♱ buffy summers is a slayer of vampyres ♱ (summersgirl) wrote in saveatlantisic, @ 2017-04-05 11:20:00 |
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To be honest as Buffy had made her way towards the coffee shop, she wasn't certain what she'd been thinking. Inviting someone, and a male someone at that, to go get coffee with her? That was pretty forward wasn't it? What if he got the right idea? And really, what idea should he even be getting? She shook her head as she pushed open the door. She was over-thinking all of this. Having a way too sweet coffee with a guy that she probably would end up working with at some point in the semi-near future wasn't something to spend all this time worrying over. She should just enjoy the experience, or at least hopefully she would enjoy the experience, and they could get to know each other a little better. That had to be of the good, right? She spotted him and waved her hand as she headed towards him, giving him a bright smile. "So, I've lured you in with promises of caramel and chocolate in a caffeinated coffee froth -- hopefully they'll deliver. Hi, I'm Buffy. I mean, I know we met on the network, but it still feels like it needs to be said." -- John Grimm was out of his depth. Oh give him a mission and the man could deliver, no matter what the odds of success were. Still ever since he arrived in Atlantis the marine just felt so out of his element. Fighting a war he could handle, and even leading a team suited Reaper fine. Yet between the constant downtime, and the uncertainty the came with being separated from his sister Samantha when she was just taken into the hospital for surgery before he was pulled into this place...well it was a lot for him to cope with. Hell ever since the mission on the UAC Mars Facility he hadn’t really been doing well. Physically the Staff Sergeant was fine. Scratch that, he was more than fine. After all being injected with the C-24 had more or less made him a superhuman; super strength, speed, reflexes, and that whole insanely fast accelerated healing thing left John in impossibly good health. No it wasn’t his physical well being that was left in question, but his emotional well being. Witnessing so many people die, watching helplessly as his team was picked off one by one, all of it had taken a toll. It was a miracle that he had managed to rescue Sam from that living nightmare, but even now he had no clue how she was doing. For a man so typically stoic and silent, these last few weeks had left him shaken to the core. However for all of that bad there seemed to be a silver lining; and it appeared in the form of Buffy. In all the years since he had lost his parents Grimm had kept himself at arm’s length from everyone around him. However the conversation the two of them had shared, and her understanding of what it meant to shoulder the burden of pain and loss...it had been a breath of fresh air. In truth the man still wasn’t sure why he had reached out and replied to her at all. He wanted to just chalk it up to the initial subject matter; having gone through the trauma that a panic attack could bring on. However the more they shared, and the more he came to realize that they seemed to share in common, it all boiled down to the fact that he could relate. Oh there were some things, and details of what she had told him, that he couldn’t quite grasp. After all there were no vampires where John came from. Yet the rest of it; the weight and burdens that only someone who lived to protect others could understand, John could understand. The offer of a frappuccino wasn’t something he ever would have gone for before, but as Reaper saw her waving at him a slight yet genuine smile touched his lips. “Hi Buffy, I’m John. As far as this frothy sweet drink goes, well I’ve never tried it before, so regardless how it turns out at least it’ll be an interesting experience.” -- "Well, hopefully I'll not have led you astray," she smiled brightly and then shrugged. It had been a while since she'd really just gone out with someone. Well, she supposed it hadn't been that long. There had been Ben, but also he'd been Glory. And that was a whole other conversation for a very different time than right now. Right. Everything at home had been keeping her sister safe and dealing with Glory. And then she'd picked up a coin and come here. And she'd mostly just been trying to get used to the staying someplace largely safe and going out to do missions elsewhere. That was… different. And while she couldn't say why she'd picked up on John's conversation, or entirely even why she invited him, she had enjoyed it. Really she'd only talked to a few people, making some girlfriends, and of course Xander, and Will when she'd been here. But this was someone completely new and different. She led the way to the counter and considered the options. "So there's mochas, and there are caramel ones, and all of them are icy with coffee, unless you go for the decaf option although I'm always a little, what's the point of that? But that's an option, but then the sweet that you add to it is up to you. And you can probably add other things too. Like, I sometimes add mint to my mocha, or chips, the mocha chip ones, that's amazing, honestly." -- That bright smile of hers was damn infectious, and his own grew automatically in response. Being sociable had never been a strength of John’s; after all it wasn’t a skill that was readily needed on the battlefield. Hell even in the barracks, during the downtimes in between deployments, he tended to just prefer keeping to himself. Granted most of the men he served with weren’t really the sort of people that anyone would really want to spend much time with. The squad was the best of the best, but the team had been selected for their combat abilities and not for their conversational skills. However as Buffy spoke up and led the way to the counter Reaper found himself feeling at ease. Oh he had no clue when it came to mochas or iced beverages, yet she seemed to be quite an expert in that particular field. So after she explained the different options John chuckled softly and found himself shrugging as he gazed over at the large list of drinks. After a moment he finally turned his eyes back to Buffy and spoke up again. “I’ve got to admit that I am clueless about all this, so I think I’ll just follow your lead here. Whatever you order will be perfectly fine with me, Buffy. But I insist on paying, since you were kind enough to extend the offer to join you.” Without hesitation Reaper pulled a small wad of cash from his pocket and set in on the counter. “So what is your stance on the baked goods here? Got a recommendation on a favorite cookie or scone?” -- Buffy hadn't expected that, but it was sort of nice of him and that in and the unexpected was nice in and of itself. It was rare enough that unexpected things ended up being nice, so she just offered him a smile and ordered for both of them, two mocha chip frappuccinos, and then she turned back to him. "My stance on baked goods is almost always positive, unless they are old, or stale, or you know mouldy. But these baked goods promise to be none of those things, so I would say, yes baked goods. Is there something you particularly like?" She looked over to the case. A set of various cakes, cheesecakes, and cookies looked appealing from trays and white plates. "How do you feel about cheesecake?" -- Oh John had been listening intently when Buffy first described the various drinks, yet when she placed the order of the mocha chip frappuccino he still had no real clue just what it was that Buffy had requested. Still the man had always been a fan of a decent cup of coffee, so he just guessed that he’d be a fan of the mocha thing to. Regardless of how it turned out, having the chance to get out and spend sometime with her was well worth trying something new. Especially when that smile of hers was directed his way. As she went on about baked goods Reaper found himself chuckling again, caught up in her unusual but interesting way of speaking. When she question about cheesecake was raised an eyebrow arched a little as John found himself actually considering it. It had been ages since he had a piece of it, and after looking over at the case for a second the man just nodded again. “What’s not to love? It’s cheese, and cake. Two great things, combined to make one really great dessert! Haven’t had a slice in a long while, but I’d be all for enjoying one again…” For a brief moment he paused to reinspect the selection inside that glass case, and at last Reaper pointed to one particular cheesecake. “Do you think that the one with the chocolate chips, and chocolate sauce, would go ok with mocha?” -- "It's official, you're my type of human," Buffy laughed as she turned to order the chocolate chip cheesecake. "Any afternoon with this much chocolate has got to be a good one." Or at least she certainly hoped that it would be. He seemed nice enough and they'd managed to find stuff to talk about on the network, so hopefully this hadn't been a terrible idea that she would end up regretting. But really, it couldn't be worse than some of the ideas she'd come up with over the years, and it seemed that it was decidedly better than most. She'd stop worrying and just get on with it. "What do you miss most from home? Or, cause that's kinda depressing I suppose, let's make it less depressing and say, if you could bring anything from home here, what it would it be?" -- It honestly surprised him; how easily he could smile and even laugh in her presence. After what felt like a lifetime of nothing but loss and constant struggle, well John had thought himself to be almost incapable such things. Yet as she laughed the man found himself smiling and laughing right along with her. “Oh I doubt I qualify as being human anymore, but I have to agree about this looking to be a good afternoon.” Before today he had never really been one for indulging his sweet tooth. Granted his old barracks really never a decent selection of desserts either, well aside from jello. Still as the barista went to get their slices of chocolate chip cheesecake the marine licked his lips in anticipation. Buffy’s questions caught him off guard, and Grimm went still for a moment as he considered it carefully. Finally his gaze returned to her eyes, and with a soft smile he offered a little shrug of his shoulders before speaking up at last. “Think the answer to both questions would be the same...my sister Samantha. She can be an annoying pain in the ass at times, but if she were here at least I’d know that she was okay.” A tiny sigh escaped John as his thoughts drifted back to the last memory he had of Sam; carrying her in his arms, blood slowly spilling down his hands as her wound continued to bleed. He had just managed to hand her off to the medics, to rush her into surgery, before Reaper spotted and picked up that damn coin that brought him here. “I...I never really had much else that I’d miss or want from home. Granted home has been a military barracks for a few years now, and I didn’t have anything in the way of personal items. Still if Sam doesn’t count then I guess I’d bring my old rifle here. Lost it on my last mission, but that weapon had been with me for a long time. Saved my life more times than I could count. What about you though, Buffy? What would you bring here if you could?” -- "You aren't a vampire are you? Cause… you know what, never mind." Buffy realized she really didn't want to get into that. If he was a vampire, well, he was an odd one because he was walking around in sunlight, and did it really matter anyway if he was fighting the good fight? Which he was, clearly, because they'd already had that conversation. Her face softened somewhat at the mention of his sister. Buffy knew how that went. After all, she had been working to save Dawn at home. And although Dawn could be terribly annoying, as basically every one of the Scoobies knew, Buffy did miss her. She reached for the frappuccino that was offered across the counter, and then the cheesecake plate with her other hand as she gave him a sympathetic smile. "Same, I mean, sister wise, not gun wise. I've got Mr Pointy anyway. But I have a younger sister, Dawn. she's not here, and despite the fact that she's really annoying, a lot, I do really miss her. Buffy took a sip of the frappuccino somewhat absently before she worked her way over to a table by the window. The sweetness was good though, as was the afternoon sun, as was really thinking about Dawn. Buffy hadn't thought about her so much here. "We were actually… well, before I came here, there was a whole thing. I guess she's alright while I'm gone though." -- When she asked if he was a vampire John didn’t laugh, or even crack a smile. If anything he seemed to actually be considering the question seriously for a moment, since the man wasn’t really sure what he was anymore. However after a moment he simply shook his head. “I don’t think so. I was injected with...well my sister just called it C-24. It sort of rewrote may genetic code and instead of having 23 pairs of chromosomes I now have 24. Still not really clear on what it all means exactly, but it more or less gave me super strength, speed, enhanced reflexes, and I heal almost instantly.” It was weird to be discussing this so freely in the open, but nothing about Atlantis was normal. Hell he was here having cheesecake and an iced coffee drink with a beautiful woman who killed monsters for a living. So normal no longer really applied. When the order was ready Reaper picked up his own drink and slice of cheesecake, yet before taking a sip of the frappuccino his focus settled on Buffy as she started to speak again. A warm but slightly sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when she mentioned her own sister, and once again Grimm was surprised by another thing they had in common. Still the mention of Mr.Pointy warranted a light laugh, and his smile lit up again. “I take it that Mr.Pointy is a wood stake of some kind?” He had never seen a vampire before, only read about them in works of fiction. However if they were real, which John no longer doubted, then a vampire slayer would probably use a stake to kill them. After following her to the table, and sitting down, the man set his plate before him and at last tried a sip of the beverage. “Damn. That’s actually really good. A bit sweeter than I’m used to, but I’ve only really ever had black coffee before. Still all in all, well looks like you were right on the nose about that frappuccino!” John’s grin faltered when he spotted the look in her eyes, that hint of sorrow and concern for the well being of her own sister. Unsure of exactly what to do or say he reached out and gently rested his hand on hers for a moment, offering a tiny squeeze of encouragement before speaking up once more. “I...I’m sure she is okay. From what I was told when we finally get out of here we should be right back to the moment when we picked up the coin or something like that. So...yeah. Still sucks not seeing them, but it has to be okay.” -- "I definitely hope so," Buffy stifled a sigh as she thought about Dawn. But if it was true that nobody noticed that they were gone, then there was a good chance that whatever happened here would happen and then she would go home where she could still save her sister. Because not doing that wasn't an option. She smiled though as she took another sip of her own frappuccino, the smile spreading back to her face as she put away the worries from home for now anyway. She might come back to them later, but she couldn't change any of it here, and she did have the option to go back home if she decided she really needed to. "It's definitely sweeter than black coffee, but I heartily prefer it," she laughed. "Black coffee is for when Giles asks me to do really boring research and I need something dreadful to keep me up and going." "This all sounds familiar though, but it's not a injection that gave me superspeed and healing and all that. Just - well, being the Slayer," she frowned. Some of the things she'd dreamed she still didn't entirely understand. She had dreamed of the First Slayer, but it hadn't been entirely clear how she had become the First. "It was kind of just - one day I woke up all Slayer-y. It's definitely a benefit when you are fighting vampires, and also for opening peanut butter." -- He echoed her sentiment of hope with a little nod, removing his hand from her own too as John reached to take a single bite of the cheesecake with a fork. For one brief moment the marine’s eyelids closed, and a single low moan of delight was heard. It took a second to realize that he had uttered the sound aloud, yet even as a dark red blush swept across his face Reaper found himself laughing again. “Okay...this is amazing cheesecake.” Honestly the man hadn’t meant to switch topics like that, but a single bite of the dessert had managed to drive all other thoughts from his mind for a second. “I’m used to eating MRE’s, and they have nothing that even comes close to this.” The mention of drinking black coffee during research caught his attention, and Grimm flashed her a grin before shaking his head a tad. “Coffee will give you a boost for a little while, but I always found that a bit of exercise and cardio actually helps keep me up and alert more than caffeine ever could.” His eyebrow arched when Buffy brought up having super speed and healing, yet even as he paused to consider her words carefully John couldn’t resist taking another tiny nibble on his slice of chocolate chip cheesecake. “I’m not really sure what to say...honestly. I mean being here has certainly opened my eyes to the fact that there were others with extraordinary abilities, but still...well it’s sort of really nice to know that I’m not alone in possessing such qualities. Truthfully at first I thought I was a freak but having these ‘gifts’, for a lack of a better term, definitely offers and edge when it comes to the mission.” The fact that she had just woken up with them one day, and the fact that Buffy seemed to bear the weight, and the loneliness of her mantle, well it sparked something within the marine. Oh it wasn’t pity he felt by any means; but a touch of sympathy, and a healthy measure of respect seemed far more accurate. “I’d...I’d say I was sorry, sorry that you have to shoulder this all. But, well after discovering what I could do...the burden sucks at times, yet I couldn’t imagine going back to a life where I couldn’t really make a difference in the lives of others. The weight of it all is still heavy as hell, but hopefully, at least while you are here, you won’t have to shoulder it all on your own.” -- Buffy couldn't help but chuckle at his obvious like of the cheese cake. It was really good and she had approved of the chocolate load in his choice. He was kinda cute maybe. Not that she'd really been looking for boys, or a boy, but… he was cute, and maybe they had a few things in common, and maybe if she wasn't completely scary Buffy she wouldn't end up messing things up and pushing him away like she seemed to do with all boys eventually. Granted, that was probably jumping the gun in a way that was akin to jumping across the Atlantic ocean or something. She really didn't have any indication that this was that kind of a date. Sure he'd paid for her food, but maybe that was just him being nice. "I used to cardio too," she pointed out easily, downing a bite of the cheesecake. "You haven't seen anything until you've seen a teenage high school girl playing eighties pop music and practicing major acrobatics in the high school library," she stuck another bite of the cheesecake in her mouth and carefully cleaned off the entire fork. "It's a wonder more people didn't figure out what was going on. In my defense the entire population of Sunnydale is incredibly... " she paused, it wasn't that they were dumb exactly, more… "They're incredibly willing to pretend that everything has a normal explanation." She sat back in her chair and sipped on the frappuccino while looking over at him. "I've gotten used to most of it, more or less, I guess. I wasn't thrilled in the first. It does kind of make it so you really have to work for a normal life." --- John had no real experience when it came to...well almost anything outside of the military. For years he’d spent nearly every single day training, studying, and fighting to be the best soldier he could be. The mission was what mattered; beyond all else. Or at least it had mattered most until he found himself being used as a pawn by the very military he had served faithfully and loyally. All that time; all the blood, sweat and tears...and Reaper found himself with nothing to show for it. Atlantis may have been strange, but at least the people here were fighting for a just cause. Yet beyond that, the folks he had met so far were also people worth fighting to protect. Within the span of only a few minutes John knew Buffy was one of those people too. The usually stoic and withdrawn man found himself enjoying her company greatly. Hell he couldn’t even recall the last time that he had really smiled before meeting her. Granted all that ingrained training had left him damn near useless when it came to social interactions, but Reaper tried his best not to put his foot in his mouth. She was practically a stranger, yet already Grimm knew that he liked the woman; she was strong yet kind, a protector who shouldered so much but still Buffy could smile and find joy in something as simple as an iced beverage. However beyond all that, he simply found it easy to be in her presence. Even after spending so long keeping the world at arm’s length, here he was laughing and sheepishly enjoying something as seemingly frivolous as a dessert. “I’ll admit that I’m curious to see just what you can do. It’s not everyday I meet someone like...well, like me. I mean...not implying that you’re like me, but that…” With a sigh John paused mid-sentence, struggling to find the right words. Yet after scratching his head the man just shrugged and tried to continue on. “I’m sorry. I am sort of crap when it comes to the talking thing. Spent so long just barely speaking, and really only using shorthand when I was with my team. What I meant to say was that I’d be interested in maybe sparring or something…maybe even just grabbing a bite to eat with you sometime.” When she spoke about people tending to pretend that everything was just fine Reaper nodded his understanding. “Most folks just cling to the normalcy of life in an effort to stay content and comfortable. Seen it happen more than a few times myself, and it still boggles the mind. As far as having a normal life though...well I get that desire. Used to feel the same way a while ago; daydreamed about just being someone or something else. Still I don’t think I could or really would trade in the life I have. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind if things were simpler at times, but after really making a difference in the lives of others...it’s hard to imagine just being some average joe who only worried about taking care of himself, instead of being the guy who put his own life on the line to keep the civilians safe from harm.” -- A smile came over Buffy's lips as she listened to him. It was kind of cute the way he was talking, and then was getting sort of befuddled at the words not sounding exactly like he wanted them to. Maybe he thought it was awkward, but Buffy kind of thought it was cute. She couldn't help but smiling. "I like eating," she grinned at him. "So yeah, I could do that. And the sparring thing too." She took another sip of her frappuccino and considered. "We could do that right now, actually. I mean if you'd like?" -- A dark red blush swept across John’s face when he saw her smile but when she agreed to grabbing a bite, and to sparring as well, the man found himself grinning too. It had been ages since he felt excited about much of anything, and the prospect of seeing her in action was thrilling to say the least. The question of going right now was met with a quick nod, but Reaper paused and glanced down at the cheesecake for a second before flashing her a soft grin. “Sounds great, but I’m patient enough to wait for us to finish off the cheesecake first if that works?” Okay, so maybe he would have just shoveled the chocolate covered dessert into his mouth if she wanted to take off right then and there, but damn if the thing wasn’t amazing. Even after saying that Grimm grabbed another forkful of the treat, and after taking a bite a tiny moan escaped him again. Yeah, this day was turning out to be far more awesome then he had ever thought possible. |