God Slayers Bearing Gifts
Disclaimer: Mutant Enemy owns Buffy, Disney owns Lilo and Stitch
Buffy followed Giles up the trail leading to the crater of the Mauna Loa Volcano, I thought you said we were going to be talking to the local power people to help set up the school?
We are, Giles replied as he took a drink from his canteen.
Uh, why are we up on an erupting volcano instead of down in Hilo talking to lawyers? Buffy asked in a reasonable voice. After their lunch at the Pelekais, Buffy had noticed that at the bottom of the hill there was a sign for a forty-acre lot for sale. Buffy had a brainstorm. They had been looking for someplace to set up a Slayer Academy, why not here? It was relatively isolated, and having a hundred or so super-powered girls running around wouldnt freak the neighbors. As soon as they had gotten back to their hotel Buffy had called Giles. He hadnt been instantly smitten with the idea, but Buffy had talked him around. So at the end of their two-week vacation, which Riley and Sam had joined in on, Giles had arrived on the morning flight. He had looked over the property, met the Pelekais, told Buffy that if they took the lot, Andrew and Plekely could not ever trade recipes. Buffy at that point knew she had him.
Giles had then taken Buffy to the airport and arranged flights to the Big Island telling her they needed to get permission before they went any farther. He had confused her when he had stopped at a mall and picked up several items, then he had confused her more as, instead of going into town, he had driven up to the Volcano National Park. Found a parking spot, then started walking.
Because we must secure the permission of the local Power That Be before we talk to the local authorities. If she refuses us, then there is no point in talking to anyone else.
Whos the local Power? Buffy asked as they came around a turn in the path and found a beautiful Hawaiian woman sitting on a log with a white dog sitting next to her, panting.
Madame Pele, Giles said, as he bowed to her.
Buffy bowed quickly too, Next time we are going to meet a god, let me know ahead of time please, she hissed under her voice.
Why do the god-slayers seek Pele? The woman asked.
We come to ask a boon, Giles replied.
Come, the goddess waved them forward.
Giles reached into his backpack and withdrew the items he had purchased in town. As he and Buffy approached the god he held out a box of Godiva chocolates and a bottle of local wine to her. Weve brought you these gifts.
Pele took them from him and placed them down next to the dog, it sniffed at the chocolates until Pele gently cuffed it. What is this boon?
You know of the waking of the Slayers? Giles asked.
Such a ripple in the firmament could not be missed, the god replied.
We wish to start a school for these girls. To give them the training they need survive and thrive.
Pele took a long look at Buffy, Would you protect my children?
After thinking about it for a few minutes, and seeing no traps in the words Buffy replied. We protect all innocents.
Pele thought about it for a while. Buffy was starting to get antsy, but she sensed that this was as much part of the test as the question she had been asked so she stayed still. Very well, show me where you wish to build this school.
Giles went back into his bag and pulling out a map showed Mona Loa where the school would go. Alas, you must pick another spot; I have already given permission for another to build there.
May I ask who? Giles asked.
A man named Vincent Algoti, Pele replied, the distaste plain in her voice.
If I could get him to cede the land, would this be acceptable to you? Giles asked.
It must be voluntary, no direct threats may be used, Pele conceeded, seemingly happier.
No direct threats will be used, Giles agreed.
After bowing to the Goddess the Slayer and Watcher turned and started walking back down the volcano.
What makes you so sure that this Algoti guy will give us the land? Buffy asked.
Vincent Algoti is one of the premier construction and real estate people in the demon world, Giles explained.
What makes you so sure hell give us the land with out us having to threaten him?
What ever he is working on, the presence of a Slayer academy will likely make it impractical, Giles said.
Vincent Algoti fumed. He stared at the map of his latest real estate venture, all lovely green, meaning he had successful optioned them, except for one large red blotch right in the middle of it.
Vincent had an epiphany about a month after the Slayers had been awakened. With Slayers everywhere there wasnt really anywhere a demon could go to unwind. Oh, sure, they could go and do the human things, but if they tried to have some demon fun it would be raining hot and cold running Slayers almost instantly. There were Slayers everywhere, except Hawaii. Madame Pele was a big part of that, she was very, protective of her people. The other reason was that the islands were a tourist Mecca, if tourists started showing up dead then the local government would call down the Wrath of God, or at least the US Government, so demons and vampires steered clear. No vamps, no Slayers.
Vinny, though, had a plan, he contracted the leading portal makers and for a pretty penny his resort would have teleportation terminals built right in. Not only would his customers be able to easily travel to the resort, hed be able to bring food and playthings right there as well. He knew hed have to take some gruesome precautions to make sure no one wandered off the resort and ate a local, Pele had been rather graphic when she explained what she would do to him if that happened. Hed originally not been overly concerned, after all the number of pure breed islanders got smaller every year. Pele must have read his mind because she explained that she considered anyone who was born in the Islands to be her children and she didnt care what the color of their skin was or who they worshiped, they were hers and shed protect them.
Of course even if he had been allowed to harm whites it wouldnt have helped them with the hold outs anyway, they were pure blood Hawaiian. Hed tried everything, money, they werent interested. He tried bribing the city council for them to seize the land by eminent domain. Vinny had gotten to one of the councilmen, but he barely got it on the agenda when he had been arrested in a corruption operation by the FBI, after that none of them would even return a phone call. Since threatening the Pelekais was out Vinny was at something of an impasse. He wished Wolfram and Hart were still under their old management. If anyone could have gotten the Pelekais out of their house they would have managed it.
His buzzer buzzed. Vinny frowned; he reached over and in an angry voice said, Gloria? I thought I told you I didnt want to be disturbed.
I know Mister Algoti, but you have a list of people that you are to be disturbed for no matter what, and a Mister Rupert Giles is on the list.
Vinny calmed down. He wondered what the head of the Watchers Council wanted with him. Okay, Gloria, put him through.
He and a Miss Buffy Summers are in the office sir, theyd like to talk to you.
Vinny toyed with the idea of running, he could not imagine anything good from the head of the Watchers Council and the Chief Slayer wanting to have a conversation with him. On the other hand he couldnt imagine anything he had done that would justify such personal attention either, so he decided to chance it. What the hell, they could only kill him. Send them in please Gloria, He said in a calm voice.
On the way to the door he hit a button on his desk that caused a curtain to be drawn across the map of his resort project. He was about at the door when it opened and a short blonde woman in a dress suit and a tall distinguished man in a light weight business suit came through. Hed always heard that the Buffy Summers was on the short side, but in person she was a lot smaller than he had pictured her.
Ms. Summers, Mr. Giles come in, come in. Can I get you anything to drink? How about something to eat? Vinny asked.
No, thank you Mr. Algoti, Rupert Giles responded. Vinny filed that Giles was doing the talking. Maybe the rumors that Summers was something of a ditz had something to them. We are here to talk about the possible of hiring your firm for a construction project we are considering on the island.
I have a couple of crews that are currently unemployed so putting those people to work would be a good thing. What kind of project are you looking to do?
A school, Giles replied.
Hawaii is a great place to have one, Vinny replied. Then he remembered who he was talking to. What kind of school are we talking about? Hoping he was wrong.
We wish to put an academy for Slayers and Watchers on the island, Buffy replied.
I just got done with a vacation here and I think its the perfect place. No demons and few vamps, and they tend to be the really stupid ones. I was really thinking about it, then I found the perfect place, and we just have to have it!
It was all that Vinny could do not to react to the announcement to the idea of a Slayer Academy on Kauai. That put the stake right into his resort idea. Even if the presence of the school didnt leak out, he knew hed never be able to hide the resort for long. He could picture the Slayers having a graduation exercise by taking his resort apart.
Either he was a good enough actor, or Buffy didnt seem to notice him going pale, she just kept going on, Its out on the other end of the island, just outside of town.
Vinny perked up, You mean that forty-acre lot?
Yeah, Pele said you had already gotten permission for it, but it is just perfect for our needs! Buffy enthused.
Vinny thought quickly, they wanted the property and assuming they didnt get it they still would probably build somewhere and Kauai, or even one of the smaller nearby island, the lot would be useless for what he wanted. On the other hand, since they really wanted it, he could probably get enough to pay off the loans on that property, and probably still have enough left over to restart somewhere in the South Pacific. He was planning on using portals after all, and if it was a little more inconvenient if they failed, at least there wouldnt be a hundred or more Slayers as next door neighbors either.
Im sure we can come to an arrangement, Vinny said, with all of the sincerity of a used car salesman.