Showdown
'And now we welcome back to the stage our lovely contestants, who one by one will perform a talent that is most special and unique to them!'
'Can I kill him?' Angel muttered, as the purple tuxedoed man bowed low and extravagantly. Spike raised an eyebrow.
'There's only one talent that Buffy has that I can think of', Spike murmured, looking straight ahead.
'I'd rather you not mention it for the fifty thousandth time', Angel threatened.
'What, you're going to slip me on a bikini mission?' Spike mocked. 'Wouldn't you like to see that...'
Angel briefly wondered whether anyone would notice if he sat next to a pile of dust.
*************************************************************
'Dawn Summers!' The crowd cheered, as the man smiled broadly.
Dawn steeped out onto the stage in a long red gown, full of expensive looking sequins. She beamed at the crowd. She may not have been a prom queen, but she felt like one now. *This is what I came for* she thought ecstatically. *To be appreciated, finally*.
The crowd quietened. It was talent show time. What was that joke again?
She picked up the microphone in front of her, almost dropping it with nerves. 'Uh, hi', she squeaked. 'Want some chuckles?'
Silence. She swallowed.’ Right. With the jokes now, huh?' She took a deep breath. 'Okay, listen. A man...walks into the office of a doctor. He's wearing on his head, um...wait, there's, there's a duck....'
Backstage, the five women grimaced. Kennedy snorted with disdain. 'She SUCKS!'
Willow frowned. 'This joke seems awfully familiar...'
'And ... then the duck tells the doctor that there's a man, that's attached to my ass. See, it was the duck, and not the man that spoke'. Dawn breathed, and looked out to the nervously. There was a scattering of polite applause, and she felt her heart sink. 'Uh....joke number two...knock knock....uh....w-who-'
After a slight pause, she run from the stage.
'Well done,' said the purple tuxedo man quickly. 'Well done indeed. Now give a hand for a joint effort by Winifred and Faith!'
Illyria scowled as Faith followed her onstage with a large and unnatural-looking harp. As Faith placed it down, Illyria flung her hair over her shoulders and began to play. The audience were in complete awe, as the music soothed their bodies and stroked their minds. And Illyria was completely engrossed in her playing of the harp, not relying on Fred's memories but her own, from long ago.
But then, Faith began to dance. It wasn't the most dance-worthy music, but she was adaptable. She swayed her hips and moved elegantly across the stage, as slowly, the audience's attention diverted to her sensational dance. All eyes were on her, and Faith knew it. She winked to a man in the front row, and danced some more. Illyria missed a note, and finished playing abruptly.
'The exhibition has concluded', she announced to Faith, as well as the audience. Faith, sweating heavily, smiled at her knowingly. They bowed simultaneously, and departed from the stage, not before Faith made a final wave to a cheering audience.
**************************************
'...my heart will go on and onnnnnnnnn'
The crowd went wild, as Kennedy left the stage smugly. *Got them every time* she thought.
'Now for Ms Buffy Summers!'
Buffy bounced onto the stage in a cheerleading outfit from indeterminable origins. She flounced around to a heavy dance track. 'Hello Cleveland!' she shouted.
There were a few boos from the audience. She kept a fake smile plastered on her face as she waved her pom-poms energetically. She tried to conceal a frown. Okay, it had been years since last cheered, but she was still in shape...
'Give me a C!' she shouted. There were some shouts from the audience. But they seemed mainly unenthusiastic. 'L! E! V! E! L! A! N! And a D! Cleveland!' She waved her pom-poms furiously through gritted teeth.
There was a scattering of applause through the audience. One section seemed more cheered than others. She peered curiously, and flinched when she saw Spike and Angel smiling in the crowd at each other.
'Yay Cleveland!' she squeaked, and then bounced from the stage.
*************************
It was Willow's turn. As she emerged onstage with a fetching magician's hat and sequined cloak, she briefly wondered whether she was doing the right thing. It was an invasion of privacy. She was through with using magic to satisfy her own ends. But she needed to know...
'Hi', she said awkwardly to the audience. She couldn't help but see them as a bunch of hungry sharks, waiting for her to fall overboard. She gulped. 'I am Willow the Weird, and now I shall show you the, uh, weird. I shall need some volunteers to help me with some of my acts, and hope you will oblige with my...requests'.
The audience shifted in boredom. Okay, time to move on to the impressive stuff.
'For my first act, watch as this handkerchief...' she held out a yellow cloth for all to see, 'turn into a bluebird!'
With a wave of the hand, the handkerchief transformed into the feathered creature, and flew over the audience, who murmured in appreciation and surprise. They clapped.
'Thank you', she said, bowing uncomfortably. 'For my next trick, I will need a volunteer. You-' she pointed to a 10 year old girl in the front row, who blushed in surprise. 'I beckon you'
The girl stumbled on to the stage. 'Pick a card, she said, handing the girl a pack of cards. 'Pick one, any one. Look through the pack if you must'.
The girl picked a card. 'Now, put it back' Willow ordered. She closed her eyes, and saw a 4 of clubs. 'Throw the cards over the audience. Go on' she ushered when the volunteer hesitated. The cards fluttered over the onlookers.'4 of clubs' said Willow confidently. The girl gasped. 'How did you...?'
'Magic!' beamed Willow. 'Now, another volunteer...you!' she pointed to Oz, who raised an eyebrow curiously. 'I call you here to assist me for my next trick!'
Oz strolled over to the stage. 'Nice hat' he remarked.
'Thanks' she smiled mysteriously.
*Oz* thought. *Oz, can you hear me?*
She waited a few seconds. *Willow? How can you...?*
*Long story. What are you doing here?*
*I could ask the same of you*
'I will look into this young man's mind, and tell you of its thoughts and musings' declared Willow. Oz looked mildly intrigued.
*I'm here to win the contest. Or be back-up. There's something iffy with the-*
*I know. That's why I'm here. In Cleveland. It's a Hellmouth. This contest is planning stuff. Evil stuff*
'You could read my mind?' Oz said, looking at the audience fearfully. Willow smiled. He was co-operating.
'We will see', she announced, and made dramatic arm gestures, and handed him a piece of paper to write his answer on.
*Evil stuff?* Willow thought. *Oz, what-*
*They're planning to open the Hellmouth. With sacrifices*
'Think of a color' she demanded. 'Any color'
*Yes, I know, sacrifice the winner or something. That's why the line-up can break boulders if necessary...excusing poor Dawn, of course*
'Done' said Oz.
*Russet. Willow, you're wrong, they're not after the winner. They want the runners-up.*
*What?*
'It is Russet!' declared Willow.
'How did you know?' Oz said, and showed his piece of paper to the audience, which read 'russet'.
*They have no use for the winner. They want the blood of the rejected*
*Oh* she thought. *I get it now... Oz, how'd you find out?*
*That isn't the point. Anyway, shouldn't you finish your act? They'll get suspicious*
*Logging off* she thought, and closed the secret communication between them.
'I must thank you for you participation, Mr...'
'Osbourne.' Oz shrugged calmly. 'Thanks for reading my mind.'
'You're welcome' she smiled.
He gave her a knowing wink as he left the stage, as her heart ached dully.
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