Buffy: The Awakening - Updated 22 April 2004

[Steverooo]

Intro:

This is a tale of the Buffyverse, as it might have been... It begins just before the opening of the 1997-'98 school year, just after Buffy and her Mom have moved from LA to Sunnydale. Along with Angel, Buffy, Cordelia, Giles, Oz, Willow, and Xander, Theodore R. Jones will be joining the cast.

In this version of the Buffyverse, things are divergent... TR, the "crotchety old coot" in the wheelchair, will meet the Scooby Gang, and the first season will definitely go awry. Oz may or may not become a werewolf, and Willow might take up kickboxing and become a great fighter. Don't expect this story to follow the scripts you're familiar with!

Also, since this is a collaborative effort, with multiple gamers doing the writing, expect the style to change, and be varied from one PC's perspective to the next.

Anyway, enough introduction. Now, on with our story.

 

[Steverooo]

A Vignette with "Grampa" Jones

[Howdy, all! If you've been trying to place the name ''Theodore Jones'' in relation to the Buffyverse, give it up! He's a ''new PC'', who never appeared in the show (so that's why you can't remember)! ;-p

I'm going to go ahead and post a 'trip to the library' post, to introduce my PC. Kael can use it to start the game, or she may start somewhere else, and say that this is just a vignette, or whatever. ;-)]

***

On a cold, windy day in March, a UPS truck turns into what looks like an abandonned wharehouse lot. Apparently, the driver has been here before, however, as he maneuvers the truck around a corner, and pulls up to where an older gentleman sits in a blue-cloth-and-tubular-steel-frame wheelchair, with a purple plastic ''wheelchair desk'' on his lap.

As the driver pulls in, the older man in the chair looks up, putting away a notepad and pen. The driver dismounts, smiling, carrying a smaller-sized box, his clipboard, and pen. No doubt pleasantries are exchanged, and the driver hands the seated man the package. He takes it, without getting up, glances at the ''From'' line, then sets it on the wheelchair-desk, and takes the clipboard, signing ''T. R. Jones'' before handing it back.

The driver smiles, saying something else as he turns away and remounts, then the large brown truck rolls off. ''Gramps'' watches until the sounds of the motor die away, then turns his wheelchair around, and rolls up to a pull-down steel security door. He fishes in a pocket for keys, unlocks it, and rolls it up. Wheeling in, he pulls a cord, bringing the door down behind him, where it clicks back into the locked position...

Several minutes pass... No doubt, the package is being opened, and the contents checked... Shortly thereafter, the security door is once again rolled up, and Grampa Jones comes rolling out. He grabs the cord and pulls the door down behind him, again, revealing a large ALICE pack strapped to the back of his chair, along with a cane, and a couple of those ''grabber'' thingies that folks use to ''grab'' things they can't reach.

The package is gone, but the purple desk is still over his lap. As he rolls away from the now-locked door, a blackened steel chain rattles on his black leather jacket, as he draws it tighter against the freshening wind, and zips it up. His legs are covered by BDU pants, in shades of dark, mottled grey. Not too unusual, these days, as camo is considered to be ''fashionable''. The action-traction combat boots adorning his feet, and the black eyepatch over his left eye, are less so, however.

Rolling out into the empty parking lot, the older man fights the wind, and starts picking up speed. He whips around the corner, and out the gate, pausing to push it closed, and lock it with the massive 2-pound US Military padlock hanging there... He then rolls off down the street, heading towards... the bay?

He rolls along, making good time, only pausing to watch out for the idiots who seem to object to sharing the road with an old man in a wheelchair. After several blocks, he turns into the Library, and approaches the wheelchair ramp. He stops at the bottom to catch his breath, then slowly works his way up it, apparently with difficulty.

Finally at the top, he reaches back and grabs his cane, using the cross-handle to pull the door open, then releases it and squirts through the door, before it can close. Once inside, he repeats the process with the inner door, and quickly cruises past the card catalog, heading for a very specific stack of books.

Once in the back, he trades the cane in for the pair of grabbers, and starts pulling books off the shelves in the reference collection. Vampires: From Vlad the Impaler to the Modern Day, by Adrian Giles; Vampires Suck!, by Ima Goner; Things That Go Bump in the Night (and How to Bump Back!), by The Initiative; and many more, similar titles are soon piled on his purple plastic desk. Then he rolls off to the fiction section, where Dracula, by Brahms Stoker joins the lot...He pauses for a moment, then turns about and heads to non-fiction, again, and searches the stacks for another, very slim volume, finally adding Disposable Butane Lighter Hand Grenades to the pile, and then whizzes off to a study cubicle, from which he does not emerge...

Occasionally, scratching sounds can be heard, as of a pen on pad. Page-flipping and book-thumping sounds are common, and after a while, an odd, scratchy sound, as if from... a cigarette lighter?... can be heard coming from the cubicle...

[My PC is trying to find out what hurts Vampires, and what doesn't. I assume he's tried the 9mm Uzis with wooden bullets trick, and found that bullets, in general, soften'em up a bit, but don't do the trick... Hence the shotshells loaded with toothpicks that he's just waiting to test! Questions he wants answered are:

Does silver hurt them?

Does garlic hurt them?

Do Holy items (Crucifix, Star of David, Holy Water, etc.) hurt them?

If they're dead, do their bodies give off heat/infrared?

Does poison hurt them?

Does gas hurt them?

Can they be electrocuted? (The Initiative used stunguns pretty effectively, on Spike, in a 'later' episode).

Can they be identified by the lack of a heartbeat?

Can they see in total darkness? Better than a Human at night? Like a cat?

Any other relevant information - for instance, that they can't enter a residence without an invitation from someone who lives there.

Also, do mirrors really have any effect on them?

What about ''Holy Ground''? Can they enter churches, etc.? Apparently, they can enter graveyards with no problems, even if they're on church grounds...

Does sunlight kill them instantly, quickly, or what? Is it because of the UV, or something else? (I think from the show that we know it takes a few seconds, but those are painful!)]

[The GM responds that he can find no useful information.]

***

 

[Steverooo]

Sunnydale High:

Outside, a full moon hangs low in the sky. The clouds form a halo around it, and three multi-color rings can be seen from a distance. Far away, a howling can be heard in the horizon.

Then again, the horizon was a funny thing.

For years now, Sunnydale has been a town of desolate dissapearances, mysterious happenings, and a general epicenter for the occult. The students there have seen and heard things that should only happen on TV.

The local police chief, Lane O'Brien, has also witnessed a record in the mysterious crime rate, and has been working around the clock to solve these problems. Unfortunately, late at night, his officers have an uncanny way of...dissapearing.

The date is August 21st, 1997. Sunnydale High School has opened its doors for student registration and book pick-up. School officially starts on Monday, August 25th, at 8:30 am. How many students will dissapear this year?

In the school library, amidst a clutter of books unique and distinct, tables are set up for student registration. An enormous banner reading 'Welcome Sunnydale High, Class of 2000!' lights up the somewhat dismal decor of the library. Rupert Giles, the school librarian, sits behind a stack of musty transcripts, circling and dotting the records of missing library books with a somewhat chagrined look on his british features. Above him, the air conditioner unit hums diligantly, before coming to an abrupt stop after a furious sputter.

Principal Flutie stands from his spot behind one of the registration tables. "Giles! I want that AC unit fixed before school starts. This is ridiculous; it must be 200 degrees outside." He takes a small hankerchief from his breast pocket and dabs his face with it. "Look, call this guy. He has a reputaticn around town for being a cheap handiman, and I don't want to cut back on the Glee Club budget just to properly air condition the school." Principal Flutie gives an arrogant look around the library, mildly watching the students while he speaks to Giles in his monotonous voice. The phone number written down has a weird name written on it: Grampa Jones.

The Principal gives Giles an aggrieved look at his confusion. "No, not tonight! Call him in the morning." He can be heard muttering something under his breath as he goes back to his post behind the registration table. Giles looks wearily at his watch. 8:00... and registration would stay open until 9:00. He resists the urge to sigh.

On the far side of the library, a goofy looking boy and goofy looking girl sit side by side, eagerly surfing the internet. Well, one of them appeared to be 'eager,' the other one tapped his fingers in a bored manner. They were two of the very few students who actually wore their nametags into the building for registration purposes. Giles squints his eyes to get a better look. The red-headed girl's nametag was scrawled in perfect handwriting. "Willow Rosenberg". The boy's name tag appeared to be scrawled -- in a chicken scratch sort of way -- "Xander Harris". He shrugs and looks at the entrance to the library as the doors swing open. A petite blonde enters the room, trying hard not to wobble on her uncannily high heels. She wears a hot-pink skirt and a black top, and she has an odd, nervous look on her face. She, too, wears the crummy name tag. It reads: "Buffy Summers". She plays absently with a loose piece of hair, not even noticing the boys around her starting to drool. She walks hesitantly over to the shortest line, and stands behind a long-legged brunette.

Unfortunately, just as she takes the final step into the line, her heel gives out, causing the petite blonde to fall, open-mouthed, to the floor in a heap. Books and papers spill out in every which direction.

The brunette turns on her heel from where she had been standing and gossiping with a group of friends. She rolls her eyes unceramoniously and smirks. "Watch where you're going! This skirt cost more than your entire wardrobe!" She studies the newer girl on the ground for a moment, before sighing and lending her a hand to help her up. "How quaint. You wore the name tag. I'm Cordelia." She looks magnificent, and long brown hair flows down her back.

Entering just behind Buffy is a shorter, orange-haired boy who looks a little bit older. He carries a backpack stuffed to the brim, and decorated with patches of local bands. He watches the goings on with a dry sort of amusement, before his eyes seek out Willow... and a shy sort of grin falls on his face. He is not wearing a name tag. Behind the table, the Principal checks his watch and stands. "Last call for registration! Get in line now!" He bellows, sliding his hands into his cheap suit pockets and taking a seat. A flurry of students who had been net surfing stand up and slide over to the line.

[OOC: OK, guys, it's start time. Answers to your questions will be coming soon, along with a start-up post for Ryu and Angel. *grins* Thank you for being patient!!!!! ]

***

 

[Steverooo]

On the Docks:

As the howl echoes from the southwest, it is mingled with the sounds of mechanisms and machinery. The Sunnydale docksmen worked late on some evenings.

The quick sound of water swooshing against the docks is muffled by the angry protests of a man. Not much else can be discerned, but as a Vampire listens, he can hear: "No! I never said I'd do that! No!" The words are drowned out by a quick slurping noise and an agonized scream. The Vampire, Angel, stands close to the action, behind a stack of boxes. The scream dies out quickly and the slurping noise continues.

On the other side of the docks, a small, nimble boy sneaks without a sound, taking a step closer to the action. His features are very feminine and pretty, suggesting japanese heritage. He is dressed all in black, and carries several weapons. He crouches warily behind a crate, straining his ears to hear the events.

Unbeknownst to both the vampire and the ninja, another human waits invisable on the landing area of the docks. Rumors of a massive shipment of occult objects due into Sunnydale this evening had spread through the underground, making it impossible for Grampa Jones to resist a surprise appearance.

The shadowy figures of the men on the docks unloading the parcels are visible only from a near distance. They also dress in black to avoid being seen. They creep quietly and quickly, loading all of the parcels into a van that is parked precariously at a sideways angle. The van is between Theo's view and Ryu's view, but Angel has a clear vision to the action. He stands to the west of it.

Checking to the SW, TR looks for the source of the howling, wondering what's going on... Then, hearing the scream, he clicks the safety off, and wheels himself towards where the sound seems to be coming from, a pepper-blast ready to be followed up by rubber buckshot and a rubber rocket, then plain old lead. Six ''toothpick'' rounds wait in the shotshell holder, and one Glock holds silver, the other lead. One of the 'Sun-Guns' rests in his lap, ready for testing. He rolls in as quietly as he can...

Still in his crouched position, the "rather-easily-mistaken-for-a-female" boy simply blinked twice. Already?... It had only been a few days, and something like this was happening? Maybe all the things he'd read in the papers were right... Mysterious disappearences, unsolved deaths... It seemed a little too much to be simply "run of the mill", so what was it? Too long for an average murder, too quiet for a simple case of rape... Yet, the slurping would prove to be something different.

Well, it was rather too early to be making wild assumptions. For all he knew, some person could have simply tripped and hurt their mouth. It would have been understandable, but still... It wouldn't be that much of a fuss. What a time for someone's (bordering on paranoia) intuition to be acting up. Damn you, curious minds! Simply, with just as equally quiet footsteps as he started off with, the male slowly makes his way around the crates, to try and get to the van without notice. At least then he'd be able to see at least half of what was going on in this more-than-normal meeting.

The Ranger sling around him, holding the shotgun steady, TR lowers the lexan faceshield, and pulls around the corner, letting the wheelchair roll up on his quarry as he maneuvers the twin combat grips to aim the Remington 12-gauge at it.

Angel watched and listened intently, but made no movement from within the shadows in which he was encompassed. He saw no reason, as yet, to interrupt matters, especially as, by the scents available to him, there were plenty of people about who might seek to interfere.

As Theodore creeps closer to the action, his weapons ready for any sort of attack, Ryu hides in the shadows along with another... Angel.

The events that had transpired had lead them here to this moment... The Arc de' Terra. It was an obscure legend,.. and it was derived from several languages -- meaning the "arch of the earth". It was said that the item carried healing properties that could make its owner immortal. And no one wanted that to fall into the wrong hands.

Suddenly, as Theo's wheelchair inched foreward as quietly as possible, an eerie shudder spread from where his weight hit a soft spot on the rotten wooded docks. The noise was soft and barely noticable, but the slurping noise suddenly stopped. All at once, the black-clad figures closed in from several directions, dropping all packages and parcels they had been loading into the unmarked blue van.

[Angel and Ryu are still hidden, but from the looks of it, Theo has given away his location.... OOC: If you plan on attacking... please roll me a d20. thanks!]

Staying in his position, the boy gently scoffed. Great!... Whatever was out there, and some disabled martyr thinks he'll show up with some lead, and try to take them on? He wasn't one for discriminating against the disabled, but what in Buddha's name was that guy thinking?!

Now, at this moment in time, he had two options... Either keep back, allow the man to die, and continue his investigations... or risk trying to save the other, and end whatever was happening right there? Two hands slowly trailed back to the male's waist, where two horizontal sheaths were. One hand rested on a red grip on the right, and one on the left. It would seem his decision was slowly heading one way, as two rather artistically beautiful Wakizashi were pulled from their sheaths, now gripped firmly in the boy's hands. Just a few more seconds...

Theo triggers the sunlamp, flooding a 30' radius in artificial daylight, then fires off the pepper-powder round.

[Rolls a 2.]

"Eh... Vampires really suck!"

Stunned, Theo triggers the Sun-Gun he had equipped himself with, which works for a nanosecond before it flickers and dies out. Looking quickly to the source of the problem, he deduces that the sunlamp had somehow grown moist or damp, and had fizzed out. It makes a sick popping sound as the glass shatters and falls onto the dock.

Since the dazzling display of light has left everyone night-visionless, the pepper round gets fired in an awkward direction, hitting Ryu, who stands behind his shelter and giving Angel a good scare as he ducks, just narrowly being missed. Ryu gasps in pain and covers the hot wound in his arm. A sizzling sound can be heard as he grits his teeth.

However, since Theo did manage to light up the night for one quick second, he was able to see that there were at least 7 shadowy figures -- that he could count.

As he ejects the spent pepper-powder round, TR grabs a ''Toothpick'' round off the side-saddle and chambers it, ready for the next shot.

Since no one can see anyone else, TR uses the time when the (presumed) vamps are closing to load a wooden stake slug into the Remington, and draw four more toothpick rounds from the shotshell side-saddle, holding them between the knuckles of his gloved left hand. He lets loose with the rubber buckshot, knowing that it's wasted if these things aren't human, then wheels the chair in the direction that the scream came from, under cover of the shotgun's noise.

Sure, he can't see where he's going, but no one else can see where he's going, either, so it's ''Hide & Seek With Bazookas'', as the old expression goes... He wishes he had a cigar... and some dynamite!

With the flash of light (and his previous views of the area) to guide him, TR rolls around the stacked crates sitting on the docks, looking for the shlurper, saving the Toothpicks and Rubber Rocket slug for it. Ordinarily, the latter would just knock you down and hurt, but at ranges of 10' or less, it can break bones, and even kill... Unless you're already dead!

[GM: We need a map, or something. Where is TR in relation to the van, and the source of the scream and shlurping sounds? Is he at the seaward side of the docks?]

Click here for the map: http://anch_stevec.crosswinds.net/Docks.jpg

***

 

[Steverooo]

On the Docks... For Now:

"Ahh...!!" would be the exact wording used, followed by a rather reluctant (yet spoken anyway) string of obviously Japanese profanities from the male, looking at the wound which had now proceeded to actually bleed, causing him to look from where he was, to the direction where it came from.

Was this guy mad?! Either that was a rather perfectly aimed shot from his position... or just a huge piece of bad luck for Ryu. But, he would begin to try and shrug it off, ignoring the searing pain which was there, to reclaim his dropped Wakizashi from the floor (which had fallen from reflex). Seemed this guy would need some help... Pity the boy was in for a little beginner's course in the Occult.

TR takes a deep breath, and charges straight towards the rear of the van, wheels spinning. Anything that pops up out of the pepper gets nailed with a toothpick round...

Assuming he makes it to the front of the van alive and in one piece, he ejects the toothpick round (assuming he still has it), and the rubber rocket, and fires lead into the front tires, then another into the rear as he whips around behind, meanwhile loading in more of the toothpick rounds already held in his lap and between his knuckles.

Any signs of the screamer? Is he alive or dead? How many shots (of lead) fired at the van?

If he can, he will also fire off a round at the van's rear wheels, as he stops the chair. That should be all four of them... and this van aint goin' nowhere!

''Hey vampires... come out and PLA-AY!'' he says, quietly. ''I got some lovely sunlight forya, and pepper, and LOTSA garlic! And silver, and... Ooooh! Some nice WOOD!''

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to all, while charging the van, he has transmitted on the police band of his scanner. The sounds of gunfire coming in over the radio will surely have attracted some attention!

One strange look beginning to cross his face as the hot pain began to remove itself, Ryu blinked twice before noting that this man... This man was mad. Vampires? Probably some sort of disillusioned old man with a will to kill...

Seemed like this man would need some help. Beginning to step out, the boy would give him a look, "H-Hey! Old guy, get out of here!"

[GM: Ryu and Theo, please roll me a d20.

Theo rolls 16, Ryu rolls 6.]

Angel watched all the sudden activity, carefully. His gaze watching the crippled human with a slightly incredulous look, not quite believing the suicidal nature of this man.

 

[Steverooo]

Still on the Docks:

Theo starts his rampage, charging towards the back of the van, relentlessly firing his ammo out into their midsts. This is successful at first, as several of the toothpick rounds hit their mark. Two of the vampires are affected, and can be seen from both Ryu and Angel's vantage points to be exploding into a myriad of ash and dust. Theo's attack on the van is sucsessful as well, as all of the tires go whoosh as the air escapes.

The remaining vampires look angrily at the man in the wheelchair. Now that he's closer, and the haze has settled, he can discern four more vampires other than the ones he had killed, and they all seem to be circling him in an overly vicious manner. One of them slashes out with an ancient-looking sword, and catches Theo in the left arm. He screams out angrily and drops the weapon he held.

Ryu has started his approach to the madman in the wheelchair, however he is still several feet away and can do nothing to stop the attack in round two. Angel watches eerily from the shadows, and in the silence, Theo's police scanner comes across blaring with static. "Roger that. Officers to report to the western docks, stat." The voice is barely discernable but the vampires seem to hear it and they don't like it... not one bit.

***

 

[Steverooo]

Two Down... Five to Go!

"The one good thing about being surrounded by enemies, when you've got no allies, is..." mutters TR, through gritted teeth, "you don't have to worry much about your aim!" Turning the wheelchair as he speaks, he can be seen to look about, as the four vampires surround him (he knows that he counted seven, in the brief flare of the dying Sun-Gun; two were dusted, and four surround him - leaving one more, he assumes on the other side of the van - the shlurper... and his victim)! He puts the chair into a spin as the Remington roars, yet again, whipping completely about and spraying the now-obviously vampires with as many toothpicks as he can pump out, before they can get to him.

As the black-clad Japanese boy yells at him, and suddenly appears, TR uses the scope to see that he has body heat, and shows up on IR. He's just seen a bunch of Vamps that didn't, so even though this apparent kid is dressed all in black, just like the Vampires, TR tries to avoid making an hors d'ovre out of him, with the toothpicks!

Ryu gave two, rather blank blinks as all of this happened, managing to fight off the urge of his eye twitching. He shot... people with toothpicks... and they turned to dust? And now these 'gangsters' were throwing around some forged steel to try and take off the disabled man's head? "For some strange reason... I think something weird is going on here..." he commented to himself, but shook it off. Even though it seemed that he could hold his own, a disabled guy in a wheelchair with a gun was still just a disabled guy in a wheelchair with a gun.

Breaking into a small run to close to distance between himself, the 'madman', and the Vamps, Ryu flicked the two Wakizashi from his back-waist sheaths. He performed a smooth, almost artistic spin when he reached the closest Vamp. His intent became obvious as the blades moved with him, the first aimed at the back of the Vamp's neck, the second aimed in the same place. Hopefully, one nice, clean cut.

Angel watched the battle impassively, his eyes widening slightly as the new figure in black started attacking the vampires. Whoever these people were, they were either brave, or stupid, or both... especially the guy in the wheelchair.

***

 

[Steverooo]

Sunnydale HS Library:

As the snobby brunette introduces herself, Buffy stands awkwardly and nods, a crooked grin falling into place. "Well... it's nice to meet you... Cordelia." She rolls her eyes when the taller girl turns around to her friends, and looks around to see if anyone gets in line behind her. She absently plays with a stray peice of blonde hair, and smiles slightly at the red-headed girl sitting behind the computer.

The orange-haired kid is standing around, looking rather bored. He starts tapping out a beat on his chest, attracting some stares as the thumping of his hands gets louder and more complex.

The red-headed girl smiles shyly back at the new blonde, wondering who she might be.

Pushing at the "Enter" key, then slapping at it more rigorously, Xander can't seem to get the silly machine to go to the risque website his friend, Jesse, mentioned the previous night. "Stupid Internet," he whispers under his breath. This web thing is probably just a fad, anyway, he thinks as he gives up trying and turns his full attention to the perky looking blonde girl over by the snobby brunette.

Ignoring the Principal, Buffy kinda turns on one heel and walks over to the red head on the computer. She cocks her head to the side and smiles. "Hi. I'm Buffy... and I'm also hoping that not all of you Sunnydalers are like that." She jerks her thumb over towards Cordelia. "I'm new here."

She looks down at the computer screen, trying not to take in the banner ad that proudly proclaimed "Smut 4 Free"... She gives Xander a weird look and watches him squirm.

Willow, feeling a bit intimidated by the pretty blonde girl named Buffy (but also, impressed with her opinion of Cordelia), replies, "Hi, I'm Willow. It's nice to meet you! No, not all of us have the winning personality that Cordelia has. This is my friend Xander." She points at Xander's name tag. "How is your first day going?', she asks, smiling at Buffy.

Slapping at buttons on the keyboard and then quickly hitting the 'OFF' switch on the monitor as perky-blond-girl tries to see the screen, Xander laughs awkwardly, smiles and shrugs, saying "Just preparing for biology class and hey, nice shoes!", he adds, hoping to distract Buffy with every girl's second-favourite topic...

The ploy works, momentarily. She looks down at her shoes, caught off guard. "Ooh, these? Thanks. They're... um... Hey! No fair! You used the old 'distract her with the shoes' routine!" She gives a bemused and pouty look. "I'm from LA. They use that a lot. there." She feels awkward only momentarily before sliding into a seat next to Xander and Willow. "So, what's a good class to take, here? I wanna stay away from... uh... Biology." She gives Xander a funny look.

Principal Flutie eyes the trio of students sittiing in the corner. He shrugs, almost looking exasperated, before he stomps over to Giles, who still stands behind the counter, a little bit out of his element. "Giles! Rally up those kids and get them outta here! If I'm not home by 9 pm, sharp, the wife's gonna pitch a fit."

Cordelia, who is now first in line, turns around and mutters something unsavory to her friends, and they all start laughing hysterically. The clock on the wall reads 8:40.

[OOC: Any actions before we move on from here?]

Oz signs up for as many music classes as he can before leaving.

Rupert Giles puts down his books, furiously opening the pages of the phone book. He picks up the phone while muttering to himself, “I’m the head librarian of this institution, and a member of the Watchers' Council, and this half-wit of a principal wants me to call the air conditioning repairman, like I’m some bloody day labourer. I think I have better things to do with…”

His muttering immediately ceases upon his noticing a pretty young blonde girl. He feels drawn to her, in a way that he couldn’t really describe to himself. “In American for just one week, and you’re already gearing up for your middle-age crisis, old boy?” he thinks, “Don’t be ridiculous, you're more than twice her age… you’re old enough to be her… uncle…”

He looks back at her, and then his eyes grow wide as he stares at her chest. More specifically, staring at her name tag. Buffy Summers. “My God!” he says loudly while staring at the girl.

***

 

[Steverooo]

HS Blues:

As the librarian gapes silently at the blonde girl, her head snaps up eerily in a sort of supernatural hearing sense. She looks at him suddenly, and her blue eyes seem cloudy with remembrance... of events passed. She tries to ignore it, but she gets an eerie feeling and hurriedly registers for her classes.

As the other students finish up, Principal Flutie stands and stares at them, eyeing his watch in a furious manner. "Alright kids! That's it for today. Any students or stragglers who have yet to register can do so on Monday morning! Until then, it's sayonara. As in, get out!!" He starts herding the students toward the exit with a triumphant look on his face. Giles can be heard sighing, albeit Britishly.

Buffy's eyes linger on the librarian for a moment as she is ushered outside in a mob of students that include herself, Cordelia, Xander, Oz, and Willow. She seems to know that this will not be the end of her meeting with the stranger. She sighs diplomatically, turning to WIllow and Xander.

"Ah, so this would be a great new introduction to Sunnydale, right? Getting kicked out of the library." She sighs. "Is this the norm around here?"

Xander, Willow, Oz, and Buffy seem to have gathered into a circle near the outside entrance to the library. It's an enormous courtyard that is attatched to the main offices of the school and the parking lot, as well. Cordelia has wandered off with some of her snobby, albeit fashionable, friends. They can be seen getting into a car and leaving the parking lot.

Not seconds have passed... when suddenly, out of nowhere, two strange-looking teenagers jump out from behind a commercial trash bin. They are strangely pale and thin, and have the weirdest look in their eyes. They walk toward the group with an evil sort of speed.

Most of the other kids have left the area, and only two other students linger by Buffy, Willow, Oz, and Xander. As the strange looking couple walks closer, one of them kicks a nearby picknick table, and the crash can be heard by Giles and Principal Flutie, even in the library.

***

 

[Steverooo]

The (Big) Cheese Stands Alone:

Xander sees the two gaunt figures approaching, and though accustomed to being pushed around by older students, he's not so keen on being bullied in front of pretty-new-girl.

"Hey guys... uh, wow... uh, yeah, good job with the vandalism - that table was, uh, a symbol of oppression and, luncheon badness..."

Xander's voice trails off for a moment, and as the two figures continue to approach, he laughs nervously, tries to edge in front of Willow and Buffy, raises his hands in a non-threatening, palm-out manner, and adds "Uh, so, we're cool here? We'll just be leaving now..."

Willow, sensing danger, steps back a couple of feet closer to the school, hoping not to be noticed by the strange teens. Oz quirked his eyebrow at the pale vandals, standing his ground and humming a few bars of "Fear of The Dark" by Iron Maiden.

***