True Seeing

I received the Gem as a reward … I helped someone, and her family gave it to me in gratitude. I liked being able to see auras. It helped me a few times. I could detect certain types of undead, and even spotted an evil human once. Most people's auras don't reflect whether they are good or evil. We go about our lives, enjoying a pretty day or irritated by traffic, and we truly AREN'T good, or evil, at any random moment.

The Gem had made a difference often enough that I took to carrying it all the time, and using it often – several times a day, at least. I enjoyed looking at auras, they gave me insights into people, and their abilities and strengths. Besides, auras are actually very pretty – complex and colorful and bright.

Here's where the story gets interesting.

I was out one evening when I noticed a man trying to pick up a pretty girl. The girl looked barely old enough to drive, and the man was in his late twenties. I thought I'd intervene, figuring that the guy was the kind of jerk who hangs out at playgrounds. When I got closer, though, I realized that he made me uneasy. I thought he might be a vampire, and I pulled out my Gem to confirm it.

I Saw the Slayer.

Have any of you ever seen a Slayer's aura? It's like looking at the Sun through a fire opal. It's brilliant and swirling – every conceivable color of Light. I thought she was an angel at first. Or some sort of celestial being, anyway. Beautiful. Blinding.

I was so surprised, I just stood there and stared. By the time I got it together, they were gone. I didn't see where they went. I presume she staked him as soon as they got somewhere out of sight. I hung out in the area for several days, trying to find her again. When she did show up, I struck up a conversation with her. She got over her suspicions eventually, and took me to her Watcher.

I liked him, and I really liked the Slayer, and through them I was introduced to the rest of the Council. The Watchers' Council was a closed society at the time, so I was not allowed to become a Watcher. I never liked or trusted Quentin Travers, so I never told any of them about how I became so enthralled with Slayers. Frankly, I suspect that if Travers had realized that I had a magical item, he would have arranged to steal it, or even murder me to get it. Still, I wanted to help, so I started traveling, gathering information about demons, monsters, and prophecies, and passing it on to the Council Librarian. I received a fee for information received, and the Council helped arrange introductions and visas for me. I think my relationship to the Council resembled that of a stringer for a major newspaper. I free-lanced, got paid by the job, and didn't have any real portfolio or orders.

My assumption is that the Bringers simply missed me when they went hunting for the Council members. I wasn't really an employee, and so no one knew to look for me. There are undoubtedly other people who retired or were out of pocket when the Council was blown up. I'd be delighted to help. I like my wandering lifestyle, but companioning a Slayer could only improve my effectiveness. If one of your girls is interested in a footloose life, tramping all over the world from major cities to grass huts, then nothing could please me more.

A/N The crossover is with Gygax's Dungeons &Dragons game – a Gem of True Seeing is a standard magic item in that game.

I don't own Buffy or D&D.