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by Chris Kenworthy (scoobyhq@fcmail.com)
Disclaimer: If it's been on TV, I didn't make it up!
"C'mon," Buffy complained. "Isn't this enough?" Faith nodded in agreement.
"Nope," Celia Johnson told them both. "To your positions, competitors." The Slayers sighed and each of them struck a combat stance at one end of the fencing mats.
"On your guard, and - fight!" Celia called out. Buffy crossed the sword, (a razor-light straight sabre,) in front of her and took a tentative shuffling half-step forward, hoping that Faith would come to her. Unfortunately, the dark-haired Slayer seemed to have the same idea, even though she was holding her sword out in a more threatening attitude.
Buffy stifled a sigh. It had been a very tiring session this afternoon - an hour and a half of drilling and practice fencing with these swords. What made it the worst was that they were completely deadly weapons - razor sharp and thin as a nail. Which meant that Buffy and Faith had to be constantly watching themselves - ever ready to pull a slash or a thrust up short, lest they have a nasty training accident. While dueling each other, with no quarter given until that point. It was extremely exahausting, which was possibly the point.
Well, enough of this. Buffy skipped forward, closing the distance between herself and Faith in a few seconds. Faith waited four heartbeats, then jumped forward herself to begin the swordplay. Backhand slash by Buffy, matched by a parry from Faith. Thrust by Faith, which Buffy parried with a spiralling motion. For an instant the two of them just stood there, evaluating the other.
And then they were at it with a vengeance - one flurry of steel ringing against another. Buffy waited long enough for the pattern of blows to build up a rhythm, then boldy broke away from it, trying to slide her sword beneath Faith's defenses and be credited with an incapacitating wound to the legs. Buffy had already won a couple of matches this afternoon with such a maneuver - why not try for a hat trick?
But Faith was expecting it this time. She parried, and then struck Buffy's sword with her own again - hard enough to make the older Slayer lose her grip on the weapon for just an instant. Buffy didn't drop the hilt, but while she was busy making sure that she wouldn't, Faith's sword was in motion again. She chose her target carefully, guiding the tip of the edge to Buffy's neck and breaking the skin ever so slightly, then backing off. "Advantage?" she called out hopefully.
"Advantage to Faith," Celia confirmed. "That's all for now, girls."
Buffy's hand went quickly up to her neck. "Hey, what was that for?" she complained, touching the tiny drop of blood that had formed at the cut.
"Just to remind you that I'm not an idiot, B," Faith told her. "You should have known that I wouldn't fall for that trick again today."
"Well sorry," Buffy panted, puffing over to a table and sitting down. "I wasn't thinking that clearly. And maybe I just wanted the whole damn fight to be over." She grabbed a bottle of cool Gatorade that Giles had considerately gotten out, then fixed her attention on a new person. "Willow! How's the research going on the 'Upriser?'"
"Not well," Willow complained. "There's uses of the term, or related terms - would-be military conquerors, flying demons, even a Petromancer. But none of it fits the information that that vampire gave us."
"I'm afraid that I'm having no better luck in my books," Giles confessed. "Still, it's reasonably early, as such things go. Best not to let hope fail at the first sign of trouble."
"Well, I'm outta here," Faith told them all. "Gonna grab a shower and a bite to eat, then hit the streets. Cool?"
"Sounds good," Buffy agreed, and Faith left the library in a seeming blur.
"Um, Xander, could you, uh, help Giles and Celia look things up in books?" Willow asked quietly. "Somewhere else?"
Xander started to complain about the obvious strangeness of the request, but then things began to fall into place. With Giles, Celia, and Xander gone, Buffy and Willow would be alone in the table area. Willow apparently wanted to talk something over privately with her best friend, without interrupting her work at the computer. Well, that was fine.
In half a minute the others were nowhere to be seen. "Well, what is it?" Buffy asked.
"Um, well, first of all," Willow began uncertainly. "I need to know if you'd be upset with me coming to you for advice about the me-Xander thing. Because of the third wheel issue, or anything..."
"Not a chance, Willow," Buffy said with a smile. Willow was upset, until she realized what Buffy was meaning - that she would not be upset. "I've been rooting for you two crazy kids to get together, well, on and off, but ever since I've known you. If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask."
"Okay," Willow replied with a smile. "The wandering eye thing. How do I..."
"...Keep Xander from checking out other girls?" Buffy finished.
"Girls, women, pinups," Willow sighed. "Not that I'd mind him looking every now and then. Just... not too much, ya know?"
Buffy smiled and considered it. "From what I know, this is an age-old problem with no easy answers, Will," she admitted. "Try talking to him honestly about it. If there's still a problem, then we'll need to get creative."
Willow giggled. "Creative how??"
(Outside Buffy's front door.)
Buffy had no more thought on her mind than getting inside the house and enjoying whatever her Mom had on for dinner when she saw it. A piece of paper, folded up and taped to her door with the word BUFFY marked clearly on it. She took it down as she opened the door, unfolded it once. A new message appeared: "This was from detention this afternoon, Buffy. Mister Brenton didn't want Cordelia and me talking, so we had to write notes. I'm glad of that, because this lets me show you what I told Cordy. Cole Palmer."
Curious now, Buffy had to wave hello to her mom and exchange a few pleasantries before she could sit down on the couch and open the note up again. On the full inside page, this was what was written:
Hi, Cole.
Hi, Cordelia.
I'm glad to see you, even if we are in detention.
I'm not.
:-O You're not??
No. Not one little bit.
I think you liked what you saw of me when I first walked in! ;-)
Maybe. But you tricked me and manipulated me to get me in here, Cordelia. Do you really think that your looks can get you anything that you want.
Well, no. Sometimes you need money or connections. :-D
:-[ I don't like you, Cordy. Don't play your games with me any more.
Aww? But it's so much fun. What does that little Buffy have that I don't?
A decent personality and an ounce of sensitivity!
Why you little...#@%#8@@!
Buffy put the note down and smiled to herself. So Cole had finally stood up to Cordelia. Good. She'd have to give him a call tonight.
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