"Please, step this way Miss Ivanovitch," Gib Cain opened the door. Buffy and Tommy were sitting on the floor in their cell. They stood up as the hunter and a seemingly mild mannered young Russian woman entered the room. "Here we are: two fine examples of a werewolf and a slayer."
"I appreciate you taking the time to show me the merchandise before I made my purchase," She said in a heavy Russian accent.
Buffy and Tommy shot her a cold look.
"Well, I always did respect my buyers, Miss Ivanovitch," Cain nodded his head ever so slightly.
"Please," The Russian woman neared the cage cautiously. "Just call me Nadia."
"Nadia it is then."
"You, boy, you're a werewolf?" Nadia asked but it wasn't meant as a question.
"What's it to you?" Tommy asked defensively. The little hairs on the back of his neck were starting to stand up, telling him that this woman was not someone he really wanted to get to know. But, then again that much was apparent when she called them 'merchandise'.
"And you, girl, you're a vampire slayer?" Nadia gave Buffy the once over. "Very interesting."
Buffy gave a fake yawn, "And yet I'm so incredibly bored. Are we over with the getting to know you portion of the evening? I'd like to move forward to the we're going to kick your ass part."
"Yes. Highly interesting, indeed." Nadia looked back at Cain, she was unconcerned with the viable threat. That pissed Buffy off even more. "I will wire you the funds immediately." The Russian told Cain. Then she turned back to the teenagers. "I'm going to make you two stars. Would you like that?"
"It doesn't seem like we have much choice in the matter, huh?" Tommy retorted. "Wait a minute..."
"Stars?" Buffy finished his question.
"Have you ever heard of the Russian circus?" Nadia smiled as she made her point.
At first she couldn't believe what she was hearing but then the slayer started to giggle in laughter, "You...you can't be serious."
"You know Buff-- I thought being slave labor would be tough." Tommy chuckled along with her. "But being forced to join the Russian circus, that's a um..." He paused again. Even though this was a um... somewhat serious situation he couldn't control his laughter. "That's certainly... um, original."
Nadia frowned at the two of them. "The world has waited long to see what the true world is like. Won't they be surprised when I offer them two wonders of the supernatural world."
Tommy stopped laughing, "Wait... you're going to show us off."
Buffy looked at her detestably. She could not be serious. It was hard enough letting her mother know the truth... if the whole world knew it would be horrible. They would hate her, fear her, destroy her.
"The world will know what you are, what you've been hiding for years." Nadia walked back to Cain. "I'll go call my associates and let them know I've decided on the purchase. I'll come back in one hour to pick them up?"
"That'll be fine," Cain nodded, "Let me walk you out."
Nadia looked back at the werewolf and slayer and smiled. Then she left with the hunter.
"Dammit!" Tommy punched the cage wall. "We've got to get out of here."
"Willow's coming," Buffy tried to convince herself of it. Where were they, Merton and Willow should have been here by now.
"Maybe they got caught or something." He didn't want to look on the optimistic side for once. "Buffy no one-- no one know about me. I can't--" He stopped.
"You can't let anyone know the real you?" Buffy said as she slid slowly down the wall, coming to a sitting position. "It sucks doesn't it? Keeping a secret like this? Not letting anyone in, afraid they'd get hurt... or hurt you."
"Yeah. I mean... the only person who knows is Merton." He paused. "At first I wanted to deny what I was. I didn't want to be..."
"Different?"
"Yes... but that's what we are, isn't it? Different... strange."
"They're not the same thing, you know. I mean," The slayer took a moment to consider things, "Sometimes being different is okay."
"For example?"
She searched for something good about their supernatural-ness, "Who else can say they get to save the world on a normal basis?"
Tommy grinned at her, "I guess so... oh, and plus if I was normal I wouldn't have met Merton."
"I wouldn't have met Willow."
"I wouldn't have met you," He stared at her for a moment and then looked away.
"Sometimes being different is kinda cool." She repeated softly.
"I appreciate you taking the time to show me the merchandise before I made my purchase," She said in a heavy Russian accent.
Buffy and Tommy shot her a cold look.
"Well, I always did respect my buyers, Miss Ivanovitch," Cain nodded his head ever so slightly.
"Please," The Russian woman neared the cage cautiously. "Just call me Nadia."
"Nadia it is then."
"You, boy, you're a werewolf?" Nadia asked but it wasn't meant as a question.
"What's it to you?" Tommy asked defensively. The little hairs on the back of his neck were starting to stand up, telling him that this woman was not someone he really wanted to get to know. But, then again that much was apparent when she called them 'merchandise'.
"And you, girl, you're a vampire slayer?" Nadia gave Buffy the once over. "Very interesting."
Buffy gave a fake yawn, "And yet I'm so incredibly bored. Are we over with the getting to know you portion of the evening? I'd like to move forward to the we're going to kick your ass part."
"Yes. Highly interesting, indeed." Nadia looked back at Cain, she was unconcerned with the viable threat. That pissed Buffy off even more. "I will wire you the funds immediately." The Russian told Cain. Then she turned back to the teenagers. "I'm going to make you two stars. Would you like that?"
"It doesn't seem like we have much choice in the matter, huh?" Tommy retorted. "Wait a minute..."
"Stars?" Buffy finished his question.
"Have you ever heard of the Russian circus?" Nadia smiled as she made her point.
At first she couldn't believe what she was hearing but then the slayer started to giggle in laughter, "You...you can't be serious."
"You know Buff-- I thought being slave labor would be tough." Tommy chuckled along with her. "But being forced to join the Russian circus, that's a um..." He paused again. Even though this was a um... somewhat serious situation he couldn't control his laughter. "That's certainly... um, original."
Nadia frowned at the two of them. "The world has waited long to see what the true world is like. Won't they be surprised when I offer them two wonders of the supernatural world."
Tommy stopped laughing, "Wait... you're going to show us off."
Buffy looked at her detestably. She could not be serious. It was hard enough letting her mother know the truth... if the whole world knew it would be horrible. They would hate her, fear her, destroy her.
"The world will know what you are, what you've been hiding for years." Nadia walked back to Cain. "I'll go call my associates and let them know I've decided on the purchase. I'll come back in one hour to pick them up?"
"That'll be fine," Cain nodded, "Let me walk you out."
Nadia looked back at the werewolf and slayer and smiled. Then she left with the hunter.
"Dammit!" Tommy punched the cage wall. "We've got to get out of here."
"Willow's coming," Buffy tried to convince herself of it. Where were they, Merton and Willow should have been here by now.
"Maybe they got caught or something." He didn't want to look on the optimistic side for once. "Buffy no one-- no one know about me. I can't--" He stopped.
"You can't let anyone know the real you?" Buffy said as she slid slowly down the wall, coming to a sitting position. "It sucks doesn't it? Keeping a secret like this? Not letting anyone in, afraid they'd get hurt... or hurt you."
"Yeah. I mean... the only person who knows is Merton." He paused. "At first I wanted to deny what I was. I didn't want to be..."
"Different?"
"Yes... but that's what we are, isn't it? Different... strange."
"They're not the same thing, you know. I mean," The slayer took a moment to consider things, "Sometimes being different is okay."
"For example?"
She searched for something good about their supernatural-ness, "Who else can say they get to save the world on a normal basis?"
Tommy grinned at her, "I guess so... oh, and plus if I was normal I wouldn't have met Merton."
"I wouldn't have met Willow."
"I wouldn't have met you," He stared at her for a moment and then looked away.
"Sometimes being different is kinda cool." She repeated softly.