We, Who Are About to Die, Salute You: Part Four
by Onua
Arthur walked along the dim street brooding over his turn of events. The reception he had received at Rupert's door this morning was intolerable! And here he was again, on his way to the same apartment. He figured that it would be best to meet with him tonight while the Slayer patrolled. Arthur frowned. What if she hadn't started her patrol yet? It was more than likely, given the spoiled rude nature of the girl.
Given its peculiar location, Sunnydale had much too many cemeteries. Some of them were even located in the most obscure and irritating places. Like the one right in front of him, for example. Arthur looked disgustedly at the plot of graves in front of him. In the distance, he could clearly see the row of brightly-lit apartments, which was his destination. The gates were locked and the cemetery itself was vast. Crumbs, he had to bloody hike around it!
Arthur walked on thinking about how much he wanted to rent a car. He should have, at the airport. What was he thinking then? This was, at the moment, more intolerable! While moaning over his sore feet, Arthur stopped looking speculatively at the walls of the cemetery. If only he could cut through the cemetery. His feet would probably forever thank him. He considered setting fire to this unbroken wall of…bush. While Arthur's fingers started itching for some matches, he noticed a small depression in the hedge towards the bottom. Arthur looked around. No one was in sight.
Getting on his hands and knees, he quickly crawled through the small hole and entered the cemetery. Dignity be hanged! His feet were tired. Getting up, he brushed himself, straightened his tie, and walked on as if nothing happened. Arthur walked on, tightly holding onto a bottle of holy water and a cross from his jacket pockets.
* * *
Buffy fell to the ground.
"Ooh, one point for Mr. Vamp while the Slayer has yet to score!"
"Whistler," she gritted, "would you-" punch "-shut-" kick "-up?" stab. Buffy was rewarded with a shower of dust. She sneezed and then faced him. "I don't even know how you got me to take you with me patrolling."
Whistler was sedately perched on a tombstone. He shrugged. "Yeah, mutual." He hopped down. The pair started walking down a lane of graves. "There's still more to all this, you know."
"You've gotta be kidding me." Buffy's jaw dropped.
"I've never been more serious in my life." Whistler considered his statement. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Anyway, you're not the only one looking for the last piece of the Codex."
"Oh, no quest is complete without a bad guy, huh? Well that's just great." Buffy kicked an unoffending stone and it ricocheted of a tree.
"Try to be serious. You're up against two of the worst demons in Hell."
"Two?? That's not fair! That's one more pair of eyes out on the look for that thing!"
"Oh stop whining. I'm here, aren't I? Besides, Juniper and Remington are inseparable. The concept of splitting up is alien to them."
"So they love each other, huh?" Buffy said almost bitterly. "Must be nice." She heard sounds of a struggle somewhere off her right and started sprinting towards it.
Whistler sighed. Just when a conversation got interesting, they had to be interrupted by these trivial things. He headed towards where Buffy was pulling a vampire off someone. She roughly shoved the man towards Whistler's direction. "Watch out!" she cried and deftly kicked the offending vampire in the ribs.
Whistler looked at the dazed man grabbing a nearby gravestone to haul himself up and then start to tremble violently. As the man turned to look at Buffy incredulously, Whistler recognized him as the man who wanted to talk to Giles this morning. he thought amusedly.
Both demon and man watched as Buffy stunned the vampire with a punch and then unerringly plunged her stake into her target.
Buffy turned to the man she had roughly pushed aside. "Are you okay? What-" and stopped short. She saw the man stare at the gravestone his hand was on and then looked at her. It was the man from this morning. Moreover, the stone his hand rested on was labeled, "Rupert Giles / 1951 ~ 2001 / Never a better mentor or guide. You will be missed."
* * *
"It's ready then?" A pair of golden eyes bored down on him. He never felt so alone or so helpless. If there were any other way, he would've taken it. But he had no choice. This wasn't his destiny. His destiny would come much later. This was his duty.
"Yes," he whispered. "They will all come tomorrow night. Will you keep your part of this bargain?"
The woman gave a lilting laugh. "You want it on paper?"
"Under the circumstances, yes. I would not be willing to partake in this… atrocity… unless I know full well that you will keep your end of the bargain."
"Don't worry," the man next to the woman assured. "Despicable creatures as we are, there are rules involved with our kind involving a deal such as this one."
The pair indifferently saw the man sitting behind his desk close his eyes. "That's it then. I agree."
The woman gave a cheery laugh, her golden eyes dancing delightedly. "Great!"
The two started making motions to leave. "We'll see you tomorrow night, then," the man replied. "Is the occasion black tie, by the way?"
The man behind the desk didn't answer back. He wouldn't even look at them.
* * *
Trembling, Arthur rose unsteadily to his feet. He was at a loss of words. "You, you… lied."
"I had no choice."
"No choice!" Arthur nearly shouted. "The Council was supposed to be notified immediately and-"
"And you'll what? Send another Watcher to snidely direct me to danger while he snuggles up in his stupid books?"
"A Slayer needs guidance," Arthur replied stiffly. "Without us, you would not be able to fight off the forces of darkness."
"Maybe you didn't notice," Buffy shot back venomously. "You're talking to a *Slayer* who's been defending this goddamn town the past *fourteen* years, half of which was without Giles!"
"Mr. Giles," Arthur automatically corrected.
Buffy nearly exploded if Whistler hadn't cleared his throat. "If I may?"
Both man and woman glared at the demon.
"You know, there's something a lot more important that's gonna happen instead of your bickering. Grow up, both of you."
There was a sullen silence.
"And the scene improves. You guys are do good," Whistler congratulated. "Now, this is Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer. Who are you?"
"Arthur Liam Travers. I was sent under the Director's orders to warn Mr. Giles and his *charge* about some imminent danger."
"If it happens to be about the Pergamum, I'm already on top of that," Buffy smirked. "Thanks for the old news. You can go back to your mother country now."
"Buffy, hush," Whistler said absently. "I'm the one who's doing the asking and talking."
Buffy began to retort until she saw the scowl on Whistler's face. She bit her lip.
Whistler faced Arthur. "Well?"
"She is correct. It's based on the mysteriously translated section in the Codex. I've done some extensive research and cross-referencing with the Codex but I need more materials. I was hoping that I would be able to further my investigation upon arriving here." Arthur glared meaningfully at the Slayer. "Such was not the case."
Buffy rolled her eyes.
Whistler scratched his eyebrow. "We're gonna need him, Buffy."
"What?" Buffy exploded. "There's no conferencing? No time-out?"
"Get with the program, kid. What I've told you so far is the all I know about all this. With this man's help, maybe we could know more."
"Keyword, demon, *maybe*," Buffy said witheringly.
"Demon?" Arthur asked inquiringly.
"Oh, where are my manners," Whistler asked, smacking his forehead. "The name's Whistler."
Arthur stared at the creature disbelievingly. "I thought…"
"That all demons eat human hearts? How little you know of us," Whistler said, giving a sardonic grin. "As I've said before, not all demons are dedicated to the destruction of life."
Buffy sighed. This wasn't going to be the first time she had to do something she didn't like. "Oh alright. Whistler, take Travers here back to the apartment. I want to do a couple of more sweeps before I call it a night."
"Got it. C'mon, Watcher. Say, are you, by any chance, a good cook? I think the word kitchen is alien to Slayers or something."
"I suppose I can see what I can rustle up," Arthur replied.
Buffy looked misgivingly at the pair walking towards Giles's apartment. "This is going to be very bad."
Arthur walked along the dim street brooding over his turn of events. The reception he had received at Rupert's door this morning was intolerable! And here he was again, on his way to the same apartment. He figured that it would be best to meet with him tonight while the Slayer patrolled. Arthur frowned. What if she hadn't started her patrol yet? It was more than likely, given the spoiled rude nature of the girl.
Given its peculiar location, Sunnydale had much too many cemeteries. Some of them were even located in the most obscure and irritating places. Like the one right in front of him, for example. Arthur looked disgustedly at the plot of graves in front of him. In the distance, he could clearly see the row of brightly-lit apartments, which was his destination. The gates were locked and the cemetery itself was vast. Crumbs, he had to bloody hike around it!
Arthur walked on thinking about how much he wanted to rent a car. He should have, at the airport. What was he thinking then? This was, at the moment, more intolerable! While moaning over his sore feet, Arthur stopped looking speculatively at the walls of the cemetery. If only he could cut through the cemetery. His feet would probably forever thank him. He considered setting fire to this unbroken wall of…bush. While Arthur's fingers started itching for some matches, he noticed a small depression in the hedge towards the bottom. Arthur looked around. No one was in sight.
Getting on his hands and knees, he quickly crawled through the small hole and entered the cemetery. Dignity be hanged! His feet were tired. Getting up, he brushed himself, straightened his tie, and walked on as if nothing happened. Arthur walked on, tightly holding onto a bottle of holy water and a cross from his jacket pockets.
* * *
Buffy fell to the ground.
"Ooh, one point for Mr. Vamp while the Slayer has yet to score!"
"Whistler," she gritted, "would you-" punch "-shut-" kick "-up?" stab. Buffy was rewarded with a shower of dust. She sneezed and then faced him. "I don't even know how you got me to take you with me patrolling."
Whistler was sedately perched on a tombstone. He shrugged. "Yeah, mutual." He hopped down. The pair started walking down a lane of graves. "There's still more to all this, you know."
"You've gotta be kidding me." Buffy's jaw dropped.
"I've never been more serious in my life." Whistler considered his statement. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Anyway, you're not the only one looking for the last piece of the Codex."
"Oh, no quest is complete without a bad guy, huh? Well that's just great." Buffy kicked an unoffending stone and it ricocheted of a tree.
"Try to be serious. You're up against two of the worst demons in Hell."
"Two?? That's not fair! That's one more pair of eyes out on the look for that thing!"
"Oh stop whining. I'm here, aren't I? Besides, Juniper and Remington are inseparable. The concept of splitting up is alien to them."
"So they love each other, huh?" Buffy said almost bitterly. "Must be nice." She heard sounds of a struggle somewhere off her right and started sprinting towards it.
Whistler sighed. Just when a conversation got interesting, they had to be interrupted by these trivial things. He headed towards where Buffy was pulling a vampire off someone. She roughly shoved the man towards Whistler's direction. "Watch out!" she cried and deftly kicked the offending vampire in the ribs.
Whistler looked at the dazed man grabbing a nearby gravestone to haul himself up and then start to tremble violently. As the man turned to look at Buffy incredulously, Whistler recognized him as the man who wanted to talk to Giles this morning. 'Well now, isn't this going to be interesting?' he thought amusedly.
Both demon and man watched as Buffy stunned the vampire with a punch and then unerringly plunged her stake into her target.
Buffy turned to the man she had roughly pushed aside. "Are you okay? What-" and stopped short. She saw the man stare at the gravestone his hand was on and then looked at her. It was the man from this morning. Moreover, the stone his hand rested on was labeled, "Rupert Giles / 1951 ~ 2001 / Never a better mentor or guide. You will be missed."
* * *
"It's ready then?" A pair of golden eyes bored down on him. He never felt so alone or so helpless. If there were any other way, he would've taken it. But he had no choice. This wasn't his destiny. His destiny would come much later. This was his duty.
"Yes," he whispered. "They will all come tomorrow night. Will you keep your part of this bargain?"
The woman gave a lilting laugh. "You want it on paper?"
"Under the circumstances, yes. I would not be willing to partake in this… atrocity… unless I know full well that you will keep your end of the bargain."
"Don't worry," the man next to the woman assured. "Despicable creatures as we are, there are rules involved with our kind involving a deal such as this one."
The pair indifferently saw the man sitting behind his desk close his eyes. "That's it then. I agree."
The woman gave a cheery laugh, her golden eyes dancing delightedly. "Great!"
The two started making motions to leave. "We'll see you tomorrow night, then," the man replied. "Is the occasion black tie, by the way?"
The man behind the desk didn't answer back. He wouldn't even look at them.
* * *
Trembling, Arthur rose unsteadily to his feet. He was at a loss of words. "You, you… lied."
"I had no choice."
"No choice!" Arthur nearly shouted. "The Council was supposed to be notified immediately and-"
"And you'll what? Send another Watcher to snidely direct me to danger while he snuggles up in his stupid books?"
"A Slayer needs guidance," Arthur replied stiffly. "Without us, you would not be able to fight off the forces of darkness."
"Maybe you didn't notice," Buffy shot back venomously. "You're talking to a *Slayer* who's been defending this goddamn town the past *fourteen* years, half of which was without Giles!"
"Mr. Giles," Arthur automatically corrected.
Buffy nearly exploded if Whistler hadn't cleared his throat. "If I may?"
Both man and woman glared at the demon.
"You know, there's something a lot more important that's gonna happen instead of your bickering. Grow up, both of you."
There was a sullen silence.
"And the scene improves. You guys are do good," Whistler congratulated. "Now, this is Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer. Who are you?"
"Arthur Liam Travers. I was sent under the Director's orders to warn Mr. Giles and his *charge* about some imminent danger."
"If it happens to be about the Pergamum, I'm already on top of that," Buffy smirked. "Thanks for the old news. You can go back to your mother country now."
"Buffy, hush," Whistler said absently. "I'm the one who's doing the asking and talking."
Buffy began to retort until she saw the scowl on Whistler's face. She bit her lip.
Whistler faced Arthur. "Well?"
"She is correct. It's based on the mysteriously translated section in the Codex. I've done some extensive research and cross-referencing with the Codex but I need more materials. I was hoping that I would be able to further my investigation upon arriving here." Arthur glared meaningfully at the Slayer. "Such was not the case."
Buffy rolled her eyes.
Whistler scratched his eyebrow. "We're gonna need him, Buffy."
"What?" Buffy exploded. "There's no conferencing? No time-out?"
"Get with the program, kid. What I've told you so far is the all I know about all this. With this man's help, maybe we could know more."
"Keyword, demon, *maybe*," Buffy said witheringly.
"Demon?" Arthur asked inquiringly.
"Oh, where are my manners," Whistler asked, smacking his forehead. "The name's Whistler."
Arthur stared at the creature disbelievingly. "I thought…"
"That all demons eat human hearts? How little you know of us," Whistler said, giving a sardonic grin. "As I've said before, not all demons are dedicated to the destruction of life."
Buffy sighed. This wasn't going to be the first time she had to do something she didn't like. "Oh alright. Whistler, take Travers here back to the apartment. I want to do a couple of more sweeps before I call it a night."
"Got it. C'mon, Watcher. Say, are you, by any chance, a good cook? I think the word kitchen is alien to Slayers or something."
"I suppose I can see what I can rustle up," Arthur replied.
Buffy looked misgivingly at the pair walking towards Giles's apartment. "This is going to be very bad."
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