Natural resentment

Buffy groaned making Xander laugh heartily at his sister. "You always have to go out when I finally find a space for the two of us to hang out," Buffy sighed, leaning against the wall in the hallway as she looked at her brother tying his shoelaces. "Buffster, this has been a plan for almost two months now, the family expects me to show up and show my respects," he argued, standing up as he looked at his sister. As always when they were like this she was pouting her lower lip way more, because she knew that he hated seeing her like this. "C'mon, don't give me that look," he said, but that only made Buffy frown and pout at him. He sighed, shaking his head as he embraced his sister, leaning his cheek against the top of her golden locks. "It's only for a couple of hours, and when I get back we can watch a movie or something, I just need to do this," he said. Buffy was reluctant but returned the hug in a slow motion. "I just hate that I'm never going to be a part of your life in that way," she mumbled sourly, hiding her face in his chest and breathing in the faint scent that he had of what she described as rosewood. "I know, but you would be bored anyways, so I think it's only a good thing you get to sit this out," he said, leaning away to look at her face that seemed more relaxed now. "Besides, isn't your pet coming over?" he asked, feeling the sour taste in his mouth. He could barely say Baal's name without feeling a knife through his chest, let alone refer to him as Buffy's boyfriend. Buffy frowned, giving Xander a small shove but not hard enough to push him away. "He has a name, and he is my boyfriend," she said in a stern voice, making Xander sigh in return. Slowly they both let go of their hug. He didn't want to start a fight right before leaving, because that never ended well for either of them "And he has plans for the evening, so I guess I'm just stuck here home alone," she said, biting the inside of her cheek a bit. Xander sighed, but he knew that he couldn't comfort her. He was already running a little late. "Well, I'll bring pizza home then, and then we can spend the rest of the night just being siblings; no talk of seraphim or daemons," he promised making Buffy smile. He bid his sister farewell and closed his jacket before heading out.

The streets were alive, especially here in the Western District, and Xander made his way to the meeting place, spotting a group of his friends from afar. There were even some of his cousins present, only making him a bit more happy to see them. The Elior family had a large amount of family members, some even having migrated past the unknown, but they were rarely heard from. "Let get inside, it's freezing," Xander said before they moved down an alley to a small house. Inside was decorated with images of Verity, some even dawning the image of the first pureblood, but they were far smaller compared to those of Verity.

Xander chuckled at his aunt's greeting but returned the hug. "I'm sorry, but I've been working on some stuff and I think you'll like it when I finish it," he said. He was aspiring to become a healer, a doctor - just anything he could to help those who needed it. Not to mention, he had shown great skills in making products such as ointments and potions, making life a bit easier for those whom had tried it. "But I'm doing good, he insured her, knowing how his aunt could be about all of this. Even his mother was fairly similar, always making sure he was eating and getting enough rest. Nodding at her words about his mother he looked around shortly, spotting her coming through the door in the back. He smiled, lifting his hand to wave at her. "After all of this, I'm heading back to the apartment; I promised my sister some sibling time, so I guess I can't stick around for long - but how about we set up a small family get together? It's been too long since I've seen my cousins," he said with a smile on his lips. Xander was always adored by Leona's children, even from when they had been really young infants. It seemed like most people who were anyone in the seraphim circles were present tonight, which actually surprised him. He knew his mother knew many people, but this seemed almost absurd. He let his aunt take her leave, letting her go mingle as he walked over to some of his friends, talking casually. Then there was the knock on the door, making Xander raise an eyebrow. Most people who were seraphim could just walk in, unless it was someone seeking shelter.

Then it was like the whole thing exploded, the door being smashed in and a seraph being pulled outside before it started pouring in with daemons. Xander's first instinct was to get his family to safety, looking in the direction of his aunt as she yelled his name. Signaling her to move to his mother he needed to cross the large room, taking out his wings to fly. However as he did a daemon grabbed a hold of one of his wings, yanking him backwards with a horrific laugh. Xander flew through the room by the daemon's force, hitting the wall and breaking it in the process. He shakily moved to his feet as the daemon walked closer. He was not a fighter, far from it, but it didn't surprise him that the daemon chose to go for him. Healers were needed, especially if the daemons wanted a fight. "Stay back," he said, looking at the horrid daemon form that it bore, feeling himself scared. Blood was pouring from his blonde hair, sticking it to his scalp as he tried focussing on what was going on.

"We'll see about that soon," she assured him with a big smile. She knew the value the twins had to her own children and frankly she only saw it as a good thing. She was a family person by all means, despite her stern exterior may saying otherwise - Inside she would always be a big softie for them. That was why her first thought was checking up on them as soon as all went down. She walked over to Xander, figuring that there wasnt any way for them to really fight back as they didnt carry their weapons around. When Xander was pulled and thrown away, she widened her eyes shortly before she saw that he was bleeding, making her look around for something she could use as a weapon. "We have to get outside!" she told her sister as she grabbed a flagpole which once had been a memorable artifact that were not to be ruined. She hurried to her nephew's aid, driving the pole through the chest of the daemon before grabbing a hold of Xander, pulling his arm as she looked around, making sure they werent going to be attacked by surprise. "We have to get out," she said as she pressed a hand to the side of her head, feeling an oncoming headache from the dark energy.

Baal stood with his hound, feeling impatient as the other daemons were running into the building. He wanted to be here less and less. When the first seraphims got out, it was only a few that let their hounds run after them, some didnt get far before the beast tackled them to the grounds. Baal frowned as he just watched, holding his hound firmly in it's unholy shackle. He kept shaking his head subtly, hoping he didnt recognize anyone. And then he saw them coming out, the seraph lady that Buffy had been with and her brother. He hadnt seen him that often, but they had crossed each other once or twice, even if it was just sour looks being exchanged. He closed his eyes, exhaling as he let go of his beast to watch it run off, placing his hands on his back as he dug into the mark, making the beast stir from it's path to Buffy's family, to someone unfortunate nearby.

Verona gasped as she saw her only son being flung across the room, staring blankly and in shock before her sister came to grab her hand. Nodding and following she herself picked up a broken piece from the door. Anything to protect herself and her family with. She grabbed Xander under his arm, ripping a piece of her shirt off to press it against his open wound. "It's going to be alright," she mumbled, but she didn't feel to sure about it. She saw how Xander's one wing was hanging lazily, clearly broken, so he couldn't fly off with them. Everything would have to be on foot. Moving out of the building she looked at the summoners, all gathered, blinking a few times as she saw her own kind being mauled by those hideous dogs. "Take Xander to safety, but not home; I have to help our brothers and sisters," Verona said, looking at her sister with gentle eyes. She was the oldest of the two sisters, she knew her responsibilities. It was her fault they were all gathered here anyways. Verona had one of those looks, the look where she could not be wavered in anything even if someone protested. It was the same look she had had when she had said she wanted to marry Vincent. The same look she had when she was certain of something. "Keep him safe, and we'll regroup later," she promised, placing a hand on her son's cheek. She wanted him safe, and she needed to help, that was her duty. Closing her eyes she used some of her power, granting them both a blessing of safe passage. Verona was not only powerful as a valkyrie, but she had received the ability to bless people with safety as long as she was alive. "Go," she said in a firm tone before she turned around, ready to battle for what she believed in. Diving straight in, she ripped a hound off of a seraph, pushing it backwards with her holy powers as she helped the seraph to their feet. Then she dived further in to the battle, helping where she could.

"Mother!" Xander yelled after his mother, wanting to run after her, but his head was already spinning. He could tolerate the darkness more than his piers, mostly thanks to the fact he was a nephilim. As his mother dove in to battle he frowned, looking at his aunt for guidance.

Leona knew from the look in Verona's eyes that there was no way she could convince her to come as well. It wasnt often that Leona backed down from a battle but it was something else when Xander's life was at risk. It would have been the same, had it been Buffy or one of her own children. She moved her eyes to the summoners, frowning deeply as she recognized one of them. "I should have ended him when I had the chance," she spat in anger before she looked to Xander, regardless of how much the daemon looked like he wasnt really happy about the situation. As far as she could tell, his beast was out there ripping apart from poor seraphim as well as the rest of them. She guided Xander away from the scene as she looked at him, "I need you to gather your supplies. But you cant go get them yourself, they would track you all the way home," she said, pausing as she took in a deep breath, "I wouldnt want Buffy entangled into all of this, so is there a way you can have her drop off your things at a location?" she said in hopes that it wouldnt alert the fenix if she couldnt meet up with her brother. It seemed like a hopeless request. They got away from it all and Leona looked around for a bit before looking back at Xander, "I need to go back. Verona cant be all alone handling it herself," she said, looking back the way they came from.

The summoner next to Baal's eyes almost lit up as he watched all the chaos - The feathers flying everywhere from torn wings and the screams. "Ohhh. We really have a fighter here," he suddenly said as he spotted the valkyrie in the meddle that seemed rather unharmed by it all, tearing off hounds from different seraphim. "She's mine," the daemon hissed as he lifted his bloody palm, hissing a command into his mark that made one of the bigger hounds turn it's head like it's focus was redirected. Baal swallowed hard as he couldnt do anything but watch on, looking at the valkyrie that reminded him too much of Buffy in the way she looked. What could he really do? Turn on his own and be killed right where he stood? He was powerless. He closed his eyes for a bit, making some sort of silent treacherous prayer towards his own kind on her behalf.

"I don't know, I can try, but you know how she is - I wouldn't want to risk it, but I need my things to help the others," he said, frowning as he felt himself at a loss. His wing was broken, and he felt it painfully so, the nerves hitting his whole body. He looked at his aunt, knowing she was right. His mother might be an excellent fighter, but Leona was in a league of her own. "Promise you'll be careful," he said in a serious tone looking at his aunt with hurt in his eyes. He had seen the daemon as well. The one that Buffy had found herself so hopelessly in love with that even Xander could see her happiness. "And don't go for the obvious kill," he said, knowing that things could quickly take a turn for the worse. He took out his phone as Leona left, texting Buffy with an excuse about the other seraphim wanting to see his latest studies, but he knew his sister to be smarter than that.

Verona saw the hound coming towards her, her green eyes lighting up as she held out her hand with her holy power, but it didn't seem to be enough. She was tackled to the ground before the beast grabbed her leg, starting to maul her as she screamed in horror, trying to tear the hound away.

Buffy sat slouched over in the sofa, scrolling through the different channels but nothing were really catching her attention. She was looking forward to getting Xander home so they could do something together, but for now she felt a little restless. A message ticked in, and she hoped it was Baal telling her something, but instead it was simply Xander. She moved to her feet, walking to his room and gathering some of his kit, knowing roughly what he needed to show off his skill. Then she moved out, putting on her shoes and coat before heading out, texting Xander that she was on her way to the disclosed meeting place. It was cold out, and hugging her coat closer she shivered a bit. She didn't like going out this late, not alone at least. The city of Churchill might've been relatively peaceful at day, but at night the twisted people came out to play. She moved down the streets, heading towards the Western District, but at the other end of where Xander and the other seraphim had been gathering.

"Just make sure she stays away. These daemons wouldnt care whether she's a fenix or serpahim," she said with a tone of hatred towards the dark creatures. She was quite reluctant on asking for Buffy's involvement in the first place, but it didnt seem like they had much of a choice if they wanted their kind to make it out of this alive. She nodded at his demand, closing her eyes for a bit before she grabbed his hands in hers, looking into her eyes, "Your mother and I made it through the war. We may be unprepared, but we are strong - Just not when we're apart. She needs me," she said with a sad smile before giving his hands a squeeze. She wasnt sure if it was a farewell or a see you later, hoping mostly for the latter as she turned to run back. She arrived at the scene, gasping as she watched the hound on Verona. She wasnt even thinking as she lunged forward, running as fast as she was allowed as she grabbed a vial from the inside of her jacket. She crushed it in her hand as she got there, whacking the liquid on top of the beasts head to watch it sizzle like she had just poured pure acid over it, grabbing Verona to drag her away from the dark creature. "I'm here," she said in a trembling tone as the beast rolled around in pain. She grabbed a few more vials, throwing them on the ground to make some sort of safety circle around her and her sister.

The summoner controlling the beast gritted his teeth as the two were connected, what pain the beast would feel the summoner felt as well. Baal turned his eyes to his own, watching it mostly pounce into the angelic creatures but never really hurting them as so. He just had to make it look like he participated, but he knew he couldnt keep up the charade for long. He knew it was just a massacre, the seraphim present were mostly unarmed and unaware of what was going on. He felt oddly sick to his stomach from just watching it happen, turning his eyes to his superior that just had a stern yet pleasant expression to what she was seeing.

Verona gasped as she felt the beast being torn away, seeing the vial's liquid making the beast almost melt before her eyes. "Took you long enough," Verona chuckled, but winced as she felt the pain shoot up from the unholiness of the bite and in to her bloodstream. It wouldn't kill her, but she could barely stand as she moved to her feet. "Is Xander safe?" she asked in an almost demanding tone. Not that she believed that her sister would abandon him, but she needed to hear it before she could continue their fight.

Buffy stood for a while at the meeting place, waiting for Xander to show up. He had told her just to leave the kit on the ground, but she found that ridiculous. She might not be a seraph, but this was far away from anything holy, so she thought she wasn't doing anything wrong. Then she saw him emerging from the shadows she instantly saw her brother's broken wing, the blood running from his scalp, down the side of his face and along his throat. Gasping she ran to him, feeling tears appear instantly. "What happened?" she begged to know before fear set in. Her mother. Her aunt. Swallowing she handed Xander the things, but she also felt like she needed to help. "Please, please," she mumbled, but Xander already knew what she was begging for. "Go home," he demanded in a slurry voice as he hastily moved away, mixing vials as he walked. He could not waste any time, and if he could he would make sure that all seraphim would be able to heal. He didn't know yet, but people had already lost their lives.

For a while, the fenix just stood there, stunned that her brother was denying her this chance to help their family, reaching out she stopped Xander, looking him in the eyes. "Why should I go home if I fear you won't come back?" she asked, looking at him with worried eyes. Xander sighed as he stopped, keeping his mixing going before he looked at his sister. "He is there," he simply said before moving away again, leaving Buffy stunned and now also speechless.

"You know I wouldnt leave him if they had followed," she assured Verona, looking around as she mostly just saw a mere few daemons on the ground and a whole lot more of seraphim. Sirens were heard in the distance, this may have been the party district, but no music could tune out all of the screams that had sounded tonight. The overseer at the summoners yelled a dark command that made the beasts run back to their masters, as she ordered them to flee the scene. All of the dark creatures started running to each side as Baal just remained, staring at the dead on the ground while his hound sat by his side. The summoner that had lost his pet was furious, standing next to Baal as he eyed the valkyrie that had melted his creation. "Like hell I'd run. Not before that bitch is dead," he hissed as he looked at Baal with angry eyes, moving his mark over to take control of Baal's beast. Baal grabbed his wrist with the mark before he got to it, looking up into his eyes with his own ridden of emotion. "Stand down," Baal demanded, squeezing his wrist. "We wont let no valkyrie bitches get away," the daemon hissed, fighting against the grip. Baal pushed him away, frowning as he ordered his beast behind him where the daemon couldnt reach it. "What, are you sympathizing with these bastards?" the daemon spat in anger, "I'll tell the order if you dont do something right now!" he yelled. Baal looked down at the ground for a bit as he felt so torn. He closed his eyes as he swallowed hard, mumbling a dark command that made his beast turn it's head towards the valkyrie's. Leona looked at the beast coming towards them, searching her pockets, "I'm out of vials," she mumbled as she looked to her sister.

Verona heard her sister, but things were happening fast. "Run," she said in a stern tone, not taking her eyes away from the demonic hound running towards them. "I will hold it back, you still got young kids," she said, and she knew this was a goodbye. Verona used the last of her strength, charging the hound and as they collided they tumbled to the ground. Verona was strong, she had always been strong, but the unholiness was spreading. Even if she could survive that, she would not survive the hound that started tearing at her flesh, sending the sweet smell of blood through the air. She screamed, not only in pain but because this was all she could do. She could hold the beast away until Leona had made sure to get away.

Xander was practically running through the streets now, and as he heard the sirens he felt his heart in his throat before reaching the scene. His mother on the ground, wrestling a demonic hound and as he saw how it was tearing her apart something clicked in him. He looked towards the two remaining daemons, shaking as he couldn't find his words. He ran to Leona, cloaking them in protective potions. He couldn't emote, he just held Leona back from jumping forward. His mother's screams had silenced. "MOTHER!" Buffy screamed in horror, running towards the remains of her once gracious parent. She dropped to her knees as Xander looked on in horror. "BUFFY GET OVER HERE!" he yelled, but his sister wouldn't listen. He looked to the daemon, swallowing as he wouldn't let his sister be hurt, but he was weakened by the blow to his head. Buffy laid over her mother, sobbing as she couldn't hold back the emotions in her. Xander looked to the daemon, wondering if he would break his trust. Had he let Buffy believe a lie?

"Verona no!" was all Leona could say as she watched Verona run for the beast, only to buy her time to run. Her eyes filled with tears as she stood motionless and watched, like the scene was unfolding in slowmotion, before she felt Xanders grip around her, stopping her from running to her sisters aid. Baal just stood by and watched, the daemon next to him cackling with joy as he watched the beast do it's work. He clapped Baal's shoulder while he bopped his head in nods, "Wrong bitch, but it'll do. Come on, lets go before the police arrives," he said pulling at the daemon's shoulder. Baal ordered the beast back as he then heard a horrified scream he hadnt ever hoped to hear. He felt his heart drop but he couldnt react or show any emotion with the other daemon present. "Belial." the demon said with a stern tone but he wouldnt move or follow. He just watched Buffy with her mother, knowing what he had done. The daemon just shook his head, deciding that if Baal wanted to stick around, he wasnt going to stop him. The sirens grew louder as Baal made his hound disappear. He just watched Buffy as he felt a few tears build up in his eyes, grabbing his hoodie to pull it over his head as he had to get away, the police would know who had done what tonight and he couldnt stick around, even if it was all he wanted to. He wanted to say sorry, but he didnt think it would be enough.

"I could use a little help here!" a female yelled as she pulled out a seraph from the bunch of bodies, knowing it was hurtful for the wounded creature, but it was the only way she could reach his bloodied wings that had been torn off by one of the beasts outside. She looked around, knowing she didnt belong here, but she wanted to help. Her aura being a mix of both dark and light, but for a seraph it would seem darker than light.

Buffy laid over her mother, sobbing as she clutched on to the broken fabric. She didn't see who was present, all she saw was her mother dead and lifeless, her eyes still open and now blank as death had taken her away. Xander looked at Baal, his insides burning because he knew what no one else seemed to realize. He knew that the beast that had torn up his mother, was Baal's to command. He took a step forward, breaking the safe circle, looking at Baal before he disappeared. He looked at his aunt. "Take care of Buffy, I - I got my duties," he said in a broken tone, however he would not cry. He heard a female's voice, looking to the brunette before coming over to her. His broken wing dragging along the ground as he found some vials. He helped a few of the seraphim close by, making them drink healing potions, however the whole time his face seemed numb from the pain he felt in his chest. He finally looked to the brunette as he was helping a seraph drink up from a vial. "Who are you? I haven't seen you at meetings before?" he remarked, frowning as he couldn't really place her. She seemed like a weird mixture of light and dark, making him wonder what she was. He could sense the seraph in her, but there was darkness to it, and he wondered if his thoughts were right. That other part. It couldn't be daemon, could it?

Buffy moved, sitting up as she was still sobbing, looking at her mother with the horror never leaving her face. "Who would do this?" she whispered, however she knew who. The bite of the hellhound was clear, and she knew it had to be a summoner. She felt her heart sink at the thought, but continued to deny to herself what she was thinking. He wouldn't do this, not if he had a choice, right? She looked to her aunt as she came closer, her cheeks bearing long streaks from her tears. "Auntie," she whispered before crying again. Grief had taken it's hold over the place, the police arriving too late as they now started asking the surviving and still healing seraphim for suspects. Buffy took her mother's hand, feeling how cold it was made her shiver. She had seen dead bodies before, but it had never been like this. Torn up, bloodied and a body almost mauled to pieces. Reaching over she closed her mother's eyes with a shaky hand before she just stared blankly in to the air.

Leona had also seen who the beast belonged to as it walked back to it's master and her eyes filled with fire. She could have run after him, probably caught up to him from the sheer fury she felt and knocked him senseless. But Xander's words held her back as she was reminded of her own duties. The seraphim wasnt one to look for revenge as such, not when they had wounded to look after. She walked over to Buffy and looked at her sister as she felt a pain she couldnt begin to describe. This was her sister, the one she thought would always stick around. Now she was just bloody and broken on the ground, mauled like she was nothing. Leona felt the tears but her face couldnt follow the strong emotion she felt. She crouched down to Buffy, wrapping her arms around her niece as she placed a hand against the back of her head, closing her eyes as she whispered quiet prayers.
"I'll find the one who did this," she mumbled into the blonde hair of Buffy's, opening her eyes as she had a rather stern expression. "Bael will know that even Verity has her limits," she said looking at her sister as she shook her head. Losing her people was one pain. But losing her sister like this, it was a whole different pain that felt more like a black hole in her chest.

Aiden lifted her eyes to look at the seraph as a small smile formed on her full lips, looking at the wounded man she was healing. She was wrapping the broken stumps in bandage as she drew in a heavy breath, "I was going to stand trial today, to be allowed as one of you. Guess that's not possible anymore," she said in a sad tone, pulling the seraph to a place where he could be told apart from the other wounded ones. She turned to Xander, shifting between his eyes, trails of tears down her cheeks showed, but she didnt look sad. She had just been using her tears to ease the pains of the ones who needed them. She moved on to tend to the next one she could. Even with the police's arrival, she wouldnt know what to tell them. "Would you mind helping? I'll help you after, but she wont last long under these guys," she said, nodding towards a pile over the seraph she was tending, most of them she wouldnt be able to lift herself.

Buffy shook her head at her aunt's words. Couldn't she see that an action of revenge would only lead to more blood shed. "Isn't it like this every time? You just take turns at who get to murder who, and nobody wins," Buffy said in a weak voice. She couldn't condone this, this wasn't what her mother had thought her growing up. She looked back at her mother, tears still falling from her eyes. "I shouldn't have ignored my dreams; I just thought they were nightmares," she whimpered, leaning against Leona for some sense of comfort, yet it would never again be her mother's arms. She looked to Xander, looked at how he was managing to force his potions in to the still living seraphim. How many would live? How many had died? Taking a deep breath she felt dizzy from all the smell of blood that was in the air, the sweet smell giving her a nauseous feeling. "If I knew ... If I knew I would've come straight here with what Xander needed ... Then maybe ... Then maybe she would still be here," she said in a broken voice, feeling more tears fall down along her cheeks. She was freezing, but it wasn't just the cold. It was the feeling that her mother was no longer around. The fact that she could've lost her aunt and Xander as well. She felt guilt build in her system, because she had fallen in love with the very kind whom had done this. The police came over, wanting to have a talk with Leona as she seemed to be the only one capable in this instant as other seraphim were helping with the handling of the dead.

"Anything is possible," Xander said calmly, looking at her he was surprised by her beauty. It was jaw dropping to say the least, but he couldn't focus on that right now. As she asked for his help he moved to his feet, walking to her as he helped her move the bodies of the deceased. It was a strange and numb feeling he still had in his chest, his face stoic like he wasn't taking in the severity of this moment. "Why would you be a part of this?" he mumbled. If he had the choice he would have been born in a different race all together, not wishing to deal with such loss of lives. His heart could barely take it, thinking of all the families that would have to be informed.

Buffy listened to her aunt, but it was always the same. How the gods were at war and so their races were as well. Could they not at least try and get along? Nobody said they needed to fall in to each other's arms, but at least accept that they had to share the same world? Buffy looked down, still holding her mother's cold hand, closing her eyes as she made a few silent prayers. However in this moment she had abandoned the thought of Verity as one to believe in. Instead she prayed to Faeth, prayed that she would look over her mother's soul, even if it was impossible. And then she pleaded. Pleaded in her mind with the Elders, praying that they would give her mother peace. Give her the rest she deserved and to alleviate her from the pain of her death in the afterlife.

Xander sighed at the young woman's words, knowing it to be true. He knew almost all of these people, knew what they had liked. Knew what their dreams were. He felt himself shaken to his core, feeling something in him stir as he didn't know what to do with these emotions. "Belonging isn't always a good thing," he said, looking over at his sister. He was thankful in this moment that she had not been born a seraph, because that had saved her life. Moving to his feet, the woman stepped closer, placing the wet cloth to his wound, making him sigh in relief at the coolness of the liquid. Taking the vial he placed it to his lips, only allowing himself a few sips before handing it back to her. His wing would not heal from that alone, but it would ease his pain for a while. "We should have seen it coming; they had been silent for a while," he remarked, looking in to her dark brown eyes. He narrowed his eyes a bit, thinking he might've seen her somewhere. "You don't happen to know Nelinha Summers, do you?" he asked out of the blue, but it was one of Buffy's lycan friends. He didn't know if it was a long shot, but perhaps it was. She just seemed familiar in a way he couldn't really describe. "I'm Xander, by the way," he said, before turning his eyes to the people that still needed tending. Some other seraphim came over to him, looking shocked at his wing, but he swiftly started handing out the vials he had to let them help as well.

She made a shrug at his words, "I'm just following the dream that little me has dreamt of all her life," she said, following his eyes to look at Buffy. She made a sad expression, though she couldnt begin to imagine the pain that the fenix was in. She didnt know if the nephilim was in that as well, he just seemed to either be hiding it or unfazed by the situation. She sighed as he only took a few sips, pressing her full lips together to keep back a protest. She didnt have an infinite amount of healing tears on bottle.
"You couldnt have known when they'd come," she argued as she made a small pout. She frowned a little as he narrowed his eyes at her, not sure what he was going to say. His question was out of the blue, she hadnt expected it out of all things right now. "I'm aware of who she is. Never made the acquaintance, sadly," she said as she tilted her head to the side, quite curious why he wanted to know. She followed his eyes again to look at the seraphim that came, most of them giving her angry eyes like she had partaken in this on the side of the daemons. She sighed, handing her bottle to someone who could give it to others. She was lucky to have an extra for emergencies. "Aiden." she just said as she thought they could talk once the wounded had been sorted from the dead and tended to. She looked shortly at Buffy before moving out to the outskirts where those who had fled had been mauled by the hounds. She stopped at a little girl that looked like she would have been asleep if her dress hadnt been covered in blood, making the fabric so dark that Aiden couldnt see where the wound was. She drew in a sudden sharp breath at the sight before she made a sniffle, looking away before walking on. She had to be sure someone wasnt dying out here.

Xander nodded, taking in the information before he had to help once more. He was a mere nephilim, but his knowledge of potions and healing treatments were invaluable right now. He looked to his aunt who was speaking with the police, then at Buffy. The dried tears on her cheeks made him swallow, but he didn't have time to cry and fall to his knees at the injustice. He needed to power through, knowing that later he would succumb to the feelings hiding in his chest. He noticed how Aiden moved away from the main group of seraphim, checking on those whom had tried to flee. Xander closed his eyes for a little while, feeling emotions overwhelm him. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, opening his eyes he looked at Buffy. Her fire in her eyes almost dulled down, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. He wrapped his arms around his sister, crying without sound in to her hair as she wrapped her arms around him. Her tears had dried, and her body was cold and exhausted. She didn't want to leave, she wanted to help, but the task was so immense that she couldn't wrap her head around it. "Your wing," she mumbled gently, her voice broken and hoarse as she had been sobbing for such an extended amount of time. She moved slightly out of his embrace, looking over at the woman walking in the outskirts. "Is she alright?" she asked her brother, but not taking her eyes off of the woman. She didn't recognize her, so she guessed it was someone Xander knew. Xander always seemed to know everyone. "I don't know," he replied with sorrow in his voice. Buffy pressed her lips together as she removed the tears from her brother's face, frowning as she felt like she could cry more. "You're cold," he said. Buffy nodded, shivering as the cold had penetrated her like nothing else in this moment. "Auntie!" he called for Leona, gesturing to her to come over. He knew the police would do nothing either way, so why waste her breath on them. If Leona came over he would take her hand, guiding it to Buffy's cold cheek. "She needs to get home, but I need to stay here and help," he said. He refused to let her walk home alone, and with the way things were looking right now it seemed like this sorting and healing of others could take the rest of the night. "I'm fine," Buffy lied, but she knew it wouldn't help. She was practically shivering like a tree in harsh wind. "You're not fine; Auntie, will you take her home and grab the rest of my supply? I need to stay," he said, looking at Leona with a pleading gaze.

Leona turned to them as Xander called, bidding the police a nice farewell before walking over to them. She was awfully calm compared to the situation but it was a part of who she was. She never cried with others present and she wasnt going to start now. She felt Buffy's cheek as she made a nod, "I'll take her home," she said as she didnt buy Buffy's lie, turning her eyes to look at Xander. "You should go too," Aiden said, her arms hugging around herself as she felt like she was intruding, but she wasnt blind to his state. "The police said that ambulances will come collect the wounded," Leona said, looking at Aiden, narrowing her eyes a little at the aura, "They will only take those who are somewhere between life and death. So you must care for the rest," she told the hybrid with a serious tone. Aiden swallowed hard and simply nodded, keeping her arms around herself. Leona looked at Buffy, wrapping her arm around her to give her some heat, "We'll be off now," she said, eyeing Aiden shortly before nodding at Xander.
"If you're not gonna go, then.... at least let me fix your wing, alright?" Aiden said as she frowned a little at the nephilim. She wasnt really the one to take a no for a no, but she felt too emotional to be up for an argument.  

Leona was quiet for the most part they walked, frowning deeply as she looked ahead. "It was that daemon from the coffee shop. I recognized him as soon as we got out," she just said in a quiet tone after a while of walking, sighing deeply. She didnt know about Buffy's feelings towards the daemon.

Perhaps Xander was naive to think that he could help, however he couldn't trust that the dead wouldn't just be left in the streets. He would personally make sure all of them would be brought to a morgue, just for safe keeping until the families could collect their dead. The dead had rights, and the family too. He looked at Aiden, sending her a half smile, but it was like the smile couldn't reach his eyes that was so full of hurt now. He made sure that Leona and Buffy had left before he wanted to continue the work, however the hybrid seemed to have another thought with him. He looked at her, feeling rather mixed emotions, mostly because he knew his wing needed tending, but could he trust a stranger? Nodding as he looked in to her brown eyes, feeling like he didn't even know where to start. The wings for most seraphim were a holy gift from Verity herself, and losing them would mean never getting them back. He had been reckless, and he was rather grateful for the fact that his wing was still on his back. "Alright," he said, looking at Aiden with a careful look before turning around to let her tend to his wing. It was still lazily hanging along the ground, the pearly white of his wings being rather dirty, but only making the silver markings stand out that more. "Just try not to rip them off," he mumbled in jest, trying to keep his spirits up as he looked at some ambulances arriving. Most of the seraphim able to help made sure to call for transportation of the dead, contacting the morgue and even some families of the bodies they recognized. "To think my mother survived the war but not this ... There has to be some kind of irony in that," he mumbled, looking at his mother, but quickly looking away as he felt the tears pressing on once more. He would make sure she got the funeral she deserved, but seeing her like that was awful. An image forever carved in to his memories.

Buffy walked with her aunt, mostly silent except for sniffling. As her aunt spoke however she felt her fears realized, looking down in shame as she felt like she knew without knowing. "Was he behind it, or just a foot soldier?" Buffy asked in a hoarse voice, her teeth chattering a bit, but Leona's heat helped somewhat. She shook her head a bit. Did it even make a difference? "Auntie, I'm afraid you're going to hate me," she whispered, taking a deep breath as she looked ahead. A few tears fell from her eyes as she thought back. Had she listened to her aunt back then, then her heart would've not been in this state of being torn. "I went back to him that time we met him .. And during the last couple of months, we've been seeing each other," she whispered. She felt like she had said it now, but there was more to the story. She stopped in her walk, covering her mouth as she started sobbing once more. "Please auntie, please don't hate me," she whimpered.

Aiden could understand why Xander would have found it hard to trust her right now. After all, she may be half of the same as him, but the other half were the perpetrators of this massacre. She would prove to him that she had no evil intentions if that was what he really wanted, but could such a trust be earned that easily in a moment? She doubted so when she looked into his eyes and saw the hurt that was hidden behind the sea of grass. She wanted to reach out and touch his cheek to tell him it was going to be alright, but would she be lying? She bit her lip looking down as she waited for his answer, frowning a little, hoping she wouldnt be shunned again. So when he spoke and it was an acceptance towards her plea, you could see her face light up behind the sadness and concern she bore for the moment. “Thank you,” she mumbled as she looked at the broken wing. She had never been so close to something that beautiful before. Even beaten and broken, she felt amazed by the divinity that reigned in the silver markings. His mumble drove her out of her mesmerization as she nodded with a polite smile, “That’s why I wanted to tend to them in the first place,” she assured him in a rather gentle tone as she carefully made a grip around his wing, lifting it up as she called for someone else to fetch her supplies. His words made her swallow, “This wasnt war. Wars are planned and prepared for. This was just murder,” she said, feeling her voice tremble with emotion just thinking about it. It was hard for Aiden as she could belong to either side and she was sure that hadnt the seraphim been so keen on not fighting back, she probably wouldnt have chosen to join them. She had a thick piece of wood held up to the wing as bandage would ensure that the wing would heal the way it was supposed to. She couldnt use her tears for this, so it had to do with what she knew about first aid. “This will keep your wing in position to heal. So as long as you dont do any rash movements or reract them... then you should be fine,” she said, making the same polite smile again, but there was something tender to it. She turned her eyes to the others, walking over to the wounded that thankfully had been lined up, “Maybe you should contact one of the other pureblood lines. We... could just the help?” She suggested to Xander, either raising her voice to reach him or speak in a normal tone. She was careful with her words, because a simple overstep she felt could make him push her away and shun her like the rest. We? Was she even allowed to be a part of such?

To think that she could have avoided this when she had seen him in the coffee-shop. It was a dangerous thought to play with, because how would she feel the next time she ran into a daemon on the street? Could she live with co-existing with the monsters in the future when they had taken away someone of such importance to her? Buffy’s question was not something she could handle, “Footsoldier or not, they were all killing us tonight. Even if he did or didnt kill your mother, he was there to make it happen,” she said in a hateful tone towards the daemons and confused as to why Buffy would even carry such a doubt. She frowned at Buffy’s whisper, stopping as she looked at her. She shifted between her eyes, just from the look at it you could tell that the valkyrie was demanding answers and would be nowhere near to accept the words she was about to hear. So when she heard it, she felt her heart could burst from the high blood pressure, looking at Buffy with wide eyes that only wanted to hear of this as being some cruel joke. “You.... have been seeing him...?” She repeated in a faint tone, frowning a little at Buffy’s whimper. She closed her eyes for a second as she wrapped her arms around her. “Your mother always told me that we dont choose who we love. And now I would be a fool to not honour her words,” she said in a tone that sounded tired. She grabbed Buffy’s hands to look into her eyes, “But your love killed her tonight. He’s just like the rest of them, deep inside they really only care for one thing - Chaos,” she said, looking down for a second. She was rather calm and collected, considering any other day she would have been scolding and yelling with frustration. “Could you really be with the one who has killed your mother in cold blood like that?” She tilted her head to the side, frowning a little at the thought.

Xander groaned in pain as she touched his wing, so tender to the touch, but it was only now he realized how hurt it was. He was sure it was broken multiple places, but hopefully the recovery wouldn't take more than a couple of weeks. "Murder or not, I fear it will come to war, and I don't want that," he said with a sigh, gritting his teeth as she made sure to fasten his wing securely. Her words of warning were nice, but he figured that he would have to keep it still and resting for a while. It would be easier once he could retract his wings, but for now he guessed he was kinda stuck like this. "I promise I'll keep it stable," he said, looking at the dead all laying in a row. He felt like throwing up. It was like a scene out of a massacre movie. Her suggestion made him nod, but he did notice the we part. However he saw it not as insulting, rather as empathetic to this. "We should," he agreed, looking at her with a faint smile that never reached his eyes. He wanted her to know he appreciated what she was doing, pulling out his phone he started making calls to the different people he knew from the other lines. Some people were willing to come and help out, some weren't, but that was their choice. He didn't judge people like that. As he hung up on the last call he placed his palm over his eyes, closing them for a while to gather his thoughts. The sirens and colored blinks were distracting him, but he could feel his body hurt now. The adrenaline was gone, so he couldn't keep himself going with that anymore. He leaned against at light pole, trying to stabilize himself somewhat. "I'm alright," he said, but he wasn't too sure. He knew he needed to go home and rest, but he felt like he couldn't allow himself that. Not when he had this dawning task ahead of him. "Some of the other lines are coming to help, but I want to be here when they show up - I could use your help spreading the information about what morgue and how we deal with the amount of bodies," he said, looking at her with an apologetic look in his eyes. It wasn't fair that she was dragged in to this, but he knew he needed all the help he could get. "In return, I'll stand witness for you at the next opportunity for your trial," he said, hoping that would persuade her to help. He was usually not one to meddle with this, but without her, he would have a broken wing that wasn't bound properly and this immense task.

Buffy felt her aunt's arms around her, surprised to say the least, but she let her. Anything to feel the comfort of someone holding her, but as she pulled away and took her hands she knew it was serious. She felt like her aunt was mistaken, shaking her head at her words as she swallowed. Then came the gut wrenching question she was too scared to ask herself. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, another tear ran down over her cheek. "I don't know; I can't tell until I see him again," she replied, but she could already hear her aunt get mad at her for saying that she wanted to see him. After all of this, was Buffy ever to be unsupervised? "All I know is that he's not like the others ... He's kind and all he wants is to love and be loved in return, just like the rest of us," she said, not knowing why she was defending him at a time like this. Perhaps he had been a part of the killing, but would her aunt not do the same if the roles had been reversed? If the seraphim had been granted to be allowed killing and attacking daemons? She felt herself so confused right now, mostly because she couldn't grasp the concept of there being much difference between the two races. "I'm not a seraphim, never have been, never will be, but surely you can see that nothing good comes from hatred," she said, looking at her aunt's green eyes. "Mother always says ... Said ... That to find love is what makes us want to fight for life, and want us to do good things; don't you think a daemon is capable of love and doing good?" she asked.

She bit her lip as he groaned, trying her best not to make him hurt. His words made her frown a little as she nodded, though he wouldnt be able to see that with his back turned to her. "I wish I could tell you it wasnt," she said in a sad tone as she then concentrated on making sure the bandages would hold. She looked at the beautiful feathers that were all bloody and muddy, sighing deeply as she warned him about retraction or movement. "Good," she simply said as she moved away from the pile of death to tend to the living - She couldnt bear to even look at them right now, fearing she may see that little girl again. While he was doing his phonecalls, she in the midst of helping someone who's wing definitely wasnt fixable. She looked at the wing for a bit, blinking a few times as she was trying to figure out how to tell the person, though it may not sound pleasant. She turned to see Xander lean onto a pole, frowning as she got to her feet to walk over to him. She wasnt exactly unharmed herself, a large gash from a beast had marked her arm, but she had been quick to bandage it. It wasnt surprising that he didnt want to go home and leave his people behind like this, but it didnt seem like he was in a rather useful condition either. "I wont send you home," she promised him, opening her mouth to continue but then she just closed it and swallowed whatever words she was going to say. She shook her head at his persuasion, looking around before looking back at him, "Save it. I would have helped either way," she said with a shrug before she grabbed a vial of tears that she laid in his hand, leaving before he could give it back. She returned to the angel with the busted wing, taking in a deep breath, "We're going to have to remove the broken wing," she said in a trembling tone, watching the seraph look at her in disbelief. It was like looking into those eyes clicked some sort of panic switch in her, she felt her lip quiver as she looked for a way to explain. "There's nothing we can do to save the remains. A-and, the infection risks..." she stammered, feeling her eyes well up as she lifted her hands to cover her mouth for a second. This was all so horrible.

Leona had never been disappointed in Buffy. Not once in her lifetime had the valkyrie ever felt like the fenix was doing something she couldnt follow. That streak ended today. Leona's eyes filled with disappointment as Buffy's reply couldnt be anything but crazy. She still wanted to see him after knowing he had been a part of all this that had taken her mother away? She could feel her brow twitch with anger as it slowly rose in her. "Why are you defending him? For goodness sake, Buffy!" she raised her voice as she shook her head, her eyes demanding an answer from Buffy that didnt sound like the crazy talk she was seemingly speaking. Goodness in daemons? "Listen to yourself! What happened tonight wasnt love," she argued, frowning deeply. She didnt want to be with angry with Buffy, but she couldnt help it. She was talking about these vile creatures in a way Leona had never once thought would fit them, speaking of them like they werent just the monsters that every seraph believed them to be. Buffy's last couple of words just flew right past the valkyrie. The conversation had stretched far enough and there was no way that Leona would even begin to think that a daemon wasnt just a pest to be removed eventually. "I saw what I saw tonight. I saw the daemon you love kill your mother. And if you still want to be with him after that.... Buffy, I dont know what to say. I'm so disappointed," she just said as she shook her head, looking Buffy straight in the eyes. She grabbed her arm before looking ahead, "I wont tell you what to do. Forbid you from seeing him or what else it may be that would be sensible in a situation like this. But he will be your ruin, Buffy. It's all they know," she said in a down-spirited tone as she looked down at the ground. She just wanted to get Buffy home now.