Family troubles

As Saoirse came out in the kitchen to cook just as Baal had put the last few plates and cups back where they belonged, he felt that odd whisper again, how it couldnt decide whether to hate the sight of the mix or love her like Baal did. He reached out to ruffle her hair gently, just to seem a little more present than distant like he felt. He stuck around in the kitchen as he let them cook, watching over the process as he noticed how Saoirse had truly grown. He wasnt surprised if she could already cook on her own, but the thought saddened him a little.

Amos would never pass on an opportunity to see Saoirse, his eyes always got this lovestricken look in them whenever she was mentioned. He did try to play it off as if he didnt really care, but that was just the way he was. Arriving at the house, his face lit up as he saw her. It felt like it had been a while, since he had been quite busy with school and so had she. "Come'ere," he just said as he pulled her in for a tight hug, sighing to himself as a small smile spread on his lips. "I've missed you," he whispered to her, looking down as he gently ran his index over her lip. He glanced towards the kitchen and decided to just go for it as he leaned down to kiss her lips.

"I had a feeling you wouldnt want to miss out on an opportunity to learn more about our kind," he said quietly, gesturing to the table before he sat down. He sighed and thought his words through before speaking, though it more seemed like he was listening to something or someone. "When I was given my name, you know the process, I wasnt completely sure what laid behind it. I think Simeon knew the daemon who my middle name originates from," he pondered, frowning as he drew in a deep breath. "And I think he knew that somehow we would break the artifact apart and free him," he said before he looked at Alyssa with quite serious eyes.

Amos noticed how Buffy wanted her to keep the door open, which made him think that they might know by now what was going on. He followed Saoirse to her room where he went to just lie down on her bed with a deep sigh. He told her shortly about school before he got curious about the thing she wanted to show him.

"It might be. But how many of them were loyal priests, only to randomly disappear one day?" he asked, hoping she understood where he was getting at. He looked down as she started asking questions. Of course something in his mind began to tell him to act normal, tell her that he definitely wasnt hearing anything in that sort. He went to the listening state again for a moment before he just nodded reluctantly. "It's not like a voice, it's more like going from just being me to suddenly be bombarded with this whole other point of view. I remember things that happened long before I lived, things with my middle name being whispered over and over," he started explaining but it turned into a mumble when he got to the last few sentences. He looked at Buffy before he looked back at his sister. "I feel mistrust towards Buffy solely based on her being a fenix and Saoirse's light is waking this internal anger," he explained, placing a hand over the artifact. He shook his head, "I know it's not how I feel," he quickly clarified, but that was just to not feel like he was losing himself.

The suggestion seemed reasonable enough for him. He was a danger to Saoirse as long as whatever it was inside of him was behaving as it did and it pained him to know that he had to go. He looked at Buffy and at least had some relief that he wouldnt be harming her under any circumstances.

Amos' brows flinched in surprise at the photos she pulled out. He grabbed them and started looking through each and every one, unable to hide a small smile from his lips. "Connor's sister Tessa took these?" he asked, more to show that he cared enough about her to learn the names on the other side of the family too. He looked back at the pictures and chose one, where he thought her smile could melt his heart if he stared at it for too long. They were called to lunch and he got up before he seemed to remember something. He grabbed Saoirse's arm and made her turn around as he looked at her. "Tyler and his gf wanted to go out sometime. The other guys are coming too, but I thought you might want to come? Try a night out as a wild teenager?" he asked, narrowing his eyes with a sly smile on his lips. He let her think about it as he grabbed her hand and walked to the kitchen. He helped Saoirse before he sat down, looking at the food on the table. "Looks nice," he said sincerely, looking at Buffy with a polite smile.

He turned his eyes to Saoirse as Buffy included her in making the lunch, nodding as he seemed to approve. “Well, I’m not surprised if she’s already a master chef at this point,” he chuckled to then reach out for the bowl of salad as Buffy encouraged them. Baal was definitely not much for eating today, he only barely remembered to ingest souls when he needed to. It had more turned into a strict reminder every 12th hour that he had to at least have two if not more vials a day to not go hungry. He nodded at Buffy’s suggestion and sent her a soft smile. Even if he felt like every second was an internal battle, he still managed to find a smile for the person that had his heart.
Amos’ interest was drawn from stuyding Baal, which was probably for the best, when his mother mentioned something he had told her not long ago. He smiled at Saoirse and slowly ate his dinner, though the mention of studying abroad made his smile lose a little of it’s shine. But he also couldnt just let his greed be in the way of her progress. “I think you would do well abroad,” he encouraged her rather maturely, despite how little he liked the thought of her being gone. “Beside, it’s a chance you only get once,” he pointed out, taking a bite off some bread he had taken with his salad.

Baal looked up as Saoirse spoke to him, his expression turning quite serious but it seemed that Alyssa decided to speak for him. He wanted to tell her the truth, that everyone knew he would eventually lose the battle in his mind, and even if it would only be a moment, it was a moment of danger he wasnt risking. Not when they had risked everything to have their daughter in their life. Amos sent Buffy an apologetic smile, tilting his head to the side. “She worries I’ll host some wild party and trash the apartment,” he said rather casually with a shrug; even if it was a full lie. He wouldnt do something that would disappoint his mother in that way, even if he was rebellious by nature, the bond with his mom was the strongest he had had all his life.
He then looked at Saoirse with a brught smile, to then look at Buffy, “I can do that myself, just give me a blanket and a pillow,” he assured her. He remembered the times he had slept on the sofa, sometimes with Connor’s feet in his face because the two of them wanted to stick around and help with the baby. Now it was a whole different thing.
It was time to leave, but Baal couldnt shake the feeling he had inside. He went to Saoirse and carefully grabbed her hands in his, to then look at his daughter. “I wont be gone for long. I’ll make sure to call you and tell you all about the boring things I’ll be doing,” he assured her. Giving her hands a soft squeeze, he knew he couldnt make it a goodbye, even if it was. He wanted to hug her close just one last time but he couldnt. He smiled at her and touched her cheek gently, before he moved away. What probably felt the worst was because he knew that Buffy knew it would be some time, she probably also knew that they couldnt get emotional. He went to her and kissed her forehead in a tender kiss, looking down at her as he gently cupped her face, “I love you,” he said in a gentle tone, running his thumb along her cheekbone. Now he could go. Go and get better for his family. He ruffled Amos’ hair on the way out, but didnt have to say a word. And surprising it didnt seem to piss off the young daemon as it usually would.

His daughters promise made him smile but it was a sort of sad smile, but also happy at the same time. He did notice how Alyssa was smiling which made him comment on it as soon as they got out; But he mostly just said that it was nice to see her smile again. After all, he knew her before Simeon and did get to watch how he broke her down. Maybe there were some blid spots he had missed when he had made out the good outcome over the bad.

Amos was a little perplexed to see Alyssa not just smile once but twice. He frowned a little as it was just him, Saoirse and Buffy now, scratching his neck a little. “I didnt know she had gotten so happy after Simeon died,” he remarked but it wasnt a bad thing. He stretched for a second before he looked at Saoirse. “Wanna watch some tv?” He asked, but frankly he would do whatever, as long as it was with her.