The first place you could think of? (open)

[ahriman]

Jimmy took a deep breath and squeezed Anya's hand as tightly as he dared while quickly thinking of things that relaxed him. Which was significantly harder than he thought it would be, as his mind kept swinging back round to things like "I can regenerate from THAT" but eventually he managed to focus on something calming which was neither water ("I can survive a drowning and being torn at by a Fishman Ahri") or money ("I can survive being thrown into a minting press") but was actually Anya herself. Her blunt style of speech, complete honesty. And she was kinda pretty, but he was still relegating that to the back of his mind. Either way, ignoring the demon part he believed her when she said he'd be fine. And along the list he'd gone through he remembered surviving in a desert for a while.

He screwed his eyes up tightly and held his breath as he felt the rush of air. The last sound he heard was footsteps of people moving in the kitchen before he opened his eyes somewhere completely different, and a few feet in the air. He found himself floating and noticed that he'd transformed in mid-transit and at some point must have let go of Anya's hand. Lowering himself to the ground, he reverted again and noticed that the cat had stayed asleep happily enough. Which then made him wonder if they were one of the animals that liked him, it did seem arbitrary some times..

Glancing around the appartment, it looked quite nice and well furbished but lacking in a few things. Like, mess. Jimmy had lived on his own for many years and in his experience no appartment was ever this clean there was always spare dust motes or a book lying around but Anya's was... pretty much flawless. Credit where it's due, he was actually impressed. He was bad at cleaning, and this level of spotless was something he could only dream of. He absent mindedly slipped his shoes off and put them them against a wall, he would've left them at the door as per his mother's old instructions but the situation didn't really give the chance. Speaking of the situataion...
"I'm OK, are we still in New Jersey? I just want an idea of how... how fast that was" he was a little surprised that they'd gone so far so fast and upon thinking about it it might explain why he transformed just out of sheer terror. His body seemed more alert to things than he did sometimes...

"So, Anya... what now? I think I need to look into any kinds of world destroying evil in these parts do you have any idea where I could find some?" Jimmy wished he could think of good ways to ask these questions...

[Anya]

So, being faced with the sight of a demonic entity floating in your living room? Not exactly a normal occurrence for most people...so when her reaction to Jimmy's mid-teleport transformation was merely to blink once and tilt her head slightly, Anya was pretty sure it was safe to call her life 'crazy'. Though given the fact that she had just teleported them into this room, that realization was long overdue...

She shrugged these thoughts away, her smile returning as Jimmy reverted back to his human self. It wasn't unexpected, really -- in fact as far as Anya was concerned, Jimmy's was a relatively composed reaction for one who wasn't used to teleporting long distances. As he reassured her that he was alright, the demon brightened and quickly forgot most of her anxiety. "Nope, this is New York City alright! ...Well, the inside of an apartment in New York City, but you get the idea." She motioned briefly to her surroundings for emphasis, though the chipper little smile she wore had more to do with the fact that she'd safely teleported her new-found friend such a distance than it did her actually taking pride in her home.

Still, she couldn't completely ignore any sense of hospitality. "Um, so! Make yourself at home! ..Would you like something to drink? I have water and soda and...some form of alcohol, might make you feel better about the whole teleporting thing..." Anya was pretty much just going through the motions of a human inviting someone into her home, but the alcohol thing was good, right? It always helped her relax...

By this point the blonde had already taken a step in the direction of the kitchen, but at Jimmy's last question...she paused. Evil? World-destroying evil? Funny he should ask; because New York seemed to be chock-full of it these days. Her cheerful mood dampering at the thought of some of the things she'd encountered in this city alone, Anya finally offered a nod in response. "Oh. Yes. Lots and lots of evil. Lucky us.." she replied hesitantly. "Let's see, we've got...an incredibly powerful and annoying soul-draining green-haired man...then there's that zombie-creating mastermind I keep hearing rumors about, never actually met him though...oh. And the original source of this dimension's evil. Let's not forget about that." Anya finished dryly, her tone actually bordering on bitter as she finished speaking. Her most recent memories of Hazama and The First Evil were definitely not pleasant ones. And Jimmy was actually planning on going looking for them, she realized.

She looked at him with wide, pleading eyes, suddenly fearful. "B-but listen to me, Jimmy," she told him, her voice unusually serious. "They're not the kind of people you want to mess with. They...they mess with your head..." she trailed off, unable to actually admit that her encounters with these evils had driven her dangerously close to forgetting her sense of humanity...

[ahriman]

Jimmy awkwardly took his jacket off and hung it on the back of a chair, slipping his shoes off to place under it. He didn't want to get TOO comfortable, even if she did say he should, but socks and a T-shirt would be perfectly normal to be wearing around. Plus, it might add a slight element of mess to the showroom of an appartment which would be good for everyone's sanity hopefully. He glanced at his hands and saw they were still slightly stained from the Ahri's blood but not noticably. He made a mental note to use the bathroom later to clean up, listening to Anya offer him a variety of options. He took a few seconds to think before answering, deciding the best way to phrase it

"I'll go with water... because my alcohol tolerance is stupidly high. I never drank as a kid and didn't really want to risk losing control when I was a teenager but I tried it a few weeks ago and finished half a bottle of vodka while still sober" He hadn't quite made the connection between 'toxic blood' and 'destroyed poisons on contact' but probably would eventually. He wasn't exactly toxic but since he could kill a cold by just existing it didn't do much good for alcohol either. He could probably get drunk, but it'd take more licquor than Anya was likely to have.

She did seem to have the kind of information he needed though, some guy with green hair who made her feel bad, a guy making zombies (to which all Jimmy could mentally wonder was 'Wut?') and the root of all evil in this dimension. Although, that last one gave him pause for thought, it sounded way too similar to the Angra Mainyu, corrupting everything it came near with evil energy. But from the way Anya was saying it, this force must have been here for a long time. Longer than Jimmy had been anyway, and since he'd ridden the Angra Mainyu's coat-tails, it seemed doubtful. Still, if it was on the same level it might well know something useful. Of course, it seemed he would have some difficulty finding it.

Anya seemed genuinely distressed at the idea of these guys, and since she was literally a demon, that was probably no small feat. Jimmy debated for a moment what to say, how to try and put her mind at ease without sounding cocky or admitting his own doubts or, worse, explain just how terrifyingly messed up he really was. Eventually, he walked up to her and tried placing a hand on her shoulder as comfortingly as he could and looked her in the eye

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I promise. My heads pretty firmly bolted on" he smiled and gave a thumbs up. It was lame, it was the kind of thing you'd see in a cheesy 80s movie but what the heck, it explained things well. Jimmy glanced around the apartment once more and commented
"This is a nice place, by the way. What's the rent on it like?" walking across to the window, Jimmy glanced out into the street and the traffic beneath.

[Anya]

Anya wasn’t sure whether or not to be reassured by Jimmy’s words, and she studied him apprehensively as he attempted to ease her distress. ‘Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing…’, that sort of thing sounded all too familiar. “But every time I hear somebody say that, they end up getting hurt. Or worse.” she replied dejectedly, trying to conceal some of her still-lingering fear. In an unusual display of restraint, however, she did not pursue the matter further. This wasn't something she could easily discuss, both because the subject matter set her on edge and because as far as portraying the emotions she was feeling, the vengeance demon still had a long way to go. She certainly didn't like this whole 'worrying' thing she kept doing; wasn't even sure how to communicate that she was worrying...though from her behavior, it was probably evident enough.

But Jimmy could take care of himself; he'd more than proved that back at the diner. If there was trouble with The First or Hazama, well, that was a different story...but, luckily for her, Jimmy had soon distracted her again by asking about her apartment's rent. If there was one thing that was pretty much guaranteed to take Anya's mind off whatever was troubling her, it was money. She hesitated only for a moment, a flicker of doubt still lingering, but ultimately was unable to resist voicing a reply. "...The rent? Oh, it's not too bad," she began to speak tentatively, but slowly regaining some of her former cheeriness. "I mean, it's difficult to find a place in New York that can actually be considered cheap, but I do have a job. ..At a department store, a few blocks over from here. It's not as nice as the magic shop I used to work in, but it's money all the same..." Which, whatever the job was, was more than enough for Anya.

As she spoke, she turned and scurried into the kitchen, busying herself with getting the water Jimmy had asked for. It was interesting, she reflected, what he'd said about his high alcohol tolerance. Even vampires could get drunk, which in her opinion was simply ridiculous given the fact that they weren't actually supposed to consume anything other than blood--and yet, here was another little tidbit that made Jimmy unlike anyone she'd met before. As she scooped a couple of ice cubes into the glass and filled it with water, the vengeance demon tried to refrain from voicing the variety of questions racing through her mind. But when she headed back into the living room and offered Jimmy the glass, she was unable from allowing at least one to slip out...

"Jimmy?" Anya began hesitantly, blinking inquiringly at him. "...What are you going to do now? I mean, those Ahri things...there are more of them, aren't there? Not to mention all the other creeps parading around this dimension. So...what happens now?"

[ahriman]

((OOC: Waaay sorry for the late reply, I've just been swamped lately ))

Everyone she heard say that got hurt? Well, that was... actually pretty likely, in hindsight. Given the scale of who he was going after, even with the whole monstrous transformation thing he was pretty much committing to suicide. He could heal from pretty much anything though, or at least, everything he'd been through so far. So he may not have been as concerned as Anya clearly was. He wasn't all that perceptive, being a pretty clueless guy in most situations but even he could see she was worried about him now. Which was actually kind of nice, in a guilty kind of way. Having someone care about you was a novelty he couldn't indulge in very much, trouble seemed to follow him everywhere. She seemed pretty capable of handling any problems that might come his way though.

He half-listened to her talking about the rent and made a mental high-light of the fact she used to work at a magic shop. Did that mean magic was real? He wanted to comment on how that was ridiculous but as a clone he probably didn't have much of a leg to stand on there. But maybe that'd be a good avenue to look into, could he use magic to help him against Angra Mainyu? Could he use it on these extra-dimensional whatchama-call its? Could he really not think of a better word for them than that? Shrugging it off he re-focused as Anya passed him his water. He took it gratefully and sipped, noticing she'd even put ice in it. Was that a common thing here or was his mother lax about the temperature of drinks? He had no idea, yet again, something he should probably think about.

Seems he was collecting a lot of things he should think about as Anya had more to ask him about, and he really had no idea how to answer. He suddenly realised how surreal it was, sitting and discussing a fight against overwhelming odds, against evil so great it threatened the universe, with a pretty female DEMON while he was wearing a slightly dirty T-shirt and old jeans. But he had to answer, and after some serious thought he had something to say

"I have no idea. I'm alone in the world, relying on strangers for help and somewhere to stay while trying to fight things so much bigger than me that the only reason I survive is I'm beneath their notice. As far as the Ahris go, I guess I'm going to have to take that as it comes. The same power that goes through my veins is in theirs so I guess they're my responsibility. Ideally, I'd cure them. But until I work out how to do that I'm going to have to keep stopping them with lethal force and hope the police never work out what's happening. That sounds bad, I know, but it's the only option I have. And these things from other dimensions I... I'm not in their league but I'm close, closer than I like to admit to myself. I'm going to have to see if I can sweet-talk the ones who aren't what I'm looking for until I find it and then... I don't know. I wish I did, but what can I do?"

Jimmy was quiet for a moment, looking at the ice in his glass of water.

"Sorry, got a little maudlin there. I don't know, I'll get by I guess. It's what I'm good at. I won't mooch off you for too long, promise." He smiled, but somehow it seemed more hollow now. He shouldn't have unloaded onto Anya like that, he didn't want her to have to worry about the fate of world like he did. It was a personal problem after all and much as he liked her he only met her a few hours ago. He didn't want to take advantage.

[Anya]

((OOC:// Dont worry, it's okay~I've been crazy busy too lately >.>))

Anya fixed Jimmy with a look that was half morose, half pensive as he spoke dismally of the situation he'd been landed in. Being stuck in the middle of one big evil mess, and feeling solely responsible for said mess, was a terrifying thought in itself...but what really struck her close to home was his admission that he felt alone. This was one thing she could most certainly relate to. There'd been a time, after she'd lost her powers and been rendered mortal again, when alone and friendless in the world, surrounded by the unfamiliar faces of these...these humans whose ways she couldn't even begin to understand, and who couldn't begin to understand her. It'd felt like...being on an entirely different planet, or something.

And, while the idea of Jimmy facing off against the First, or Hazama, or Wesker wasn't one she was eager to linger on...his words, ultimately, had earned her respect. Jimmy really did seem lost - in every sense of the world - but it didn't look like he planned on giving up any time soon. And that, in itself, was a testimonial to why the human race was one worth fighting for.

"Well. That just sounds horribly depressing." she stated bluntly, a slight frown crossing her features as she considered everything that he'd just told her. Really, though, this sense of hopelessness was nothing new to Anya - not after the countless 'we're all probably gonna die' she'd endured courtesy of Buffy. And...there was something she wanted to say here. Provided she could find the right words...which, given her track record with this kind of thing...was a bit iffy.

"But here's the thing, Jimmy. You've faced things capable of...of destroying entire universes. Hell, you've got the DNA of some of those things...but you're still here. Fighting against them." Anya paused a moment, her brow furrowing slightly as she tried to work out where exactly her ramble-y little point was leading them both here. "And me? I...I was dead. Did I mention that? I was. And it sucked. And it really hurt! But...somehow I'm still here too." Thanks to a demon who still expected her to serve him, but that was besides the point. The point was, between the two of them they'd survived all sorts of utter insanity that most people didn't.

She sniffed, a bit irritated at the effort that went into this whole speech-making thing. Still, might as well finish what she'd started. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, shouldn't that mean something? It's like...as long as there are still people like us, people who...who fight on behalf of these silly, senseless humans...well, things have a bizarre way of working out in the end. It's not all as hopeless as it seems."

Her piece said, Anya breathlessly made an attempt to compose herself. Her eyes flickered quickly around the room, her hand reaching up in a fidgety effort to brush some of her light blonde hair away from her face. "...That was weird. I don't usually do the whole 'pep talk' thing." the demon muttered after a moment, wrinkling her nose a little as she reflected on what had just occurred. "It's kinda hard. I don't think I like it very much." But then Anya shrugged, neglecting to comment further and instead resolving to focus on the last words Jimmy had spoken.

"Oh - and honestly, if you're out saving the world, you can afford to mooch a little. Stick around as long as you need to."

[ahriman]

Jimmy failed utterly at repressing a smile when Anya correctly assessed his speech as depressing. It really was depressing to try and think about the saving the world when you didn't have a particularly great chance of doing so. But what surprised him was how she then went on to, hell, cheer him on.

She managed to accurately sum up his earlier experiences with this kind of destruction and more than that, went on to mention her own death. Which Jimmy couldn't help finding just a little morbid, though it was nice to know even full on DEATH couldn't stop some people. On another level, it was actually quite bad to learn since he had quite a few ghosts who might be after their pound of flesh by now. But Anya was still expressing herself and the words she said made him feel... warmer, somehow. Like maybe he did have a chance, that this was just another step in the plan. The rational part of his mind tried to remind him that his earlier survival was a fluke and that he'd failed at his original goal but that was for another time. He was still feeling cheered up now.

But wasn't he one of those senseless humans? On at least some level, he was a normal human who just happened to have an extra-dimensional organism as a donor to his DNA. Or was it the other way around? He was just as comfortable in either body, was he not really human? It didn't seem to bother Anya, which just made him more curious, did she have another form too? Was she always dressed up like a human for manners or to make people more comfortable? Or did Demons just look like people? He really should know the answer to at least a few of these.

The message got through though, things weren't hopeless as long as you tried. As long as someone was willing to do the right thing. Anya complained she wasn't any good at these pep-talks which prompted him into speech at last
"I think that was pretty good," he flashed a brief thumbs-up and grinned stupidly at her. "Thanks for letting me stay for a bit, anyway, it'll really help my whole save-the-world effort"

Jimmy drank the rest of his water as quickly as he could, gulping down the ice cold liquid, before attempting his next big question
"So... do you have any family or friends I should know about? I mean, you are the only person I've met so far apart from the Mayor and his... yeah. But are there others like you who help people? And is there a good way to introduce myself without being stabbed or shot for my whole" Jimmy tried to indicate his entire being with one hand which was significantly harder than he thought it would be. He liked Anya and, notably for him, trusted her: and if there were more where she came from, so to speak, then he'd be a lot happier about his chances. Also, he noticed in a terrifying hindsight, he was able to see if she had a boyfriend or girlfriend or... demonfriend? Good lord, he needed some shame. Maybe she wouldn't pick up on it. Was he blushing? Oh crap, he was blushing.

[Anya]

While her little speech hadn't exactly been smoothly worded, thankfully Jimmy seemed to get the point - and, what was more, he even seemed to brighten up a bit! Anya being able to make anyone actually feel better was a bit of a rarity; her strange, bluntly-worded ramblings took a bit of getting used to to say the least...but actually succeeding at being to help him out, even just a bit? It felt...nice, in away. She was beginning to see why Buffy was so whole-hog on the goody-two-shoes thing...

None the less she practically beamed when he complemented her little pep-talk attempt, and it was with a much brighter sort of confidence that she went on to answer his next question. "No family to speak of. You kinda outgrow them when you're...immortal." Anya shrugged a bit at this; it was the kind of thing that could have been painted as some sort of sob story...but really, her lack of family had never bothered her much. Her first life as a mortal had just been so long ago that she couldn't much remember any family she'd ever had anyway, so she wouldn't waste too much time moping over it.

"But um, friends! I do have those! New York has a strange way of bringing whole bunches of...not-so-normal people together." In the few months that the demon had lived there, she'd met quite a colorful cast of characters - a goblin, an FBI agent, a reformed devil, two bounty hunters and an alien lifeform - most of which she could consider 'friends'. But, it'd probably just be better to narrow it down a little here. "I could introduce you to some of them, if you'd like. Most of them don't bite. ...Well, Spike does, but he's a vampire, so you'd expect as much." Happily, as though having a vampire for a friend was something everyone could boast about, Anya gave an encouraging nod.

"As for the whole introductions thing, I'm sure that won't be too difficult. Just don't...spring it on anyone too quickly. It's a lot easier to get people to like you if they just assume you're a regular ol' human first. Oh, um. But don't actually LIE to anyone about who you are. 'Cause that's not a very good trust building exercise. Unless you get the feeling that telling them the truth will result in them burning you at the stake or something, then you should probab--" She broke off from her rambling abruptly upon realizing that...Jimmy suddenly seemed slightly uncomfortable. Not that she was particularly savvy when it came to interpreting this kind of thing, but he did seem a bit sheepish.

"Jimmy? Are you alright?" Anya raised an eyebrow slightly, tilting her head inquisitively as she surveyed him. "You've gone sort of...red. You should sit down." Promptly, the eternally oblivious vengeance demon motioned to the sofa nearby, her expression settling somewhere between puzzled and concerned.