Lestat Meets The Slayer: The Tala-'Whatever'
by Vx_BloodLust_xV


"Hey Buffster, anything new?" The blond looked across the yard towards the house. A dark haired boy stood, one hand in his pocket, leaning against the doorframe. "Not today, Xand. Just flexing a little muscle with the girls." Buffy nodded her head towards the Slayer Wannabes lined up in the yard. He smiled. Hot, Sweaty chicks. I love my job. "You?" Buffy inquired, noticing that the girls were trooping inside for lunch break. Xander stepped forward and sat in the patio chair. "Nothing really. Nothing bizarre, any way, like songs and dances with Sweet." Buffy rolled her eyes, remembering the Talisman Xander left for her sister to find. "So, what brings you out to Girls Time, besides the obvious...girls..." Xander motioned for her to sit down with him, across the patio table. "I don't always think about girls, Buff." She raised an eyebrow, "And I never had the power to read your every thought, either." Xander sighed in defeat.
"Any who, Giles has been cooking up something with this place in London. They heard about our little University here and want to meet you." Buffy glanced around. University was a strong word for this place, for it was home to all the girls, but the word fit, all the same. The house was rather tall, with an east and west wing. The slayerettes slept in the east wing and the Scoobies slept in the west. Each morning, Giles taught them Demonology and such, and every afternoon Buffy had them for battle skills. Then after dinner, Willow would teach minor white witchcraft. Willow wasn't allowed to do much more than teach it, and when she did it would be small, such as moving things without touching them. They didn't want Dark Willow back, so she'd be monitored all the while by Xander. They had all moved to England with Giles after Sunnydale was wiped off the map.
"The Talamasca." Xander broke in. "The Tala-who?" Buffy wrinkled her nose up. "Masca. They kind of resemble Riley's old gang, only with out the capturing and beating part." Xander answered. "They study demons?" Buffy leaned forward and rested her arms on the table. "Among other things. They're interested in the things that go bump in the night, but they're more of a 'ooh, paranormal, must investigate' type place."
"And they want me..." Buffy muttered to herself. "Rumor has it." Xander sighed. "Am I an 'ooh paranormal' subject?" Xander shrugged, and put a hand over hers' on the table. "You kick butt, Buff. Maybe they need some one's butt kicked. And if not, you can kick theirs'." She smiled.


"Absolutely. Well, No I haven't. I haven't been able to find an appropriate way to go about it. But in due time, she will know, and she will decide." Giles sat in his study, a phone to his ear, and The Talamasca on the other end. "My apologies, but your time schedule is not very well my problem. She is a young woman, not a priceless object for your many vaults!" Giles was heated, and slammed the phone into the receiver. The nerve of that man.
Giles pulled his glasses from his face, and began wiping them clean. Who was this man to tell him to speed things up because the Tala-'whatever' had a time budget? Was Buffy Summers not a human being? Giles knew this would probably hit her hard and he was only looking out for her well being. Otherwise he would have dropped it in her lap already. He slipped the glasses back over the bridge of his nose and sipped tea from a porcelain cup on the desk.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Giles looked up to see Buffy standing in the doorway. "Whatcha doin?" she asked in her all too famous 'I know nothing' tone. "Enjoying my afternoon tea in the comfortable isolation of my study. What is it, Buffy?" He placed the cup back onto the saucer and turned to her as she made her way to the desk and hopped up on the side. "Nothing. I was just wondering…" She wanted to ask about the Talamasca, but froze. Giles studied her quizzically, and Buffy stared down at her hands, clasped in her lap. She finally finished reluctantly with "…if you could kick the lore lessons up a notch." Giles' face did not hide his surprise. "I suppose I could. Do you honestly believe they're ready?" The blond shrugged, and with a smirk replied, "They're big girls now, daddy-o."
Giles examined her expression, and pushed on. "There's something else, isn't there?" Buffy slid off the desk swiftly and paced the room. "Do you…" She sighed, "see me as 'ooh paranormal'?" She stopped mid pace and locked her eyes on him. Giles gaped at her a moment, and answered without much thought. "No. Just because you alone have the strength and skill…" Buffy cut in with "To slay the vampires, to stop the spread of evil. Blah blah…" Giles nodded. "Yes. It doesn't mean you are a specimen of parapsychology. What an unusual inquiry." Buffy sniffed at his ignorance of how she was referring to the Talamasca. "The Tala-mookie thinks so, apparently." She plopped down in a leather reading chair next to the bookcase. "Talamasca. And how did you…" "Grape vine. Word of mouth. Travels fast around this place."
Giles bowed his head. He reached across the desk and pulled a post-it note off the phone. "They don't want to study you, Buffy. Word of mouth does travel fast, you said so yourself, did you not? And text, Buffy, the legend of The Slayer is in many a volume. Their research has sparked a curiosity. They are interested in being acquainted with the chosen one of our generation." Buffy wrapped her arms around her stomach and stared at the floor. "Then they should come here. I'm not the only Slayer now, Giles." She looked up to study his expression. How can he be so nonchalant? "There's me, and there's Faith, did you forget her? And what about the 'GRR' all those potential slayers put in girl?" Giles shook his head. "Faith is one thing, Buffy, you know that. At least with you, I know I can rest assured that you didn't just decide to go bonkers over night." She nodded, completely understanding that Faith still needed to gain his trust back. "And the other girls don't know what you know, they… They don't have the faintest idea of what you've been through since the age of 15. This is a job for Buffy Summers. The Vampire Slayer."
"Is that what it is, Giles? A job? Because you just gave me the impression that it was a casual invitation for English Tea." She stood, preparing to leave. "Now, Buffy. Do calm yourself. This is your decision and you have every right to decline…" Buffy frowned. "You have 'but' face." Giles' eyebrows furrowed together and Buffy added, "I mean, you look like you're about to say 'but'…" She glanced away shamefully. Giles continued hesitantly, "But… I believe you may learn things from this place. I encourage you to meet with them. Don't bare all, now, you understand. A person has got to have standards. But become acquainted, having them on our side may be a good thing…"
Buffy glared at him as he handed the post-it note to her. "Like The Initiative was a good thing?" She sniffed at the paper as she read it. The name of the Mother House and the telephone number where written in Giles' handwriting. "If you decide to go through with it, call them. They'll be delighted to hear from you, I'm sure. And do let me know, I'd appreciate it." Buffy faked a smile as she backed out of the room…


Elizabeth Nollis was the name scrawled on the paper. Buffy stuck the note on her phone as Giles had done and back flopped on to her bed. Ah, the Scooby wing. No wannabe's up my… "Buff?" She looked up and saw Willow enter her room. "Not much for knocking, are we?" Willow half shrugged, "Sorry. I'm just so used to being roomies, I guess."
Buffy kicked herself upright and crossed her legs. "No big. So, what's up?" Willow hopped onto the bed beside her, a smile from ear to ear. "Did you see Xander earlier? He was trying to do that new high kick you taught today in his room, and kind of broke the wall mirror." She giggled. Buffy's mouth dropped open. "When?!" "About 10 minutes ago. I was in my room putting together a lesson plan for tonight and then 'CRASH', and 'OW'. I went to his room and found him sprawled on the floor. Oh, but he's okay. No cuts on the body. At least he was wearing shoes, right?"
Buffy stared at the phone. "Something else for Giles to take care of…" Willow shifted. "Hey, what's eating you? Nothing blood sucky, right?" Buffy smirked. "No. I'm alright, Will." Willow studied her doubtfully. "C'mon Buff, spill."
Buffy launched in to the earlier events. She told her what both Xander and Giles had said. She ranted about feeling like a specimen of parapsychology, as Giles had called it. Then she showed her the little note with the phone number on it. She sighed and staid quiet a long while after. "I understand, Buffy, but I also think you should feel honored." Buffy straightened. "Honored? Hm. I didn't think of it that way." Willow gloated, "Besides, if they disrespect you, slay them!!!" Buffy laughed and picked up a throw pillow from the bed to hug against her chest. "Nah, I'm not much for the slayage of humans." Willow muffled a giggle, "That's Faith's department."
Buffy pushed her playfully. "Will!" She was mortified that Willow would say such a thing. "Sorry, not myself today." She smiled then instantly turned to serious faced Willow, eyeing Buffy shamefully. "But if there's something lurky, I'm your girl." Buffy beamed, "I'm like the McDonald's of slayage, over 3 billion slayed. Or something like that." "Boasting is unseemly." Willow remarked. Buffy shrugged. "So is biting people and sucking out all their blood, put it doesn't stop those people." Willow giggled again. Buffy always made Willow giggly, it was essential to their slayer-witch relationship.
"Well, I'm going to check in on Dawn. She asked me to help with some Psychology homework earlier. Can't believe the former 'Key', and your little sister, took it as a major…" Willow smiled, and stood up off of the bed. "Yeah, who knew? I'm going to call this Talamasca… Wow, I said it right. First time today." She smirked and picked up the paper post-it note off the bed. "But yeah, I'm going to call them and set up a casual visit. Maybe we can all sit out on the terrain and sip English Tea. Ooh, I wonder if they play croquet…" Willow smiled sympathetically and lifted her hand in a wave. "Get back to me on it, okay? Good luck." She walked swiftly from the room. "Yeah, Luck. Like I ever excelled in that department…" She muttered to herself as she lifted the phone from the receiver and dialed the digits jotted down in front of her.

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