards him and extends his hand. He doesn't have any weapons on his person right now. He's harmless, but really if you know Benny that's just not true. He shoulda grabbed something from the closet before coming out, but he was anxious. "Benny Lafitte. Cordelia made sure to tell me all 'bout you when we met. Said me and you would have a lot in common." Meaning they don't drink from people, Angel. Don't cut off his head.

"Benny. She mentioned you." Angel's wary as he takes the offered hand, but there's nothing threatening there, nothing malicious. He'd been warned about Benny being different from vampires from his own world, and even there, he'd been forced to make exceptions. Ones that came around to bite him in the ass, but to be honest, he'd gone and taken advantage of the fact that Harmony was, at her core, untrustworthy. She made a better pawn than she realized.

"Seems like we do. There aren't many of us who are able to stick to a strict no-people diet."

"Awful sweet of her." He figures she would have given him the low down though. It's not easy with other vampires roaming around each other. The only other kind of vampire in this place is Caroline. Three different kinds of vampires trying to coexist. Caroline has an easier time in the sun than Benny. Both of them apparently have it easier in the sun than Angel. Benny can at least survive with some extra layers and trees overhead. From what he's heard from Cordelia it's obvious Angel doesn't have it that easy. He feels bad for the guy, but there's no much he can actually do about it.

Benny smiles and shrugs his shoulders. "Came to the decision a long time ago. Ya meet a girl and suddenly eatin' off folks just seems wrong." Though there was more to his story. He's not gonna out Caroline to this guy though. He doesn't actually know him. Just what Cordelia says. It's up to Caroline to decide if she wants to reveal herself. "What about you?"

If Angel's luck had been a little better, maybe it would have worked out that Wonderland, being an alternate dimension of sorts, would have been home to a sun that wouldn't burn him to ash. Unfortunately, that hadn't been the case -- but it was entirely possible that was for the best. Last time he went to a world where the sun had decided to play nice, there were side-effects. Nasty ones.

He would trade sunlight for the ability to control himself any day.

"You decided on your own?" He makes an effort not to sound surprised, but it's hard not to at least raise an eyebrow. It's unusual, not to mention impressive. Most vampires where he's from could never swing that, even if they wanted to. Even with the policies he'd put in place at Wolfram & Hart, some of the vampires in his employ had been known to have some trouble sticking to that diet.

Most of them never made it out of the building once they failed the blood test.

"Gypsy curse," he explains with a bit of a shrug, sliding his free hand into his pocket. "I've come to terms with it. Having a soul is a lot better than the alternative."

"I'm gettin' the distinct feelin' that vampires in your world and my world are a whole lot different." He's pretty sure his soul remained. The hunger just got so blinding that you can't ignore it. You can't ignore how badly you just wanna rip into another human being and drain them. Sometimes you gotta stop though because sometimes their hearts just stop. Sometimes they crap out before you can finish and then the blood becomes toxic. It's a dangerous game, but Benny used to be real good at it a long time ago.

He nods though and tilts his head. "We got souls. Keep 'em no matter what. It's just a matter of us darkening them. Hunger gets so bad and you don't care who you hurt. You just do it. Eventually bloodlust takes over and it's no longer a problem. No curses to make us decent again. We're just monsters deep down inside." Benny has gotten comfortable with the fact that he's a monster. He's not human. Not a good person. It doesn't matter.

"Hunger can make you do a lot of things." His voice is low, even; he's speaking from experience. Even with a soul, being starved half to death and being pushed towards the insanity that starvation inflicted on vampires had been enough to drive him to drink, though he'd been damn near braindead at the time. He'd been force-fed, but that didn't change the fact that afterwards, he'd wanted more. It had taken time to get himself back on the bandwagon. He hadn't strayed, but it had taken a hell of a lot of effort not to.

"Having a soul doesn't change that, whether you've had one all along or not. It never really gets easier." For what it's worth, Benny has his sympathies. He knows exactly how hard it is to do the right thing when it's not what the monster inside of you wants, regardless of how you might feel about it afterwards. "I might be cursed to feel remorse, but that doesn't make the hunger go away. Even getting a taste of human blood--"

He cuts himself off, shaking his head. "It's enough to start a dangerous downward spiral."

Purgatory was easy. You didn't get hungry there. You didn't think about tapping a vein when you're stuck down there with all the other monsters. Up top the hunger is harsh and brutal. It doesn't fade with time or get any easier. You have to make yourself better at tuning it out. Ignore the hunger and you can function. Ignore the constant desire to feed and you can have a conversation. Eventually though it'll rear it's ugly head and then you gotta face the music. "Don't I know it." He responds with a soft chuckle.

"Haven't drunk live in a very long time. Sometimes I look at the people round here and it just--can't even look them in the eye. All I wanna think about is how badly I wanna rip into them." Not many people hear Benny talk like this. Not many people can understand it. Dean or Sam would look at it like a warning. A reason to keep a closer eye on Benny. This guy and Caroline get it though. The desire to wanna stay good. "Well, think of me as your own personal vampire cheerleadin' squad. Don't drink people. Rah, rah, rah."

He cracked a smile, fighting the urge to duck his head and rub at the back of his neck, managing to stay upright and offer the other vampire an easy shrug. "Not often I meet another vampire who's abstaining by choice," he explained. "Everyone in the office back home was off the human blood, but because they had to be. Mandated by yours truly. Still had to run regular tests to make sure they didn't touch it."

He may have worked for an evil law firm -- hell, he'd run the damn place -- but that didn't mean he was about to change his views on the whole "eating people" topic.

"Nice to know there's someone else who knows what it's like."

Evelyn dealt with the vines well enough at first until one took her by surprise and left her sprawled on the mansion floor with a new headache. Now, she is absolutely no stranger to mysterious and potentially malevolent voices in people's noggins (she once dated a man with a sentient virus, it doesn't get weirder than that), but by no means is she prepared to share her mental space with somebody else.

Perhaps that is why Nefertiri was able to take control with such ease -- with everything coded and catalogued so neatly, it was pointless not to play around.

"Benny?"

'Evelyn' exclaims from down the hall, wide-eyed as a deer in headlights, before approaching him.

"Thank Heavens you're- you're here, everything's been absolutely dreadful, have you-" she pauses, giving him a wary once over. "...you are yourself, aren't you?"

He spins when he hears her voice. She's real good at getting his attention when she wants to. She looks like she's awful scared and judging by the sound of her voice--she seems like Evelyn. Benny's no stranger to people acting though. People lie to themselves every damn day and that includes Benny. He lies to himself about being a good person. He lies to himself about being able to resist human blood. He's pretty sure none of that is true, but he tries anyway. He runs away when people are physically injured. Has to physically remove himself from a scene that could lead him down into temptation. Evelyn seems fine though. Well, fineish.

"Dreadful huh? Sorry 'bout that that." He reaches out and puts a hand on her upper arm. He doesn't have to wear layers when he's inside the mansion. Or his hat. He looks less awkward in these surroundings than he does when he has to be outside. "Yeah. I'm just plain ole me. Buncha vines ain't nothin' compared to Purgatory. It's real darn easy to avoid 'em when you're a vampire." He is happy to see her though. She's alive. Safe. She doesn't seem to be any worse off than he last saw her.

She puts on a very good face, which is to say, 'Evelyn' looks visibly relieved as soon as he touches her. Touch is grounding, you remember, it reassures a woman plagued with event-instilled panic.

"Were we all so lucky," the Mirror comments with a nervous laugh, waving her hand. She certainly doesn't envy a vampire's weaknesses, but they've also got some fabulous pros accompanying the cons. Benny is one of those special cases, anyway, from what Nefertiri has learned through the Mansion's multiple reflective surfaces. A noble bloodsucker -- very modern.

Resting a hand of her own on his arm, she smiles at him.

"I'm very happy to see you, though. Having a big, strong man about is sure to make me twice as safe." Nefertiri gives him a plaintive look. "You won't mind if I stay close, will you?"

He's not sure if noble is what he is, but he tries.

Benny does glance down at her hand on his arm though. It's not completely out of the ordinary for Evie, but it's not completely normal either. She's a strong lady. Fairly independent. Self reliant. He remembers her asking the network for training as well. The idea that she'd wanna stick by him for protection is smart, but he's not sure if it's here. He knows her, but not well enough to determine things like that. The fact that she does call him a "big, strong man" is pause for concern. He's pretty sure he's never heard her call him that once. He's not sure if he just doesn't want to see it or maybe he just likes being needed. Either way he just smiles down at her.

"If you feel more comfortable with me then I ain't turnin' you away, darlin'. Wouldn't dream of it." He looks down the hallway briefly before looking at her once more. "You remember any of that training you were askin' the network for? It might come handy if we run into any folks who are uh--outta sorts."

Benny tries, and that's what makes him a noble man. Er. Vampire. He makes a concerted effort to be as careful as possible around people he cares for, and that's what's important. Evelyn can appreciate that. Hell, even her mirror can appreciate that, though she's more apt to appreciate his fine physique.

"Oh, thank you," she replies sweetly, adding a little more butter to the bread. "And...I do, yes. I can't speak for how effective it may all be, but I'll do my very best. I've got, erm-"

Nefertiri recalls, distantly, that Evelyn has taken to keeping a slim knife in one boot. Bracing herself on one of Benny's arms, she leeeeeeeans over to withdraw it before pulling upright again. Call it the 1930s Bend-and-Snap.

"...this. Will this do?"

The last woman to actively flirt with Benny was Andrea. He almost didn't even notice it then. He was a bad man at that point. Dark and searching for his next meal rather than a person to care about. She surprised him though. Even so the flirting was a hard thing to spot. He's still not really noticing what ~~Evie~~ Nefertiri's doing. He's more concerned with keeping her safe. Ancient vampire, but about as dense as they come when it comes to women.

"I think that'll do ya just fine. Get that little party favor from the closet?" It's the most logical spot as to where she'd find it. Not unless she got it from Dean or something. It was decent enough. Probably not an endurance weapon, but it would help in a pinch.

Also yeah. He's not referencing her little 1930s Bend-and-Snap either. He's going to completely bypass the way she holds onto him because this is a serious situation and it calls for serious focus. Flirting is hard.

"Nnnno," she chastises him sweetly, waving it in front of his nose. "I always come prepared."

She almost laughs at her own double-entendre before remembering that Reals have poor senses of humor that they should really be working on. Clearing her throat, Nefertiri tucks the knife away and smoothes out the creases at the front of her blouse. Benny is dense, but he's not so thick that he wouldn't recognize physicality.

"So," 'Evelyn' purrs, nudging him with her shoulder. "See much action yet today?"

Benny's head tilts back just a touch when she starts waving that thing like it ain't pointy and ain't gonna hurt if she were to sleep and plunge that thing right in his eye socket. He'd be find, but he'd really not enjoy the healing portion. There's also a slight issue that he might lose control from the pain. The teeth tend to come out when he's in extreme amounts of pain. His control gets less confident when that happens as well. There's no telling if she'd walk away from it unharmed.

"Ain't you just a smarty pants." Double-entendre? Yeah. No. Benny is too busy trying not to get stuck with your blade. He's also far too thick to really be making those jokes around Evie. Also he's never heard Evie make one ever since he's known her. She's always been a sort of--tame girl. He doesn't expect her to ever make one around him really.

His licks his lips briefly at the "smoothing" she's doing. His eyes snap up at the way she's speaking. He doesn't budge when she nudges him. Just stares at her. "Not too much. Folks are holdin' it together pretty well. They ain't goin' homicidal either which is good."

Let it be known that up until this event, Evelyn didn't really know her Mirror. They'd never been...acquainted. She knew that the woman had stolen something Very Important™ from her at some point, which forced the two of them to switch sides for a day (and apparently she'd run amok causing some trouble while Evie was getting manhandled by Mirrors on the Other Side), but up until now...

...she had just assumed the woman would be some kind of raucous party animal. The antithesis to the bookish adventuress was a vapid flapper, was it not? She never anticipated someone malicious.

Stop it. Just- Just leave him alone.

"Mmh," Nefertiri hums, examining her (Evelyn's) cuticles for a moment. "Perhaps we should go someplace safe. Quiet. Together?"

I said leave him alone.

For just a split second he considers pinning her and demanding answers. For a minute he thinks that maybe she ain't herself, but he could be wrong. He doesn't wanna be wrong. If he's wrong their friendship could go down the tubes real quick like. Friends don't exactly like being threatened with physical violence. Benny holds his tongue. If she isn't herself then he'll find a way to get her back on track. He won't let himself be over powered. All he can do right now is wait and see. Never been his favorite approach, but he'll try. For her.

"If that's what's gonna make you feel most comfortable. We can do that." He gives the hallway another quick glance and nods down it. "My room ain't too far. You okay hangin' around there for a bit? I can keep close eye on ya there. Though I'ma have to apologize for the state of it. I ain't much of a decorator so it ain't too homey." It's pretty bare compared to what some people have done to their rooms. He doesn't want comfy.

Pinning her down would only elicit the sort of response Benny wouldn't suspect at all. Demanding, grasping fingers and a hungry mouth and mmmh, is that a knife in your trousers, or are you just happy to see me?

"I don't mind at all," she waves a hand. "I'm sure I've seen worse."

Were Nefertiri the type to reassure, she might tell Benny that her husband is dreadfully out of sorts sometimes as well and not the kind of man for fripperies in the bedroom, but since she doesn't really care...well. No point in acting that part out.

"Shall we?"

"We shall then."

Benny starts off first, but only because he's leading the way. Plus he feels safer knowing he's in front if they do happen upon someone in a bad way. He'd rather be able to jump in and deal with the problem rather than skirt around her to get to it.

No bumps. No bruises. No blood. They arrive safely at his room and he opens the door for her and motions her on in. He follows her in and shuts the door. He motions to the bed and then goes to the corner of the room to pull a lone chair up along side it. He takes a seat leans forward. "Probably should use the closet a bit more to get some stuff, but I don't exactly trust the damn thing."

...oh, God. It's even more dreadful than she imagined. For someone used to sleeping in The Best, this is something of an extreme step down. She tries not to grimace, but her expression is probably obvious. Oh well.

"Mmhm," she muses quietly, seating herself on the edge of the bed primly and tipping her head to one side to get a better look at him.

"...don't you get lonely?"

Cordelia's sure damn glad to run into Benny. While she's been fighting off her mirror, and has been damn lucky at it, she knows that luck is going to run out. People like her, especially her, don't have it coming down on them in spades.

While she wants to run the other way and avoid him entirely, she finds her feet moving towards him, instead. The hallway feels smaller than it usually does. She doesn't want to be in this space. She doesn't feel safe anywhere she goes. He deserves to know that being near her isn't exactly the best thing to do right now. And while she loves it when he flatters her so and charms her with his Southern accent so effortlessly, he's a friend. And as a friend, she owes him a Keep away from Cordelia card that he's going to definitely need to use.

Her ankle's cut. Maybe he smells it before he even senses her there. He's a vampire, after all, and she knows he's one of the good guys, one of the strongest. "Benny," Cordelia says it cautiously. "Is that you? Or am I talking to a completely other you who probably isn't as cuddly?"

He smells it. Blood. It's distinctive. It's food. Maybe it's not smart for the vampire with control issues to be out roaming with bleeding folks, but he can't just sit around and let it happen. He's just gonna have to learn to ignore the scent. Ignore the way his teeth wanted to just slide out and take over. Ignore the urges to tear into people. He could do that. This was for people's safety. For the safety of his kind. If someone has a mirror that's suddenly trigger happy about killing vampires--he'd rather stop that.

"I'm still cuddly, darlin'. Haven't had the good fortune of getting tangled up with a vine." He's fought them off. Hasn't fallen to them yet. "Met ya boyfriend." He thinks it's funny. "Nice guy. Bigger forehead than I imagined." He smiles and then nods down her feet. "You get hurt? You still you? Or are you feelin' a little homicidal?"

She smiles when he says cuddly. She'd been gunning to make him admit as much. And he says Angel has a big forehead, which only makes her grin even wider. Questions of their meeting come to mind, but here is neither the place nor the time to gossip with Benny as if he's Harmony. But if he's admitting he's cuddly, then that means —

Benny's Benny. And Cordelia's really relieved to know that he's as strong as he looks. Those vines have nothing on him. And she doubts that they'll be able to catch him, what with his vampire perks.

As for her, she's not sure she's so lucky. "If I'm feeling a little homicidal, feel free to knock me out," she says. A part of her wants to deny having had a tangle with the vines, but, it's not right to keep such things from friends, especially friends who could, quite possibly, catch the literal scent of her deception. "I guess I needed a big, cuddly avenger, or one with a massive forehead, to keep those vines away from me. I'm me." She pauses. "But this headache really is a killer."

"Oh I won't hesitate to, darlin'. I'm gettin' the distinct feelin' you don't wanna have to worry about killin' off a buncha people. Kinda ain't real easy to look yourself in the mirror afterwards. Even if it wasn't you." He can't smell lies or anything, but he can smell the blood. It's a hard scent to miss. Especially when you've survived off bagged blood for so long. The scent of fresh blood kind gets a chill to roll down your back. Makes your toes curl and your eyes wanna roll right into the back of your head. It's that good.

He smiles for a moment when she calls him cuddly. He's not an avenger. He's not like the guy she's used to. Though she keeps telling him he's all kinds of good. Sounds like a big ole fat lie if you ask him. "How bad we talkin'? You need help gettin' around?"

And, boy, doesn't she know how hard it is to look in the mirror! Sometimes, she's positive it's not her she sees reflected back — and she knows how these mirrors work in Wonderland, but there's someone else who lurks around her that isn't her mirror.

Cordelia's starting to think she shouldn't be having this conversation. She doesn't want to admit weakness; she hadn't when her visions were having physical effects on her, and she sure as hell doesn't want to now. People worrying over her makes her feel uncomfortable. But, she'd come to Benny for a purpose, and that was to ensure his safety from her. "If I've already been rooted, do you think I should still ask for help?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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Let's get this rad bromance on the road.

I won't lie I thought it said bad romance.

Pls, he can dress himself.

No. No he can't. He owns crushed velvet shirts.

They're for special occasions.

Someone needs to burn them.

Wow, super rude.

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HELLO BIG BOY~~~~~~~

oh my god. oh my god.

oH MY GOD?!?!???!

mostly the icons. oh god. also the use of big boy lol.

I'm so sorry this is late, I got majorly caught up in RL stress. :(

ain't a problem.

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