She doesn’t have to strain her ears to hear what Hayley’s telling the guy, thanks to her newfound super hearing. ‘Hot girl’ especially stands out and Buffy smiles at Hayley, despite the utter failure of her first attempt at compulsion. The nonchalance and slight impatience written in Hayley’s expression certainly give her the good tingles. She’s watching a pro at work, and using her powers in the best way that she’s able. “Well see, no one told me it had to be all sexy. Therein lies my problem.”
Buffy follows Hayley’s gaze and spots a brunette woman in a fashionable dress making her way through the crowd. She reminds her of one Cordelia Chase and suddenly, Buffy’s off. Like riding a smooth… something something… straight. Got it.
“Hi.” She probably doesn’t need the introduction every time, does she? She takes the girl’s arm to draw her attention in… then she has her. “Don’t struggle. Don’t scream. You’re having a–” Out of the corner of her eye, she spots an ever so slight pulse in the girl’s neck, triggering an itch in the back of Buffy’s throat that catches her words. She tries to swallow it away and brings her eyes back to the woman. “–You’re having a great time. When I’m gone, you’re going to find a bandage for your neck, get a glass of water at the bar, then return to the party. But for now, just… don’t move.” She practically breathes out the last bit in a whisper as she gets distracted again by the girl’s pulse. She’s drawn to it and it makes her waver just as much as it makes her crave what’s just underneath her skin. Her eyes flicker back and forth between the girl’s neck and the blank, hypnotized stare, then finally to Hayley.
Will it really quench her thirst as well as Hayley says? Will it taste better than the bags? Will she be able to control herself once she starts? Her lips hover over the long stretch of bare skin. She can smell the perfume the girl put on hours ago down to the concentration. Marc Jacobs Perfect. EDP.
Though Buffy mumbles it, she knows Hayley will hear: “Stop me if I….” And before she can finish her sentence, she surges forward. In seconds, the burn at the back of her throat is soothed over as her grip on the girl’s shoulder tightens.
Oh yeah. Way, massively way better than the bags.
It takes her a minute, but Buffy gets there eventually. Hayley watches again, shoving her former victim back into the crowd of people and pushing her way through the mass of humans on the dance floor, once Buffy’s sunk her teeth into the woman’s neck. She can see it in Buffy’s stance, the way human blood fulfills a part of her that animal blood in a bag never could — and she remembers the first time she went on the hunt too: total euphoria.
Then, she stands behind Buffy for a minute, letting it all carefully sink in and simmer, watching the woman slowly relax as her blood is drained, and when she knows she’s taken just enough, Hayley carefully slides her fingers through Buffy’s hair, tucking it behind her ear. ❛ Okay. Now let her go —❜
And once the woman’s gone, surely to find that bandaid for her neck, Hayley takes her spot in front of Buffy and she’s tilting her chin now, except this time, there’s a smile on her lips. ❛ That was better. ❜ She quips, wiping her thumb on the corner of her lip to gather the blood around it. ❛ Messy. But better. ❜ And after she tastes the spilled blood on her thumb, she lets go. ❛ Having any conflicting thoughts? We can stop. Move on. Try again some other time.❜