Chronos' Puppet

Of all the places they arrived to, this was the last that was on the list in Spike's mind.
Twilight was just beginning to fade from the towering mountains that surrounded the
temple, the monastery's design hued centuries before from the cliff-face. He stared,
mouth parted in absolute awe as he turned in full circle to take in the sight.

Bloody gorgeous place...and he had been in a lot of places.

They were in some sort of courtyard, a gravel path from the closed gate leading to the
entrance to the temple where the minions filed in. Upwards and along the mountainside
were dots of tiny lights where small shrines had been lit for the night. Other, larger points
of light told of dwellings; bridges and pathways creating a weblike network to each other
and to the main gate of the monastery before trailing off down the slope and into the mist.
One of the monks bustled towards them, his saffron robes billowing around him to greet
the Master's Childe. He bowed low to Xander before turning and making another,
smaller bow to Spike. Xander smiled with ease, seemingly relaxed in this environment as
he took Spike's hand and followed the young monk inside the temple.

Candles glowed everywhere inside paper lanterns that hung along the supporting pillars.
Xander and the monk spoke quietly as they continued along a side corridor past the
curtained back wall, leaving Spike to wonder what kind of place this really was. He had
to hold in a laugh at the idea of Buddhist vampires as another monk slipped past them in
the corridor. Finally they arrived at a door guided with decorations of gold dragons that
sinuously twinned around the frame. With another bow, their 'guide' departed and Xander
finally turned to face Spike.

"Whatever you do, don't speak unless your addressed, and for God's sake, don't talk
back."

"Who is this, pet?" Spike could feel the 'other' behind the sliding wood panels. The same
presence that he felt in this new Xander in the cemetery but far, far older. Xander knocked
on the door. "My sire, and the head of this order. Solomon." A voice inside the room
beckoned them to enter and Xander pushed the heavy, sliding doors aside.

Again another stunningly simple, yet elaborate room. The same simple paper lanterns
hung from the walls and pillars, but instead of what Spike would have expected to be
Asiatic furniture, he spied designs that were almost Victorian. A four-poster bed, a
writing desk, and an Indian rug in the centre of the floor among the other various
sculptures and pots that were carefully placed around the room. "James, I see that you
were finally able to bring your Childe to us." nodded Solomon towards the blonde and
Xander bowed formally before dropping to one knee with a breathed 'Sire' from his lips.
The robed vampire approached the pair from his writing desk, laying a hand on Xander's
shoulders and the younger vampire rose before embraced by his Master. The whole scene
was disturbingly reminiscent of Angelus in his rare, contented moments with Willam and
Spike shifted uncomfortably where he stood. Solomon drew back from his Childe,
bestowing an almost paternal kiss to Xander's forehead before turning to Spike.
"Either you don't remember me, boy, or you are unsuprised. Did your Sire tell you of
me?"

"No." That earned Spike a sharp elbow to his ribs from Xander. Spike still didn't add the
honourific, and Solomon chuckled darkly. "Easy, James. I didn't expect any sort of
manners from the line of Aurelius. They may follow protocol when it's to their
advantage, but their courtesy leaves one to be desired."

Xander gripped Spike's shoulder quickly before the blonde had a chance to sound a
growl. Schooling his features to one of indifference Spike relaxed, waiting for
permission to speak to the arrogant sod.

"William, do you know who I am?"

"Yeah, I know you. London, 1888; you turned Xander here and offered me up for a
snack, right?" Spike uttered stiffly, surveying the elder coolly as he waited for his
reaction. A sage nod from Solomon and Spike's frustration held fast as he couldn't get a
rise out of this 'Master'. Angelus would have backhanded him by now. Even Xander was
bristling at the lack of informality towards his Sire; a fact that did not slide by unnoticed with
Solomon.

"James, please wait for us outside."

Xander rose questioning eyes to Solomon, looking back and forth quickly between his
Sire and his Childe as he briefly, albeit insanely, pondered breaking an order and staying
to protect Spike from Solomon's temper. "Do you defy me, boy?" growled the elder,
trueface appearing and disappearing quickly; a warning.

"No, Sire. I will wait." With a formal bow to Solomon, Xander turned on heel towards
the exit, pausing one last time at Spike with pleading eyes for the blonde to behave his
damn self before striding out and sliding the doors shut behind him.

"Take a seat, Spike. You and I need to have a small talk about what you're doing here."