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by Chris Kenworthy (scoobyhq@fcmail.com)
Disclaimer: Disclaim that the characters of Buffy are not the properties of anyone but some TV executives and writers, none of whom had anything to do with the writing of this story.
"You know that Faith is gonna get it out of Celia while we're gone," Buffy told him. "Not telling me would put me at a disadvantage."
This time Giles did look at her, well, glance at her for a fraction of a second. "Do you really expect me to believe that one?"
"It doesn't matter," Buffy said. "One way or another, I'm gonna get you to tell me, too."
Giles sighed. "May the powers above help us all if we watchers ever truly need to keep something secret from you. Very well, do you really want to know?"
Buffy chuckled. "Well, hello? What have I been saying?"
"You will be dueling using the Shikomi-zu, the Ninja bladed staff."
"See, now, was that so hard?" Buffy quipped, smiling broadly. "But what's the balance beam for?" The expression on Giles' face as he pulled into the parking lot betrayed surprise. "Ooh, you didn't realize I had heard that, huh? So, is it just gonna be there for an obstacle or... no." She swatted her Watcher on the shoulder. "You're gonna make us fight on TOP of that thing??"
"As an exercise in balance and eqilibrium, it would be..."
"Ohmigod!" Buffy called out. "One of these times, we're gonna make you do one of these stunts, mark my words, Giles." Giles parked the car and climbed out, leaving Buffy to head off after him.
The door to the Dojo was unlocked, but the receptionist wasn't at her desk. Buffy shrugged, made her way to the large training room, and stopped dead.
(Back in the Library...)
"Hey, what took you?" Faith called as Giles led the way back into the library. She was leaning against the balance beam, set carefully in the middle of a long stretch of mats, and Celia was sitting down in a chair, looking almost as bored as Faith did. Their eyes widened as Buffy came through the door Giles was holding open, carrying a heavy something in her arms.
"What's going on?" Celia asked. "You two look..."
"Discovered the remains of a minor massacre at the Dojo," Buffy told them flatly. "Three girls, one guy, all drained. A lot of blood around, and several more students or employees of the Dojo have gone missing, possibly everyone else who was in the building when it went down."
"Ugh," Faith shuddered ever so slightly. "Sounds like a combination buffet dinner and recruitment drive?"
"Yeah," Buffy confirmed. "It makes a lot of sense - make karate practicioners into vampires, they'd be better able to defend themselves against us Slayers than your regular joe in the street." What neither of them mentioned was that they had passed the Dojo on patrol the night before - it didn't help to realize how close they might have been to saving these people.
"Any leads on who it is?" Celia asked.
"Not really, except for Jonny Hardcastle's warnings about the Brotherhood of the Bat," Buffy said. "We're thinking they may have signed up for the class, so as to get inside without a struggle and take everyone off guard. The handwritten records were missing, the computer's monitor smashed and the keyboard snapped in half but," Buffy indicated the device she had set down on the checkout counter, "I guess they didn't realize it was the hard drive unit they needed to trash. Willow should be able to pull up the enrolment files. Anybody know where she is?"
Faith shook her head. "Probably in her first class, by now."
"Okay," Buffy said. "Giles, can you write out a pass for her? Her special expertise with computers needed in the library, that sort of thing? Hey, look at that, it's even the truth!"
(In Advanced Senior English)
Knock-knock.
"Come in!"
Buffy opened the door and walked tentatively into Mister Patterson's classroom. She had had Patterson last year, and he was a strict teacher with an odd sense of humor; Buffy was very nervous about that combination. "Hello?" she said for no good reason at all.
"Yes, Miss Summers?" Patterson called out. The clasroom desks had been arranged into a lumpy misformed oval around the edge of the room, facing in, and Patterson was standing in the center with a book on his hand.
"Um, Mister Giles needs Willow Rosenberg's help in the library - the catalog computer is..."
"Ah, yes, our good librarian. Buffy, did you know that Principal Snyder has told all the teachers in no uncertain terms that Mister Giles' strange requests are not to be allowed to disrupt class?"
Buffy's insides seemed to sink. This was starting to look very bad.
"But, Mister Patterson..." Willow began.
"On the other hand, Willow for herself probably doesn't need the benefit of today's discussion. You on top of the unit, Miss Rosenberg?"
"Uh, yes sir."
"I know that means I can expect another outstanding paper." Willow's face fell just a little bit. "Well, then, there remains only the rest of the class to think of." Suddenly Mister Patterson pointed out a finger at Buffy in a dramatic gesture. "You, Miss Summers; will mister Giles be needing YOU to help with the catalog computer also?"
"Huh?" Buffy was confused now. "Uh, no..."
"Anywhere else to be?" Buffy shook her head. "Then I will release Willow to the library, only on the condition that you remain in her stead!"
What? "But... but I'm not in..."
"Advanced english, no of course you're not, or you'd have been here already. But Willow was to be reading the part of Ophelia and bringing some insightful points to our discussion, and if she is to go, YOU will have to do those things for her." Buffy just stared back at him. "Give her your text, Willow, and go to the library. Buffy, have a seat."
Buffy accepted the trade passively, and scanned the book. Only one short line upcoming for Ophelia. She waited for her moment, and read it out: "Madam, I wish it may." The play continued on, with one or two characters adressing hers, but she hardly paid attention.
"Enter Hamlet," Mister Patterson announced, and someone began the "To be or not to be" speech. Buffy realized after a moment that Hamlet was being read by Cole Palmer, the guy Cordelia had been bragging about landing as a masquerade escort. He was awfully cute, Buffy had to admit, and seemed nice enough, nicer than Cordelia on her best day, though that wasn't a nice thing to think of her. Suddenly Buffy realized that once the soliloquy ended, Ophelia would be talking with Hamlet!
"Good my lord," she began once Cole had finished his soliloquy, (and the quiet applause from the artier types in the class had been cut off with a stern glare from Patterson,) "How does your honor for this many a day?" It suddenly struck Buffy how incongruous that line was... Hamlet had just shown up and spent most of two pages yammering on about whether life was worth it and all kinds of other deep and fairly disturbing stuff, and Ophelia just asks him how he's doing today like she hadn't heard it at all. Hmm... she should remember that for Patterson's 'discussion...' and Patterson was staring at her. Had she missed her next cue already? "My lord, I have remembrances of yours that I have longed long to re-deliver - I pray you, now receive them."
"No, not I," Cole replied theatrically. "I never gave you aught." He was looking at her with just a touch of... no, can't think about that now, it's your cue again Buffy.
"My honored lord, you know right well you did..." As she recited the lines, Buffy checked to make sure - Cole was looking at her with a bit of serious interest. They'd never hardly met in her year and a half in Sunnydale...
"Ha ha!" Cole broke into her response vigorosly. "Are you honest?" And he winked flirtingly, right at Buffy.
"My lord?" Buffy replied, as the text dictated, but she couldn't keep a smile from forming on her face.
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