Heavens gates wont open up for me. (Anya)

[invidia]

New York. The city of dreams, the city that never slept. It was also a city that had a very high crime rate. Especially lately.

Accordingly it was where Invidia spent alot of her time. Big city crimes were some of the most fun to pursue vengeance for. The larger the population, the more people could be affected by said wish. Watching the world burn was all strictly business. But that did not mean she couldnt enjoy it. The downside was that she had to at least attempt to fit into the human world. It was degrading in Invidia's opinion. But she found if she at least appeared to be human most other humans would foolishly trust her without question. And people wondered why she insisted that humans would be the cause of their own downfall.

Right now Invidia was smartly dressed in a business suit. Her long brown hair was held up in a neat bun and a pair of black framed glasses adorned her face for good measure. She looked every bit the insurance agent she was pretending to be. Invidia currently sat in a coffee shop across from a haunted looking man in a wheelchair.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather do this somewhere a little more private?" Invidia asked him for the second or third time. The man shook his head.

"No thank you, Miss Davis-"

"Really Miles, call me Vidia."

"..Vidia. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I want to...I want to pretend that this is just another normal day, that Im just going out for coffee like I usually do..."

Invidia looked down at the paper in front of her. This man was a tricky one. He kept going back and forth between anger and self-pity. To tell the truth, she was growing frustrated. But she had to keep her cool. Had to give him that push into the longing for revenge she knew he had. "That's fine, Miles." said Invidia tersely. "But these are the facts. A drunk driver hit you. Almost took your life. And then just...kept driving. And now you're alone. You can pretend all you want, but that driver put you in a wheelchair. This money is the only thing you have left, but unless you take this seriously you may be left without even that."

She watched Miles look away. Invidia let an expression of sympathy take over her features. "It's my job to be frank." She said more softly now. "To settle these things. I...I'm sorry." In a way she was sorry. It was a vengeance demon's job to become impassioned on the behalf of her "clients". But all she wanted now, was to wreak vengeance on this criminal who was the reason that this man would never walk again. But Miles had to want it too.

Miles was silent for a long time. He seemed to be struggling with words. Invidia watched him closely as he blinked a couple of times. He looked down at his wheelchair, and then back up at her.

"You don't have to be sorry." He said to her. "You're not the bastard that did this."

It had taken a good hour of prodding, but Invidia could sense that she was finally close. "No, I'm not. And if there was someway I could help you, then I would. But right now all I can do is settle your claim." She stared at him intently and he met her gaze. Looked away, and began to say,

"I...I just wish..."

Invidia smiled...

[Anya]

Anya had only been trying to mind her own business and enjoy her breakfast, really. All she'd wanted was to sneak in a bagel and a cup of orange juice before really beginning her day, but of course she couldn't even accomplish something like that in peace. There was always some sort of trouble preventing her from relaxing...and oddly enough, she seemed to be finding most of it in coffee shops these days. It was completely, utterly ridiculous. Weren't there supposed to be superheroes in New York? Like, real superheroes, not formerly evil bunny-fearing demons? She'd be willing to bet there was some guy with radioactive spider-powers scaling a building right now; why couldn't he handle all of this scary, weird-o freaky?

Of course, referring to the current situation as scary, weird, or freaky would be a bit hypocritical of her. Because Anya had seen all of this many times before. She'd lived it, actually, a million times over. That lust for vengeance, the pleasure of feeding off a human's radiating grief and fury, pushing said human into the all-too temping lull of revenge with wonderfully horrific results...watching it all play out again right before her eyes sent a shiver down Anya's spine.

At first, she hadn't been completely certain she knew what was going on between the man and the demon at the table behind her's. She hadn't even been paying them much mind; evidently it was just some insurance claim that needed to be settled on behalf of the man in the wheelchair. But the longer she sat so close to them, the more aware she became that there was definitely something off about the woman who claimed to be an insurance agent. There was something...dark about her, and all too familiar. The way she became more involved in the man's personal affairs than a normal insurance agent would, the way she so carefully goaded his anger when it would've been more professional to avoid the subject altogether...

Something was wrong. Very wrong. And Anya had a horrible feeling that she knew exactly what it was.

The only question now was, should she intervene? She knew better than anyone how ugly things could get when one attempted to get between a vengeance demon and her target, but...if this man was tempted into making a wish, he could potentially destroy not only his own life, but countless others. It would be easier to just walk away from this, but...damn it! There was that whole 'guilty conscience' thing again.

"I...I just wish..."

At that moment, Anya sprung up from her chair, and with a flick of her wrist sent her cup of orange juice flying. It landed with a thunk on the table behind her, its contents spilling all over the table's surface and the 'insurance agent's' paperwork.

"Oops! Sorry! Must be my...Twitchy...Hands...Syndrome, acting up again." she blurted, blinking innocently at the pair.

[invidia]

They were interrupted before Miles could get the rest of his wish out. Someone had dropped their drink, spilling orange juice all over the table in a bright splash. Invidia immediately jumped out of her seat to avoid the mess. But now the whole table was dripping with the sticky drink. All of her papers were ruined, and Miles was now sputtering as he tried to dab with a napkin at his splashed shirt. A few onlooking customers laughed and clapped at the affair, which only increased Invidia's anger. Invidia was incensed as she looked around for the clumsy culprit.

A blonde woman with a seemingly sweet demeanor was standing nearby. Invidia rounded on her as she apologized and smiled innocently at them. *Twitchy hands syndrome? Is this a JOKE?* Invidia thought as she stared coldly at the woman. Meanwhile Miles was slowly wheeling away from the table. He seemed to sense the tension as he looked from one demon to the other.

"Excuse me. I should go try to get cleaned up." He muttered, wheeling away towards the bathroom.

It was official. Her task was ruined. She was so close to getting him to make a wish, and now it was all ruined! Invidia's temper began to build as she sized up the one responsible. A seemingly normal woman, and yet Invidia could sense something dark about her. This woman's intervention had come at an all too convenient time. Invidia more than suspected that it was hardly an accident. In fact she barely restrained herself from lunging into a fight then and there. But even she realized that this would earn a lot of unwanted attention in a place like this.

But if this woman had intervened on purpose then Invidia wanted to know exactly how she knew what was going on. Little did she know she was currently faced with who had been one of the most acclaimed vengeance demons in their race's history.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldnt tear you apart for that little stunt. And make it quick." Invidia hissed in a low voice.

[Anya]

"'Bye!"

Her tone was light-hearted and chipperly sweet as she waved to the retreating human man; really she did feel a bit guilty about pouring orange juice all over a guy in a wheelchair, but all things considered? It was for the best. As soon as he was out of sight, however, Anya returned her gaze to the other vengeance demon before her, her expression changing from blithe to carefully contemplative. This demon was not happy she'd been interrupted on the job, and Anya, who could remember the feeling well, knew enough to be a bit wary here. She remained perfectly motionless as the brunette turned on her, gritting out a furious threat as she advanced. Right. Demonic cat-fight in a crowded cafe. That would go over well. None the less, Anya met her hostile gaze steadily.

Tear her apart? It wasn't the most creative threat she'd ever heard leave a vengeance demon's mouth, and Anya was guessing that it had been said out of sheer, impulsive anger. Just going off her reaction alone, the blonde would guess that this particular demon was fairly young...though, to be fair, she wasn't acquainted with her fellow demonic peers these days. "Well, I could give you a couple, if that's what you really want. All of which pertaining to the fact that it would end very badly. For you." From anyone else, these words might've been a threat, but for Anya it was merely an earnest claim of self-confidence, and there was nothing remotely sinister about the smile she offered her counterpart.

Still, while she was outwardly remaining pleasant enough, inwardly the blonde was grimly debating how best to handle this situation. She most certainly couldn't step aside and allow this demon to continue her work here, but if it came to convincing her to do otherwise there might actually have to be a fight.

Well, not in here there wouldn't be. Not if it was at all possible to avoid it. Taking the other vengeance demon's arm as if they were old friends (partly to quell the suspicious looks they were getting from the other customers, and...partly just to annoy this chick), Anya nodded to the door and spoke quietly. "Humans have this annoying tendency to eavesdrop,"...Coming from her... "So, why don't we take a little walk outside? Enjoy the sunshine, take in the sights, discuss all things vengeance-y...no hard feelings, right?" As she rambled, her free hand lightly came up to her neck and tugged her little jade amulet free of the shirt she'd concealed it under. To most it wasn't an action that suggested anything more than a girl absentmindedly fidgeting with her jewelry, but to a vengeance demon it was a different story entirely...

[invidia]

"Well, I could give you a couple, if that's what you really want. All of which pertaining to the fact that it would end very badly. For you."

Invidia sent the blonde a deadly glare. Who the hell did she think she was? Didnt she know she was talking to a vengeance demon? Invidia was starting to get the feeling that this woman wasnt as human as she appeared to be, but whatever kind of demon or higher being she was she clearly did not know who she was dealing with. Outwardly Invidia remained calm even though her temper was quickly rising. The only thing that gave away her fury was the look in her eyes. She was going to show this woman that vengeance demons were creatures to fear.

But maybe not in here. If Invidia blew her human identity then she would never find business in New York again. Even as she thought this the blonde woman seemed to think the same thing. Invidia stood rigidly as she took her arm. She was completely unamused by this display, but she realized that with all the alarming looks they were getting it was better to play nice for now. She gritted her teeth, seething to boiling point.

Then the other woman said something about vengeance. Invidia was actually surprised that she had been called out without hesitation and her glare only intensified as she turned to stare at the other girl. If they weren't surrounded by so many people, she would have quickly silenced such insolence. Then she realized that the blonde was doing something with her other hand. Pulling a small necklace out from under her top and into sight. No, not a necklace. Invidia's eyes widened as she recognized it. An amulet. The immediately recognizable source of power for a vengeance demon.

Now everything was piecing together, or so Invidia thought. She had invaded, had tried to find a victim on territory that another vengeance demon had already claimed. Some of her anger gave way to shock.

But not much. Invidia wanted answers right now. Not paying any mind to the other citizens she forcefully pulled the blonde out of the cafe with her. Her demeanor was cold and stormy as she stepped away from the other demon and turned to analyze her once they were a safe distance from any onlookers.

"Who are you." Invidia demanded quietly. She was surprised and she was angry but she also couldnt deny that she was a little bit curious.

[Anya]

Her not-so-subtle little clue-in seemed to have worked, if the other demon's reaction to it was anything to go by. Suddenly the other woman seemed less concerned about avenging her ruined fun and more concerned with finding out exactly who had ruined said fun. Well, at least that was a step up. Without uttering so much as a word, Anya passively allowed herself to be led out of the cafe and into the streets of New York, pausing only when the brunette whirled around to face her at last. Questions, undoubtedly, were forthcoming...and Anya surveyed the irritable demon inquisitively as she waited for them.

The question of who she was was predictable enough, but it didn't make it any easier to answer. Nervously, she brushed a few strands of golden hair behind her ear as the confrontation took place--this was unusual in itself, a vengeance demon picking up a human's habits of anxiety, but Anya clearly had. The truth was, she wasn't sure how much would be safe to tell this stranger. She imagined that she wasn't exactly popular in the demonic community lately; not if D'Hoffryn had been spreading around talk of her 'betrayal'. But then again, if she refused to state her identity, this demon would probably report back about having met an unidentified vengeance demon in New York City, which would most certainly pique D'Hoffryn's interest. Either way, it didn't look like she had much choice.

Looking the brunette squarely in the eye, she spoke. "My name is Anya. Formerly known as Anyanka, Patron Saint of Scorned Women, and you know something? You never realize how pretentious those titles sound until you really think about them." Anya commented, unable to keep a bit of amusement from edging her tone. Though now she was bordering on rambling, which was always a sure sign that she was feeling a little on-edge. "And I'm sorry I had to interrupt you back there, but don't have to worry about doling out vengeance in New York. Really. I've got it covered. So if you could just, um, be on your way...that'd be great, miss...?"

Anya trailed off, suddenly aware that she had no name to call this other demon by. And, while extending their conversation at this point really wasn't the wisest thing she could have done, once again her curiosity trumped her common sense. "...Actually, you don't look familiar. We haven't met, have we?" she asked, leaning a bit closer to the brunette and narrowing her eyes as if to scrutinize her.

[invidia]

Invidia froze as soon as the other demon mentioned her name. Anyanka. Of course that name would be familiar to her, it would be familiar to any self-respecting vengeance demon. Anyanka had been one of the most powerful, talented and merciless of their kind. Rumored to be D'Hoffryn's favorite, his protegee. Sure, Invidia heard the stories. But those stories always ended with Anyanka's disappearance. Even death. How could it be possible that the very same demon was standing before her today?

Invidia was growing more and more tense as her suspicion rose. This woman could not be who she said she was. For one thing her personality did not match up at all to anything Invidia had heard. Anyanka was haughty, cold, even cruel. This woman was firm, but bright and even cheerful. It just didnt fit. Invidia could tell that this other woman was a vengeance demon from her neckless, but for some reason she was trying to lie about which demon she was. Maybe she was trying to gain some prestige? Or just scare Invidia into listening to her? Well if that was the case it was not going to work. Invidia did not appreciate being deceived, and her pride would not allow it. This demon had interrupted her work, ruined her chances of gaining a wish, and was now playing games with her.

Invidia lifted her chin proudly when the other demon asked for her own name. "I am Invidia." She replied coolly. "And you...are lying to me." With that she disappeared, teleporting directly beside the blonde. From what Invidia could tell she didnt seem to possess any of the grim, fearsome nature of an average vengeance demon. This fight would be quick. The instant she reappeared she grabbed the other woman's arm and twisted it painfully. Enough for it to break if the blonde did not do something to prevent it first. And then Invidia aimed to fling the other demon violently out onto the pavement.

[Anya]

Vengeance demons...Anya knew better than almost anyone that they could be very tricky to deal with. Stubborn, powerful, and very easily angered - these were three qualities that did not, as a rule, make a safe combination. Still, from what she could tell (and while her assumptions about humans mostly could all be labeled 'FAIL', her assumptions about demons were usually pretty dead-on) this one seemed to be relatively young. Perhaps that was why Anya had taken a fairly soothing, semi-maternal approach as opposed to the rather cross, wary one that would've been instinctive. "Okay. Well it's very nice to meet you, Invidia, but-"

Hold on a minute. Lying? Anya's eyes narrowed in confusion, but before she could formulate a response the other vengeance demon had vanished on the spot. Immediately, the blonde tensed - it'd only taken her a second to realize what was happening - but even that wasn't enough time to allow her to react to what happened next. Suddenly Invidia was at her side, grabbing forcefully onto Anya's arm, and--*SNAP* The sickening crack of bones breaking sliced the air milliseconds before a burst of pain ran up her arm. Oh, fuck....okay. That had hurt. Gritting her teeth, Anya was only vaguely aware of Invidia's next move to throw her off her feet - but in a situation like this, 'vaguely aware' was enough for an instinctive reaction to kick in. The vengeance demon snapped out her good arm in an abrupt waving motion toward the brunette, an action that released a burst of spontaneous telekinesis that would hopefully send her opponent flying.

Sheesh. Sometimes she felt like this whole 'accelerated healing' thing was a rip off if she could still feel every ounce of pain quite acutely. With a grimace the blonde took hold of her broken arm, and in an action that would probably be a bit disturbing to anyone distinctly non-demonish, snapped the bone back into place. "Do not," she breathed, beginning to compose herself. "Do. That. Again." And that was the only warning she was getting - Anya's expression had darkened slightly into an irritable glare, but she made no move to attack the other demon again. Yet, anyway. Though what she did do was take a few wary steps closer to Invidia, her shoulders stiff with unease.

"Look. I get it. D'Hoffryn expects you to create your share of chaos, and you're under a whole lot of pressure..." She knew only too well how rough that could be, but she wasn't about to step aside just because she sympathized with the brunette a bit. "But here's the problem. You're running around trying to achieve said chaos here in New York - which is just really, really inconsiderate considering I'll probably end up taking the blame for it - and you broke my arm, and you've accused me of lying." She glared sternly for a moment, before arching an eyebrow slightly. "I don't lie. I kind of suck at lying. So I don't." Not that Invidia really had any reason to believe her, but at the moment that wasn't what Anya was most concerned about. If she wanted to go on believing Anya was dead, and that meant that the rest of the demonic community did too...well, that was fine by her!

"But I'm not asking you to believe me," she continued with a light shrug. "I'm asking you to leave. Because otherwise we're going to have to fight, which is gonna be really tedious and messy - and do you have any idea how long it took to get my hair to look this good?" Anya pouted slightly, lightly touching the end of the light wavy locks that fell a little way past her shoulders. Yeah, that last part was probably the humanity talking - hey. This 'emotions' thing couldn't be good all the time...

[invidia]

Invidia tried to prepare herself for the sudden counter attack, but there wasnt much she could do to protect herself as Anya's magic sent her flying backwards. She landed ungracefully about five or six yards away, crashing hard onto the ground. Invidia lay on the concrete, briefly stunned. She was aware of the other demon approaching her, warning her. Spitefully she turned her eyes on the other demon. In that moment the woman seemed deadly serious, even actually formidable. The look in her eyes at that moment made Invidia realize that what she was saying just might be possible. If the power and control behind that telekinetic attack was anything to go by, Anya was not new at this game. But did that necessarily mean that she was telling the truth?

Invidia furiously sprung back up to her feet, ready to face another attack if one was coming. But Anya seemed to just want to talk. She mentioned the pressures that Invidia was under working for D'Hoffryn. This was true, she couldnt deny it. If Invidia or any vengeance demon for that matter, did not work to the point of their leader's satisfaction there was always hell to pay. But that wasn't the only reason Invidia did what she did. She committed herself to her work because it was what humanity deserved. Vengeance. They all deserved it in the end. And she was proud to instigate it.

"I'm not going anywhere. Unless you want to try and make me." Invidia challenged with her tone dripping with hostility. She didn't care who this demon was, Invidia wasn't about to take orders from her. She paused and looked the blonde up and down, sizing her up and trying to decide what to do next. This wasnt the Anyanka she'd heard stories about. But she was a vengeance demon, apparantely a very powerful one at that. She seemed confident of who she was whatever Invidia thought of her. And then there was the fact that Invidia had not been told that there was another vengeance demon working in New York. Which she should have known if it was someone else working for D'Hoffryn. Could it be possible that this woman was telling the truth?

"How can you be alive?" Invidia asked aloud before she could stop herself.

[Anya]

Make her? Anya couldn't help but roll her eyes, becoming somewhat impatient with this little game. She really hadn't wanted this to end in a fight, but if that was what it was going to take to get Invidia to hit the road...then she might have to pencil in a little catfight to today's itinerary after all. She bit her lip a little, staring thoughtfully over at her fellow demon. Invidia was impulsive, angry, and apparently a bit reckless...but she was also undoubtedly fully in touch with her demonic nature. Anya, on the other hand, could make no such claim. If it came to a fight...would she be able to recall enough technique to take on someone who honed her dark skills each and every day?

She snorted softly. Whatever. She was eleven hundred and something years old, and had formerly been the best at her game. Reformed or not, hell if she was going to be taken down by a rookie.

But she could see something other than hostility and disbelief in the brunette's eyes - something almost like...curiosity? Could it be that a part of Invidia actually believed her? Apparently so, judging from the other demon's next question. Oh boy. Here we go. It seemed, for whatever reason, that D'Hoffryn actually hadn't informed his followers that he'd given Anya life again - perhaps because of some begrudging sense of shame that, once again, he'd failed to control her? She shook her head exasperatedly at the thought; that was one life she was certainly glad to leave behind. "He told you I was dead?"she inquired with the arch of an eyebrow and a small smile. "Well, I mean - technically I was. Sliced riiiight down the middle by a Harbringer's sword. While trying to protect a human. Did he tell you that part? Hurt like a bitch..." It'd actually probably been the worst pain Anya'd ever experienced in her long life, the fact that she'd been human when it happened making it all the more real.

"But trying to kill a vengeance demon is like trying to get those irritating uniformed girl scouts to stop coming to your doorstep. I swear I've told those little cultists a million times that I'm not interested in exchanging my money for their sugar-y, calorie-packed cookies..." Her light brown eyes narrowed in irritation as she was reminded of this,letting out a slightly indignant sigh. Oh...wait. Oops. She was rambling...again. Clearing her throat quickly, Anya snapped her gaze back to Invidia. "Uh, but my point is...we just keep coming back. But you know that by now, right?" She blinked curiously at the brunette, wondering exactly how much experience Invidia did have under her belt. Though she seemed young, it was already easy to tell that she'd all been completely desensitized from...the softer ranges of human emotion. Not that Anya could really blame her - it really was easy to forget when you had all of that rage combined with so much power. So easy...

"How long have you been doing the whole vengeance thing, anyway?" she voiced her next question, her tone softening a fraction.

[invidia]

Invidia let out a cold laugh. "A Harbringer? D'Hoffryn did tell us that you died in The First's siege." She said as she eyed Anya bitterly. "But if you really are Anyanka, then you have scorned our kind. And if you are not, then you have scorned her memory. The demon I heard so many stories about would not give her life to protect a human." Invidia's voice held all the ice of a winter lake. She looked contemptuously upon Anya. Humans were not worth saving. No race so self-destructive were worthy of any such thing. And it was a fact that all vengeance demons knew well.

Anya was right about the part about vengeance demons being hard to kill though. Although the girl scouts reference was kind of lost on Invidia. She glared suspiciously, wondering what this other demon was getting at. If Anyanka really was alive, why had D'Hoffryn never said anything? Why had no one heard from this demoness since? "Let's say for a moment, that I believe you. Then why havent you come back? If you have made any contact with the demonic world since then, I have yet to hear about it." Said Invidia with a blatantly accusatory tone.

Invidia was taken aback by the next question. Why was this woman asking? She was unsure of what would happen when her answer was given but she replied warily, "Fifty years." Even less of that time had been spent actually doing her work. Thanks to the years of training that she went through. But Invidia wasn't actually about to mention that part. She narrowed her eyes. "But if you think that means I'm foolish enough to let you walk away from here...you are wrong." She said, instantly assuming that Anya would try and take advantage of this information. Despite her youth Invidia was not about to stand by and be walked all over. D'Hoffryn still questioned her abilities sometimes, and now was her perfect chance to prove herself to him. Bringing in a rogue vengeance demon would do just that.

Without warning she teleported away in the blink of an eye, then reappeared just behind Anya. "Let's see what D'Hoffryn thinks of your story." Invidia hissed before grabbing the other demon and teleporting again.

Destination.....hell.

[Anya]

Quite frankly, Anya was starting to get a bit tired of having the whole 'aww you used to be such a bad-ass, too bad you suck now!' card played against her. She frowned slightly at the brunette standing a little ways away from her, trying not to appear as though those words had irritated her too much. Of course, Anya was many things...but subtle was not one of them. "I didn't die for him," she shot back tersely; because really? Sacrificing herself for Andrew? That irritating, nerdy, lovable geek of a human shield? Well...she...that was besides the point, but she hadn't died fighting for him alone. "I didn't even WANT to die in the first place. But I fought because... because..." Because humanity was worth fighting for? However much she might believe that, she was fairly certain that Invidia might laugh in her face if she voiced these sentiments aloud. Her eyes narrowing again, she quickly changed tracks. "The point is, you said it yourself. All you've heard, Invidia, are stories. So don't pretend to know anything about me." Seriously, if all these demons kept gossiping about her behind her back she was going to have to march right down to hell and set all these stories straight. Even if D'Hoffryn sent her up in flames a-la Hallie, she was thinking it'd be worth it.

At present, Invidia seemed to be proposing a hypothetical situation in which she actually believed what Anya told her...and at this idea, the blonde's anger vanished just as quickly and randomly as it had come. Quite abruptly, her expression brightened. "Orrrr we could say you believe me for more than a moment! Maybe, like, forever? ..Or at least until a few weeks pass and I inevitably run into some meaner, scarier demon to worry about dealing with..." But her rambling was getting a little off-topic; the important thing to answer here was why she hadn't made contact with the demonic world. Anya supposed she should have seen that one coming, but she really hadn't been looking forward to explaining it. Then Invidia was going to get even grumpier, and start tossing around nasty little words like 'traitor' and 'domesticated' and...well. They weren't going to be nice things. Anya was pretty sure of that. "Um. In case you haven't clued in yet - I don't do demon-y things anymore. I go to coffee shops. I worry about how my hair looks. I...yell at unreasonably hostile vengeance demons who try to trick people into granting wishes in front of me." She nodded pointedly in Invidia's direction, and then to simplify: "I'm retired. I don't think D'Hoffryn really wants to hear from me." Not since she'd thrown breakable glass objects at his head and told him on no uncertain terms that she was never working for him again, anyway...

But realistically, she knew she couldn't really expect the other demon's loyalty to waver. Invidia had only been doing this for fifty years, an outrageously short amount of time when you compared it to how long some other demons had been around. Whatever reason the brunette had agreed to become a demon in the first place, whatever pain she had experienced - she was still probably...less than over it. And Anya wasn't really sure how to reason with her. With a small sigh, she took a step toward Invidia and made an attempt to at least ease some of the tension between them. "Okay. That's...that's good. You still have time to get ou--"

And then just like that, Invidia was...gone?!

Anya blinked. Okay. Or she could leave. That was fine too--WHAT THE?!

There was a soft pop, and the blonde demon stiffened, immediately aware of the very hostile presence that had suddenly manifested behind her. It might just have been enough to catch her off-guard...except that Invidia made the mistake of snarling a few ominous words at her before actually acting. Just as the other demon grabbed her, Anya closed her eyes and instinctively made her own attempt to teleport - somewhere, anywhere that wasn't where Invidia was planning on dragging her.

Except...it was odd. She'd never quite experienced something like it before, actually. Usually when she teleported, there was a very distinct sensation of being shoved forward in one direction, but this time it was almost like...being pulled in two? It was very, very unusual, and the effect was a little dizzying - and Anya immediately decided that she didn't like it. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, however, than her feet suddenly touched solid ground again. Quite bewildered by this point, the vengeance demon tentatively opened her eyes again to survey her surroundings with anxious brown eyes.

There was mist. Lots and lots of mist. And a great, towering stone wall just behind them, and...well, she couldn't discern much more than that because she could barely see a damn thing! It...didn't exactly look like hell, but it certainly didn't look like any place in New York either. In fact, she was pretty sure it didn't look like any place she'd ever seen before; didn't even feel like any place she'd ever seen before. Something was wrong.

That was the first coherent thought to form in Anya's mind. And the second? The second was that currently, Invidia was still latched onto her arm...and as she registered this, she suddenly became very aware of exactly what the brunette had just attempted to do. With a half-panicked, half-angry yelp, the bunny-fearing demon twisted around and threw her adversary off her, half-attempting to throw her into the stone wall but really just trying to get enough distance between them as possible. "You...you underhanded, evil...numbskull!" Anya hissed at her half-hysterically, though managing to keep her voice down...because really, who knew what was lurking out there in the mist. "Where in God's name did you take us?! This...looks like a set from a bad monster movie!" Tearing her gaze from the other demon for a moment, she cast another desperate look around her in search of something...anything that seemed even vaguely familiar.

[invidia]

Invidia stared levelly at the other demon. There was a conviction with which she spoke, Invidia didnt really get the feeling that she was lying. But it was still difficult to place her trust on a gut feeling. And if this was Anyanka, then why was she claiming that she'd retired? What vengeance demon in their right mind would stop doing what they did best? It was a betrayal to everything that Invidia had learned in the last fifty years. She didnt know whether to feel angry or confused. D'Hoffryn would be able to sort this out and discover the real truth. So instead of hesitating or asking one of the many questions that came to mind, Invidia launched her attack.

But everything did not go as smoothly as she hoped. At first she thought that she had surprised Anya enough to not give the blonde a chance to fight back. But as she teleported, Invidia was aware of something...off. Some strange sensation that she had never encountered before. It was like her teleportation had been weakened, like it was being pulled back by some other force. Invidia fought off the spell of dizziness that briefly overtook her as her feet hit solid ground, and her grip on Anya's arm loosened slightly.

Anya took this opportunity to throw her off. Invidia didnt get a chance to realize what was happening before Anya twisted around and threw her into a wall of sheer stone behind them. The wind was knocked out of the brunette as her back hit the wall with a painful crack, and she slowly slid down to the ground. This in addition to the dizziness was more than enough to stun Invidia for a moment. But her eyes were dark with rage when she finally opened them again. She was more than ready to finish the fight that they had started earlier. But as she pushed herself to her feet, Invidia finally noticed just what a bizarre place theyd found themselves in.

It was not anything close to resembling D'Hoffryn's hell realm. Or any part of hell really. It was just rocks and bare, empty space. Well actually that last part was kind of hard to tell, with all the fog around who knew how empty this place was...

Invidia looked around in confusion. She'd never been to a place like this before and she wasnt sure how to immediately react. What had gone wrong? It was then that she became aware that Anya was snarling at her, accusing her of causing this. Invidia rounded on the other demon indignantly. "This was not my doing!" She spat back. "I...this. This wasn't where I was trying to take us. I don't even know where we are." She took another look out into the fog. Who knew what could be out there, watching them right now. She definitely did not like being in a strange place with unknown (if any) inhabitants, and not a clue in the world where she was or what to do. How had this happened?

She looked at Anya again. Suddenly, everything clicked. That pulling sensation...like they were trying to go in two directions at once. "Did you try to teleport back there? At the same moment I did?"

[Anya]

Great. This was just...great. As if she didn't already have enough to deal with right now. With a soft, dubious huff at Invidia's words, she stalked away from the other demon and a little further out into the mist. Besides the vague, shadowy shapes of more rock formations, she couldn't see anyone or anything worth noting. It would seem, for the moment, that they were alone. And...Anya wasn't sure whether to consider that a good thing or a bad thing.

"Of course this isn't where you meant to take us." she retorted over her shoulder, glancing back to shoot Invidia an irritable glare. The brunette admittedly looked almost as bewildered as Anya was feeling at the moment, which certainly didn't help matters any. "I know what you meant to do, Invidia. You thought you'd earn yourself some brownie points with D'Hoffryn by turning in a fugitive, isn't that right?" Scornfully, the blonde turned back to face her reluctant companion, her head tipped inquisitively to the side. Not that there was really any question about it - she'd heard Invidia's threatening words from earlier loud and clear. She was simply mildly curious to see how the other demon would respond to it being thrown back in her face.

It was then, though, that Invidia mentioned teleportation - and Anya's disdainful expression froze in place. Well, yes, she had attempted to teleport...but had merely assumed she hadn't been quick enough to cancel out Invidia's. It occurred to her, however, that perhaps she'd been quick enough after all, except that 'canceling it out' wasn't exactly what had ended up happening. "I...well, yes." Anya managed after a pause, her agitated frown gradually turning to one of confusion instead. "But that was - I mean, I didn't think that I..." But she had, apparently. And slowly all of this was beginning to make sense to her.

"You tried taking us to hell," she murmured with dawning comprehension, warily meeting Invidia's icy gaze. "And at the same time, I - I tried to teleport away to...well, some place on earth." That seemed to be the basic gist of what had happened, from what Anya could gather. And if this was in fact the case, she was finally beginning to clue in here. Not that anything like this had ever happened to her before - and not that she'd even heard of anything like this happening in the many centuries she'd been a demon - but it seemed like all of this supernatural stuff could still manage to surprise her. "So maybe we're somewhere in between? Some...sort of purgatory dimension, like...I don't know, vengeance demon limbo, o-or..." She paused in her theorizing as something else occurred to her. It only made sense for them to leave the same way they'd come, right? Seemed like a simple enough fix.

So with a small shrug, the blonde decided that there was little point in wasting any more time here. Though this place, whatever it was, wasn't the foulest of dimensions she'd ever visited...it certainly wasn't the most pleasant either. "Well. Anyway. I suppose this is the part where we go our separate ways. You conveniently forget that I'm still alive, and I'll conveniently forget that you just more or less tried to kill me!" With a confident smile as if this were the most logical plan in the world, Anya gave the other demon a cheery little wave in farewell before teleporting away.

...Scratch that. Trying to teleport away. It didn't exactly...work out that well. As in, she was left standing in the exact same spot she'd been in before. Blinking, Anya cast a puzzled glance around, closed her eyes, and tried again.

....Aaaand nothing.

"What the - ?" Was she losing her powers? She couldn't lose her powers - not again! Being human was fun and all, but when you managed to run into as many crazy evil people as Anya tended to it was also very, very dangerous. Struggling not to become alarmed too quickly, the vengeance demon lifted her hand to her neck and immediately touched the little jade amulet again. "I swear if this thing's chosen now to get all screwy on me - can you get warranties on these things?!"

[invidia]

Invidia didn't like the tone of accusation in Anya's voice. "It's nothing less than you deserve, traitor." She spat venomously back. "You think you can just turn your back on us and join up with those humans? If D'Hoffryn doesn't kill you for it, I will."

She was angry. Fixing for a fight. and she wanted to say more. But then Anya told how she too had attempted to teleport, except obviously not to the same place that Invidia did. Indivia stopped to listen to the other demon's theory about how their combined efforts couldve landed them in some place that neither of them wanted to be. "So how do we get out?" Invidia demanded. As far as she was concerned getting out of here was the most important thing now. It didnt even really matter where they were. She wondered if teleporting would work. That was how they got here so maybe that was how they could get out again. It might be worth a try. She waited to see whether it would work for Anya. The blonde was obviously trying to leave, but was unsuccessful. Nothing happened as she tried to teleport. Invidia would have smirked at her frustration if the fact that teleporting was impossible here didnt disturb her greatly.

"Teleporting between dimensions is usually impossible. What happened to us was just a fluke. Maybe its not working because your intended destination is another dimension" She tried to be reasonable by suggesting this, even though she didnt feel very reasonable right now. Invidia thought for a minute and frowned. "Maybe if we tried to recreate what we just did. Teleport in two different directions. Invidia was still going to hold true to her promise to make Anya suffer for going rogue, make no mistake. But it would be foolish to rule out the possibility that the other demon might prove useful while they were here. The only shot they had at getting out of here was probably if they stuck together.