The Confrontation

She broke free from his grip and he furrowed his brows as he turned his eyes back to her, only to see her stumble into a daemon. It was like he considered for a moment just to leave her with the cultists, but on the other hand, Buffy was the only one who could know if Saoirse was telling the truth. "Would you rather stay here?" he asked, gesturing to the altar where one of the priests were still holding onto the knife. Buffy's voice was heard and Baal turned his eyes to look at her for a moment. Reaching out he grabbed their daughter and plucked her from the daemon, to then push her towards Buffy. "She says she's looking for her parents. Belial and Buffy," he said, because he couldnt directly say that Saoirse said she was their kid, the crowd was already agitated by the existence of a hybrid of daemon and seraph as it was.

Her question made him frown, not really getting what she was trying to imply? That he had somehow done something to Buffy that wouldnt have happened either way? Then she asked something that was something he could answer better. “No. I’m the blood of Bael, just like you essentially. They know I opened the portals and they know that I can grant them my powers,” he explained. Then she mumbled about Buffy. “She was dying at some point. It almost seemed like nothing could be done to save her. Except one thing. Giving her one part of the artifact. We didnt know what it meant back then, but she is still your mother. Like I am still your father,” he said. He felt his haw tense at the last sentence. “But I couldnt recognize you. Even if I wanted to. The artifact works as it does, and it only lets me see Buffy, no one else but the one that’s my light,”

She was right. He had neglected her and he knew that too. Only he was far too emotionally crippled from the influence of the ancient artifact that he couldnt feel regret or remorse. It just was what it was. “I doubt you would understand,” he answered, knowing it probably wasnt what she wanted to hear but it was all so complicated.
“We need to know what we’re dealing with,” he said as she asked about the people. But how could he explain that it was one of the terms that couldnt be negotiated with the cultists? They wanted their answers written down in new scrolls, adding to the library. “She probably knows. But I’m not going to force her to participate,” he said in a calm tone despite her raising her voice at him.
“It’s for you, for me. For every daemon who’s right to live depend on their practicality,” he said. Letting her ingest the information, he sighed before speaking. “I’m not asking you to understand now. But you will at some point when we dont have to hide you from the world anymore. When Leona doesnt have to use her standing and power to make sure no one hurts you when you’re out,” - “You heard them. You’ve seen them and their hatred. You’re half daemon, half seraph. You’re what they’ve been taught to hate because you could be free from the responsibility of being a daemon,”

Working with the clergy? It was a naive thought, even if the clergy would accept the help, it wouldnt change much. The cultists worked in the way they did and the world would never understand. Hell, Baal barely understood their motive, but he also didnt really care. “It’s not as simple as you’d like it to be. With the history of daemons, what we’ve done. When crisis breaks out like this, no one would run to a daemon for aid,” he said, noticing how she was sobbing now. The corners of his mouth turned slightly downwards but it was like he knew he could do nothing to comfort her.
The mention of Amos being infected, did confuse the summoner. But as she went on to explain, it started making more sense. “Some daemon...” he mumbled. It was only that he could think of one daemon that might be out to get them, even recognize Amos... but that didnt make any sense. Her fear of dying was reasonable. The daemon carefully approached her and crouched down. “We wont let you die. Or your brother,” he said, carefully reaching a hand out like he would touch her head like he used to, a little awkwardly as it had been a while and he was mostly acting on what he remembered rather than instinct. But then he decided to remove his hand and just be by her side. “When your mother figures out how her new powers work, she might be able to cure the both of you,” he said. He got up and moved away, putting Saoirse back at a distance. Comfort and closeness just didnt feel natural to him.

As Buffy entered, he didnt feel quite so bad for moving away. It was clear anyway that Saoirse didnt want him near. He just listened on as the love of his life seemingly explained far better all that was happening right now. He glanced at them, before he looked away. The normal him would’ve gone over and embraced them both, but the normal him wouldnt also have done what he did to Saoirse. “Yes, my love,” Baal accepted before he went to get something. He let them have some extra time alone, as some of the cultists brought offerings for the former fenix, believing that what she did to the priest was something blessed from the gods. But he wasnt going to accept anything on Buffy’s behalf and instead told them to put their offerings on display for Buffy to go through later. He grabbed a fresh bottle of water before he returned to their private room. Placing it next to Buffy he shortly looked at his daughter. He didnt really blame her if she hated him. “I should leave,” he said, letting them decide what would be best.

Buffy telling him to stay made him nod, but he sighed as she told him to apologize. Was tjere really a point in that when he was the way he was now? He lifted his hands to his face and rubbed it a little before he went to the small altar that was in this room. He listened as Saoirse spoke and he was going through some things. Taking a box and some sort of string, he placed it at the altar. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she got up anf pointed towards him, furrowing his brows slightly. Buffy seemed to take control of the situation again, and Baal nodded as he opened the box. “I cant just do this whenever I please. There’s a proice everytime,” he said, before his nose seemed to bleed with black blood. His chest convulsed and soon after the blop left his body once more, down into the box as he sealed it. It was covered in daemonic lettering and the black ooze clearly wanted out right away, fighting the box. Baal shoulders shook a little in pain as he clenched a hand at his abdomen. But it made sense because the ooze had eaten away at Alyssa, why should it treat him differently?
He took a moment before he went to Buffy and Saoirse. “I am not intending to hurt the world, my little light,” he said, looking at her with a small frown. She would probably feel more at ease inside now that the ooze was sealed away. “Buffy is the key who will right my wrong, which is why I wont apologize for aiding in her change,” he explained, looking at their daughter even if she wouldnt look st him. He crouched down to her eyelevel, looking at her face. “I would have harmed you out there. We didnt want you to come here because we thought you were safe where you were,” he said, but then he realized he wasnt really apologizing. “When all of this is over, I want to ammend for what I have done to you. And for what I could have done,” he said, meaning every word even if she didnt believe him.
“But you cant trust me now. And I accept it, becsuse the only person I see fully is Buffy. No one else,” he said before he pulled the string out and carefully grabbed her hand. He put the string around loose and made a tight knot to make sure it stayed on her wrist. “This way, I’ll know for sure who you are. But until this is over... you are free to hate me. For all that has happened to the world... to you.. And Amos,” and with that he got back up, a little weakly. But as much as the ooze ate him, it also gave him power.