Buffy twirled a loose strand of hair around her fingers and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. A half smile lingered on her lips as she tried (rather unsuccessfully) to focus on the new danger that her watcher was explaining to her in lengthy detail.
"Doesn't 'briefing' me on something mean that that something is supposed to be ... brief?" The slayer asked with mock innocence.
Giles gave her a confused look, and then relinquished a smile.
"Sorry. It's just ... I have only ever heard of the Locquas Demon through my studies. They are extremely rare and, quite frankly, if this new demon you encountered on patrol last night was in fact a Locquas, well then ... I ..."
"Okay, I get it. This is a big deal for you Watcher types."
"Well, yes." Giles looked fondly at his slayer, sliding his hands into his pockets as he ceased pacing and came to a stop in front of the table where she was seated.
Buffy quit twirling her hair and interlaced her fingers, laying her hands in her lap. Her right ankle rested on her left knee, her foot rocking back and forth impatiently as she waited for Giles to continue his "briefing". Picking up on the hint, Giles moved towards the table and picked up a book from the relatively small stack that had been lying on the table when Buffy had arrived. Dead give away that trouble was a-brewing. Giles flipped through several pages, found what he had been looking for, and placed the book in front of Buffy.
"Is that what you fought?"
Buffy looked and nodded.
"In the creepy, hunch-backed flesh."
"Well it seems as if we indeed have a Locquas Demon on our hands. I can't deny my excitement."
Buffy lifted her eyebrows and fitted Giles with a surprised look.
"You're excited that we have some rare monster lurking around the Hellmouth? Correct me if I'm wrong, but usually the rare beasties are more trouble and dangerous than the regular beasties. Which is bad news for the guys that have to slay them ... like me."
Giles acquiesced and nodded his head in agreement, removing his glasses to rub his eyes.
"I understand. Excitement may be a tad bit generous. But it is indeed a unique situation to encounter a Locquas, and frankly I'll relish my opportunity to gloat when I regale the Council of how we defeated it."
Buffy arched her eyebrows again and gave him an expectant look. Giles caught the hint and immediately followed up with, "How you will defeat it, of course."
"That's more like it." Buffy smiled and leaned back in her chair contentedly.
"Now, as for the Locquas Demon's behavioral patterns … I suspect you can plan on seeing him again around midnight tonight. It may be a good idea to carry a more capable weapon than a stake. I suggest –"
"We talkin' shop?" A familiar voice interrupted.
Both Giles and Buffy turned to see Xander enter the library, munching on a family sized bag of Lays. Giles looked annoyed at having been interrupted but Buffy seemed to perk up at the sight of food. Xander plopped down into a chair beside his blonde friend and immediately offered the oversized bag to her. She let out a delighted "Ooh!" and dipped her hand inside just as Giles cleared his throat obnoxiously and picked up where he had left off, his voice slightly elevated.
"As I was saying, the Locquas monster will be a more difficult kill than your average demon. You will need to be on top of your game."
"As opposed to all of the times that I'm … under my game." Buffy stated flatly, lifting her eyebrows and watching for a response from her watcher.
Giles gave her a pointed look and Buffy pretended to lock her lips and throw away the key. When he turned away, she and Xander exchanged looks and stifled their shared laughter.
"I really think you ought to be taking this seriously, Buffy." Giles said softly with his back turned to her.
Buffy and Xander both fell silent and immediately felt guilty for teasing him. God, why were Brits such drama queens?
Attempting to make amends, Buffy scooted her chair back and moved towards her watcher, pausing at the end of the table. She fiddled with her fingers as she gently tried to mend her affront.
"Giles, look. I'm sorry. I really am taking this seriously, I swear. I just … I can't be stuffy all the time, you know? I'd go crazy. And really, this whole Locquas thing is under control. I'll patrol tonight … Xander will come with me … and I'll be sounding the slayer trumpets tomorrow."
Giles turned and arched his eyebrow in confusion.
"You know? Like … in victory or whatever …" Buffy ended lamely. She frowned and stared at him while waiting for a response. Thankfully, Giles exhaled and turned completely towards her with a small smile on his face. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, well, I'll hold you to that." Giles slid his hands into his pockets and stared back at her with his eyes twinkling. Buffy smiled and emitted an airy laugh. She turned around and grabbed her bag off of the back of her chair, then turned back around to Giles.
"Just don't expect me to wear a tunic." She slung the bag over her right shoulder and began to tread out of the library. Before she reached the doors, however, she paused and turned back around, looking at Xander expectantly. He was still seated, munching absently on his potato chips while rooting around inside the bag noisily for another handful. Giles too began to stare at him thoughtfully and after a minute Xander took the hint and hopped out of the chair and joined Buffy at the other end of the library. The slayer and her watcher shared exasperated smiles, and then the two teenagers were gone.
Giles stood for a moment and stare thoughtfully at the place where they had been, then with a great sigh he turned and retreated into his office.