Such as they are...
Such as they are...
As hostile of an environment as Pleasant Hills (and High School) is to a new Slayer, not everybody is out to get you in this town.
Granted, PH has it's fair share of jerks, but any personalities that don't belong in our cast or our Big Book O' Bads will be detailed here.
Dig out your NPC-detector and let's take a walk.
Yeah FRIENDS may be a generous term. More like 'People That Don't Always Want Me Dead' (the revese is not necessarily true).
I'll admit, I'm a little envious of Laz's home life. Not that it doesn't have it's own unique brand of complications, but his family is really CLOSE.
Laz's dad is a cop. I've never met the guy, but he seems like pretty typical Dad material. Strict, straight-laced and involved enough in Laz's life that ihey annoy the hell out of each other. but he knows his dad will be there for him.
Then there's the OTHER part of their family. I get the impression Laz's dad doesn't know about the whole magic thing being actively practiced in the house. I think he knew Laz's mom WAS a witch, but I think he never quite believed it? Anyways, his mom and his aunt both live in the house, and there this illusionary wall int he back of their house that goes into some huge tower thing that is and isn't there (don't ask....or at least don't ask ME).
His mom and aunt have helped us out on a few occasions. Laz has the power, but THEY have the knowledge (and no small amount of power themselves). When Arthur can't find some weakness to something we're going up against or if we need a few extra options, we stop by. Laz's mom is always clear though. There's always a price to be paid with magic, and it isn't walways by the one who casts the spell....
Okay, Opal's parents are real parents, in every sense of the word.
They don't know about all the supernatural stuff, they don't know their daughter is psychic, and they DO know enough to dive out of her way when she's on the warpath.
Opal's brother was lost a year ago to a vampire attack. Opal managed to take out the vamp that did it (from what I heard the vamp fell on her broken chair as it was trying to attack her). This is why she's so determined to fight the monsters of the world right now and also probably why her parents are trying especially hard to make sure she's happy.
Okay I have no real idea about these guys, what they stand for or even how long they're here, but apparently Bastion used to hang with them sometime in his heady younger days. They showed up right after Cameron got hit with that light, saying they were here because it decided to show up in Pleasant Hills. I bet they had a great look on their faces when they found out instead of the old priest they were TOLD it was gonna hit some teenaged preppy boy got stuck with it instead....
The only member of this group I've ever met was this Italian bombshell who got all friendly with Cameron in the mall, and then seemed to be a little too familiar with Bastion. She said she'd be in town for awhile watching Preppie Boy to make sure he is worthy of having the Light of Alexandria....implying nastiness if he WASN'T. Not that either Bastion or I are too broken up by that.
The SECOND shady group that's shown up that Bastion used to belong to wtih the SECOND girl who probably used to date him. The difference is THIS one I don't entirely hate.
They showed up in town to help deal with a bit of an issue we were having. Apparently their director and Arthur used to be colleagues of some sort.
The issue was a vampire god.....the first vampire on earth. Apparently this cult is trying to wake him up...and SURPRISE! He's HERE.
This director guy said he had a onetime operative here in town....a frickin' ANGEL of all things. His description started sounding uneasily familiar, so I did some investigating of my own....and it led to Bastion.
Bastion doesn't like these people. In fact, he outright refused to come back with me until the other girl showed up. Older....pretty.....and sad. The two had history. That much I could tell.
Just before we left...I guess I got stupidly protective because I asked him who she was. All he would say is I reminded him a lot of her. GOD I hated hearing that right then. Not so much anymore I guess.
The girl and I had a little talk later, and she seemed to take it pretty weirdly when I told her what he said. Before she left she hugged me (why does everybody HUG around here?) and whispered "He's worth it." in my ear.
Huh....
Oh yeah! And there were these other two guys they called Red and Blue. One of 'em was called Abe and was some fish guy. Nice enough I suppose. He helped me beat the vampire cult's big prophet by soemhow tapping into some shared Slayer memory that let me see this vamp through the eyes of three girls who fought him and lost.
He says I'm part of some prophecy involving this first vampire and that I've already fulfilled parts of it. He even showed me the book that said it (yeah right...I read Ancient Creepy). Too bad it doesn't say I WIN.
The other one was some demon thing. HE was an ass, but tough as hell I suppose. He took a hit for me that would have broken every bone in my body (I really DO WIN sometimes! Honest!).
In the end they all packed up and left for the east coast again. The Abe guy seemed to still be interested in me for some reason...he wouldn't tell me why.
People like Brad restore my faith that humanity is screwed.
Brad is the local football quarterback. He's also the local asshead.
Admittedly the first time I saw him he was picking on Opal and then he had the gall to get all cozy with me and act like I was supposed to fall over myself giggling (I kind of shoved him a few feet down a hallway).
Brad has made me his special project since...trying to make me more miserable than I would normally be. He poured a drink on my head my first night out at The Rocket and beat the hell out of Laz when he tried to stand up to him because of it. That would be when Laz summoned the aforementioned Frickin' Vengance Demon, who he told to terrorize for awhile....maybe break a bone.
When we found Brad his legs were broken in at least 15 places. We called the demon off before it killed him, but not before I got the exreme honor of defending HIM from HER. I hate my job some days.
Cam and Brad are best buds. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. To be honest, Cam isn't as BAD as Brad is, but they both have a way of making you feel like you're scum compared to them.