How many can say they'd raise hell for love?

Buffy felt so confused, why wasn't Baal taking over yet? She could just feel the weight of the daemon pull her down, and she wasn't sure if it was because her soul wasn't strong enough, or if the body was really damaged. The kind daemon offered her what looked like a walking stick, but it was looking more like blood than an actual piece of wood. For now she decided not to pick her brain about it, but she hoped she would remember this when she finally returned to her own body.
"Thank you," she said, using it to move to the body's feet, groaning slightly at the feeling, but she could handle it with this support. "The body shouldn't be far from here; I - I mean, she, should be easy to spot," she said, still trying to figure out if she should speak as Baal - not that she was doing a great job at it at all. Looking around, she knew that the first step would be to get out of the cemetery, and then move further on in to the Southern District. She could vaguely remember a housing area and tall buildings. "Remind me again how we know each other," she said, mostly because she kinda felt confused about it all.

"Dont thank me, just get up," she said with a scoff and a smile. She would offer her shoulder too but she wasnt sure it would do much at all. The summoner was just far too tall. She did however look suspiciously at her friend, mostly because something seemed off. She just couldnt point out what. And as he seemed to have forgotten how they knew each other, she chuckled and shook her head. "We met at the temples a few years ago. I had had an argument with... my father, and I sought to the temples to get away. I had never known of the daemonic ways and you told me about that side of life," she said with a shrug. She then looked at the summoner and pinched her eyes. "How did you meet him?" she then asked as they walked out of the cemetery, given the summoner was ready to walk.

Buffy listened as the daemoness spoke. She seemed a little cold, but that was perhaps to be expected in this part of town. But what stood out to her was how beautiful the cambion was; Her grey hair almost looking like pure silver as they moved. The story of how she and Baal had met didn't surprise her that much, but she wondered why she hadn't heard anything of this cambion. They clearly had a connection of sorts.
The next words made her frown slightly, because who wouldn't be able to notice Baal not acting like himself - especially if this was someone he knew well. "Well, I never planned on being an actor anyways," she breathed out in a faint sigh, but Baal's voice still sounded strange to her ears. "My name's Buffy; I met Baal a while back and ... And he's the love of my life, and father of my child," summing it up like this felt so impersonal. He was more than that, he was her everything. He was her home, he was her safety, and she was now afraid of losing that. "I met him a little over a year ago - And yeah, it does sound crazy - But he kinda ... Ingested me?"

"Good," she chuckled to the remark from the summoner, looking at him as she was quite interested in knowing who she was talking to. It was a little odd, because she wasnt sure what had happened and if this was just how he was going to be from now on. But as he spoke and she got to know more about who it was; As limited as it was, it was at least something. She stayed quiet, even as Buffy had finished speaking. A small hum left her lips as she nodded, then to chuckle in an endearing manner. "So I'm gone a year and he goes off to make his own little family," she said in disbelief. But then she looked at Buffy with a bright smile. "I'm glad. He always seemed so gloomy and aimless in the past," she said with a shrug. "I'm excited to see if that has changed," she said. Then she clicked her tongue at herself, stopping for a second to reach her hand out. "Nice to meet you Buffy. My name is Vanessa," she said.

Well he's still broody, but I guess that is just a part of his personality," she chuckled lightly, finding the description to match the Baal she had met back at the coffee shop. He had just really looked at the ends of his ropes, and she still wasn't sure what had made her go back through the rain to speak with him. It was weird thinking about it, not that she regretted it, but it was just so funny how things had turned out for them. And now she was kind off stuck in his body.
The cambion stopped, making Buffy look at the daemon with a bit of confusion before she finally introduced herself. She reached Baal's hand out, taking hers as she couldn't help but smile. "I'm hoping to meet you for real; That's why we have to find my body," she explained, having to let go of the friendly daemon's hand to support the body against the makeshift cane. "I'm a fenix, and my body won't just degrade before my soul has moved on to it's next life," she explained, because not a lot of people knew about the whole ordeal, even less so daemons.
She led them through the streets until they reached a corner, stopping as she looked ahead, frowning. "It should be here - this is where I was ambushed," she said, feeling a bit worried now. A body out in the streets was one thing, but there were crazy spirit shadows flying around, so who knew what could've happened. "I have to find it ... It's my only chance if I don't want to start a whole new life; And I'm not ready to leave this one yet."

Buffy felt the shift, felt the way her soul was pushed out, but there was nothing she could do. Her soul lingered for a while, almost as if she tried to say something, but soon disappeared.

Alyssa came running, out of breath as she reached the two as Baal collapsed. Nodding to Vanessa as a greeting she leaned forward, planting her palms on her knees as she heaved after air. Once she seemed to have gotten some what of a control over her breathing, she stood up, planting a hand on her hip as she looked at them.
"At least he's not dead," she sighed, but she also knew of what lurked inside of him. Sending Vanessa an almost apologetic smile, she leaned down to grab around Baal's arm. If something were to happen with him, she didn't want it to be out in the streets surrounded by by standers and the shadows floating around. "There's an empusa safehouse not far from here," she said as she adjusted the summoner, lifting him up on her back, his dark hair dangling over her face. By the gods, why did he have to be this long and lanky?
Determined, she started walking in the direction. She had managed to warn Amos, and hopefully him and Saoirse was on their way further away from Churchil. What worried her now was whether or not Buffy was alright? "A blonde fenix ... Have you seen her?" she asked, hoping that maybe Baal had fought for her freedom, even though she suspected the worst from how the summoner looked right now.

Baal was mostly unresponsive, but his marks were slowly starting to glow somewhat. But for the most part he was completely docile and seemingly gone. "Buffy... I'm so sorry," was the only thing he seemed to mumble, quite faint that it almost left with the wind as the empusa mentioned the love of his life.

Vanessa had been too slow to comprehend what was happening before the summoner fell to the ground. Watching the soul expel from the body so violently had made her speechless and as the empusa appeared, Vanessa seemed pale and scared, looking to where the soul had been and gone. "U-uh..." she mumbled, barely hearing what the blonde was saying. Looking down she felt her eyes water. "I havent seen her... But I think her soul just disappeared," she said, feeling her lower lip quiver a little. This wasnt good. This was really bad. "She.... was in him... And he threw her up and... and.... now she's gone," she tried to explain, stumbling over her own words.

Alyssa frowned at Vanessa's words - she knew the cambion from Baal and the description was uncanny. "Disappeared?" she repeated, having to stop to adjust Baal before continue walking. The empusa knew very little of fenix souls, at least what they were supposed to do, but she did know that Faeth was a tricky goddess to understand. "For now we should not worry about something that we cannot see; The fenix is on her own, and if I knew her well enough she is stubborn enough to fight with her every being to come back," she said a little more stoic. Mostly because she didn't want to show how attached she had grown to her to be sister-in-law. Even though she didn't understand the fenix, she felt like she was family, and the empusa also knew how much like glue she acted for their strange gang.
"Baal has part of an ancient effigy inside of him, one that lives off of darkness and I'm afraid that it might take control over his body if he stops fighting it," she said, guiding the cambion down an alley and over to an old warehouse. A couple of empusas standing out front, recognizing Alyssa in a second and rushing to open the doors for the trio. Once inside, she managed to drop Baal down up against a wall, the concrete cold, but she didn't worry about his comfort. "I won't demand that you stay, so if you wish to leave, it has to be now before I enclose the area," she said, looking to Vanessa.

"I dunno, I think we should worry about souls that disappear," she argued quietly, looking down for a bit. She followed nonetheless because she felt like leaving now would be the wrong move. Not until she understood what was happening. The mention of something ancient inside the summoner made her scrunch her nose a little. "Well, can we do anything to help him?" she then asked. She wasnt really that strong so any attempt to help carrying the summoner would just halt them down. Arriving she looked at her friend before she looked at the empusa, scratching her scalp a little in contemplation. "Enclose the area?" she asked, like she wasnt understanding what was about to happen.

Alyssa knew that the cambion meant well, but that didn't change what was at hand right now. And what was at stake was Baal unleashing something unintentionally. "The only thing we can do is contain and remind him of who he is," she said in a rather sinister voice, although it was dark to think about, it was the truth. Baal was strong, but if he was giving up it could prove difficult to do either of those things.
The question made her nod. "A daemon can't normally be contained, but what is inside him has been locked away, and by closing off this room, we can keep him here for as long as I have the strength to do so," she explained, roughly meaning that she could keep him in the room as long as she was alive. She stepped away from the summoner, giving Vanessa one last chance to leave before she sealed the door. The safe house was meant to keep daemons, at least for a short amount of time before a trial or something of the likes. And it was much more unknown than the temple.
As she had made sure the building was secure, she walked over and kneeled before Baal, reaching out to move some of his shirt to look at his glowing marks. "This is bad," she muttered, a heavy frown on her brows as she looked at her brother's face. They hadn't always seen eye to eye, but they had at least tried to be a family in this last year's time. "Belial, can you hear me?"

"So you want to fight him?" she asked a little confused. It was all very daemon-esque and it wasnt like Vanessa was well versed into the religious part of her race. Sighing, she decided to stay, because she couldnt think that it could really end that badly. Sure the news had promised only bad and even Ethan had seemed a bit more protective in these times. Maybe she could be of some use with her ability if it really went the way that the empusa was insinuating. They were locked in and she looked on as Alyssa went to check on her brother. Vanessa stayed behind, digging her nail into her hand as she let a sharp pike form in her hand. Better safe than sorry, right?

Baal was pretty much in the same state he had been found in, though the glowing of his marks seemed to slowly grow. He could hear the voices but it was like it was somewhere further away than they really were. Almost like whispering in the back of his mind. He couldnt respond. "I'm too tired," he mumbled in his mind as if they could hear that. But the darkness that he had seemed to rest in in a while suddenly changed and voices replayed over. He turned his head to see Buffy's face, her soft features that he felt like he hadnt seen in forever. He lifted his hand to touch her, only to see her disappear, her soul falling to the ground. And then it all played over, Simeon, ingesting her soul before giving in. It had only been for a moment but it had lead to enough chaos for that small moment. "I want her back," he suddenly said, his voice different form his normal tone. He lifted his marked hand though his eyes were still closed, slowly reaching out for his sister. Vanessa seemed to pick up on it as he felt his sister's presence move, probably Vanessa pulling at her. It was a good move either way. He opened his eyes, the greyish irises gone as it was just black and glowing swirls in the same manner as the marks on his body. "Where is she?" he asked in demand, though laying in the docile state he had been left in. But the artifact worked in mysterious ways.

"If that is what it takes," she replied rather truthfully. She had no wish to fight her brother, but she knew that if she had no choice, she had to. The summoner had at least told Alyssa some bits and pieces about the voices inside of him, and she hoped it would be enough for this. While she could fight, she didn't like the thought of fighting her own kin, much less those she was actually related to.
The summoner started to move, and the cambion pulled her back, but she kept her eyes on her brother. Only as he opened his eyes, she realized it might not be her brother anymore. He asked for her, and she felt her heart drop as she looked at the summoner. "As far as I heard, you expelled her from your body," she said, trying to remain calm, keeping her eyes open just in case he would try something. However his body did seem rather worn out, and she wondered if he could even fight at this point. He had been to the Abyssus and back, not something many could brag about, and she feared that it had corrupted the artifact inside of him. Or perhaps made it stronger. "But you need to heal before we look for her," she reminded him.
If he were to come across her now, would he even be able to recognize the fenix? And would she not be scared out of her mind?

"You're lying," he said as he looked at his sister. Looking away he sighed. "You watched yourself as I swallowed her soul. She's gone. The body wasnt even there," he said, fully believing his own words. Whether it was just the image that the artifact had infested in him was another thing. The reminder made him look down at the mark in his hand. "I've got all the strength I need," he said, closing the hand to a fist. He then noticed Vanessa but didnt seem to have much to say to her. He looked back at Alyssa. "You've locked us in here havent you?" he calmly asked, his chest slowly heaving though some irregular movement came and went from time to time like a subtle spasm. It was more like a hiccup than something else though.

It had definitely been the right call to pull at Alyssa, because whatever it was that was inside of him had changed him. At least she hadnt remembered him to be this way. But then again, she didnt know what he believed he had lost. She probably wouldnt be much different if she lost Ethan. But it was scary with him and the power he seemed to possess. As he asked whether Alyssa had locked them in, Vanessa folded her lips. Was he thinking about doing something? She tightened her grip around the pike in her hand. The way his chest had it's slight convulsions that seemed harmless made her wonder. She had seen something like it before in people that her father had been testing stuff on. Stuff that made them change.

It was all too risky, even being locked in here with him would cause trouble, she just knew it. But there really was no other choice. Baal was in denial, and she didn't blame him, but she also didn't believe the cambion to be a liar. And she at least had to hope that Buffy was out there and that she would return soon enough.
"Always so perceptive," she noted in a calm voice, widening her stance slightly. She could see that her brother was changing, that he was fighting whatever was in the artefact. "But I think it's best we stay here for a while, would you not agree?" Even though it wasn't really up for debate. They were locked in, and if he was going to start a rampage, she would at least try and hold him back.
"Now, why would I lie to you? What would I gain?" she asked, signaling Vanessa with her hand behind her back to be alert.

"How much longer do you want to wait?" he just retaliated, calmly still if not weakly. The convulsions were seemingly picking up, like something itching to just get out. He looked around the room, from corner to corner like he was measuring the size of it. He then started correcting his stance, from slouching like he had barely been able to sit up, as if nothing had happened at all. He opened his marked hand and lifted it to place over the artifact in his chest. "Time," he mumbled to answer her question, looking down at his hand. "Which I will give you," he added. Then he sighed and mumbled a few daemonic words, so subtle but the artifact seemed to react to them. "... to leave this room," he finished, clutching his hand around the fabric of his shirt as some sort of black liquid ran from his nose like a nosebleed. He started getting up just to expel whatever dark liquid he had had inside of him. It had been whatever he absorbed from Raziela and it seemed to be quite alive as it hit the floor and formed itself.

Alyssa's signal was appreciated but it wasnt like Vanessa had been rolling her thumbs up until this moment. But seeing the empusa at least be aware that something was up wasnt actually as comforting as the cambion had hoped. She watched the summoner with careful eyes, frowning as his stance seemed to change completely. Had he been faking his weakness? Or was it just not him anymore? The black liquid leaving his nose made her sigh deeply. She didnt want to fight at all. It hadnt been what she had expected when she had met him at the old cemetery. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she whispered to herself, lifting the pike rather than leaving it hanging. But seeing the black liquid leave his body and somehow stay alive made her widen her eyes. "What the fuck?" she mumbled a little flustered. "Plan?" she asked in a shaky voice, clutching her weapon.

"As long as it takes." She was not trying to retaliate, but what options did she truly have right now? She could keep them all locked in, keep the barrier secure and thereby also keeping Baal inside. Or she could open up the door, letting her and Vanessa out and then risk whatever he had just puked up to escape as well. It was a mess, but she hoped what choices she made would be good enough.
The cambion asked for a plan, and rightfully so. She took a step forward, blocking the younger daemon from the summoner. "The plan is that I stay ... But you go," she said rather seriously. She knew that whatever Baal was dealing with right now was not the cambion's burden to bear. "Besides, I kinda need someone on the outside looking for Buffy; The fenix," she said, moving backwards, but not taking her eyes off of Baal nor the black thing on the ground. She hoped that the summoner would at least not try to do anything stupid; It would only worsen everything.
Alyssa placed her hand against the door, unlocking it softly with infernal words, before she made a quick move, pushing Vanessa out the room and sealing the door once more, praying that Baal hadn't tried anything.

It was all going a little too fast for the cambion and as Alyssa disclosed that she was letting her out, Vanessa couldnt say she was relieved. But then she mentioned the fenix and it made her realize that Buffy was the key in this whole thing. "Okay," she said with a nod, waiting for Alyssa to open the sealed door. The little blob of darkness seemed to move as the empusa went for the door but Vanessa decided to at least be somewhat useful. She hammered the pike down into the thing, quickly letting go as it seemed to absorb it, but at least be occupied. "I'll look for her," she promised as she got out, finding the first capable person to get her out of this place.

As Alyssa had been busy with removing and re-sealing the door, Baal had wasted no time. He sat on his knees in the room, a drawn out mark in his blood in front of him. It was different from the usual summoner mark, but that was probably not a good thing. He looked at the moving darkness as it had swallowed and seemingly devoured whatever Vanessa had jammed into it. "Do you know what happens to daemons that die?" he asked though it was almost a given that she did, keeping his bloodied hands on his lap. He frowned a little and kept his eyes on the darkness, because he wondered if any daemon had ever thought of the extent of the hell they would meet once they entered the Abyssus. "That was once a promising priest of the temple. Served his purpose in every way, never strayed, always devoted. He died by the hand of a valkyrie in the first war, now doomed to live an afterlife leeching off lifesources in this world, now that he wont be suffering in the Abyssus anymore," he calmly explained.

Alyssa couldn't tell what was going on in her brother's head, but she was just thankful to have Vanessa get out. It seemed so fast paced, but as she resealed the room, she turned her full attention back to Baal and the black blob that seemed to grow a little. Or was that just her eyes being confused by the dark mass? Watching Baal draw, she noticed how the symbols were way off from what he usually drew. His story made even less sense; Was he talking about the blob or the artefact inside of him? Or perhaps himself?
She kept her distance, readying herself if the blob would lunge at her. "Baal, you are not making a lot of sense right now ... What is this all about?" she asked, worried but she tried not to give it away. Fear would show weakness, and weakness could get him to attack if he was no longer in control. "You can't summon anything in here; The room is sealed," she reminded him, but she feared it wasn't so much a summoning as it was an awakening.
"Baal, tell me about Buffy," she then said, clearly trying to distract him, but if she could just reach him maybe they could sort all of this out logically.