"Hey."
Willow looked up to see Warren standing beside her. It was hot, she was tired, and she was sore. Pulling grass was not all that hard until you spent all morning doing it. Yank it out of the ground, slap it against your leg to get the dust out, add it to a growing mound that had, later, to be moved to a position Riley had chosen that this morning's strategy session. She was hot, she was tired, she was so not in the mood for tasteless jokes.
"Skinning the planet one blade at a time?"
She sighed and threw the clump of grass at him, which, predictably, sailed right through him.
"If you had a heart in that skinned chest of yours, you'd help."
Warren held up two hands. ""No skin, easily cut." He glanced at the growing mound of grass. "I sense the fine hand of soldier boy in this. What's he up to."
"Which is what you'd know if you had been at the meeting this morning" Willow sighed before going on, falling into a reporting style they'd had come to accept in their consulting firm. When she had actually had to report to him that is.
"Xander said that your little path burying expedition worked as planned, and that one way was closed. Therefore, the next easiest comes up from that way," Willow pointed to some hills east of her. There's a little cul de sac there, Riley wants to trap them in, so Dawn can open a portal or whatever it is she does. Only there's this open space before they get to the cul de sac and Riley wants to build a big fire across it, so they won't be tempted to go that way."
"Sound plan. Kind of doubt the demons will have anything on their little minds except getting you guys, but it might help."
"So where were you?"
"Playing "Little Ghost," which is what one of them calls me."
""You've been detected?"
"But not seen or caught," Warren grinned, then sobered. "They got a good start this morning. Expect Joyce along in the next little while to say that they've hit our little roadblock, she's keeping watch there. They'll probably come out of the hills early tomorrow, the pace they're walking."
"You have Joyce out there? Buffy's not gonna like that."
"Ask me if I care," Warren shrugged. "She's not close enough to get into any danger, and she'll be able to warn you if any of them do try coming up that way."
"Kay, I'll tell the others." Willow reached for a clump of grass but stopped when a hand touched her shoulder.
"We need to talk," Warren said seriously. "Now as I understand the plan, you're gonna place Dawn in the cul de sac, and drive the demons towards her. When they get close enough, she's going to open a portal to somewhere, and Xander and Cordelia are gonna use their powers to shove them through it. Is that right?"
"Yes," Willow wiped sweat off her brow.
"Might have worked if you only had a few to deal with, but you got fourteen. Fourteen big mothers, and they're not gonna be all cooperative. What are you going to be doing?"
"I got my Battleth. I've been practicing. Besides, I won't be in the main fight. I'll be standing by to light fires."
"Not a good idea. You're one of their main guns. They need you their doing the best you can."
"I don't use magic. Not any more."
"Which is why you got into this in the first place. You thought going cold turkey was all you had to do. Well your lack of use has given me a real life altering experience."
"What," Willow shouted. "My not using magic did this to you? Did I peel your brain too?"
"Being on this side of the line gives you a whole fresh new perspective, and knowledge. Knowledge there's no way you'd know on that side. Such as magic has always been a part of you. Even when you didn't know it, and didn't use it. Its always been there, an addiction waiting to happen. Except its not an addiction like tobacco or drugs. Its a living addiction, one that, once it has been tapped into, isn't going to go away and lie dormant while you wish you didn't have the cravings. If you don't use it, it's gonna find a way to come exploding forth again given the right trigger. I pulled that trigger when I shot Tara, and even though that was accidental there's some that'd say I got what was coming. That I deserved to have you coming after me. Maybe, but you went off the deep end, and did something you wouldn't have done if you'd been in your right mind, which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't tried to swear off using your magic."
"You think I should use magic?"
"I think it's only a matter of time before something happens, and a whole lotta people are gonna be hurt. Especially the Slayer, if she's gonna end up killing you."
"So what do you want me to do."
"Go talk to Riley, and Xander. Get yourself into position where you can be of some good."
Willow looked up to see Warren standing beside her. It was hot, she was tired, and she was sore. Pulling grass was not all that hard until you spent all morning doing it. Yank it out of the ground, slap it against your leg to get the dust out, add it to a growing mound that had, later, to be moved to a position Riley had chosen that this morning's strategy session. She was hot, she was tired, she was so not in the mood for tasteless jokes.
"Skinning the planet one blade at a time?"
She sighed and threw the clump of grass at him, which, predictably, sailed right through him.
"If you had a heart in that skinned chest of yours, you'd help."
Warren held up two hands. ""No skin, easily cut." He glanced at the growing mound of grass. "I sense the fine hand of soldier boy in this. What's he up to."
"Which is what you'd know if you had been at the meeting this morning" Willow sighed before going on, falling into a reporting style they'd had come to accept in their consulting firm. When she had actually had to report to him that is.
"Xander said that your little path burying expedition worked as planned, and that one way was closed. Therefore, the next easiest comes up from that way," Willow pointed to some hills east of her. There's a little cul de sac there, Riley wants to trap them in, so Dawn can open a portal or whatever it is she does. Only there's this open space before they get to the cul de sac and Riley wants to build a big fire across it, so they won't be tempted to go that way."
"Sound plan. Kind of doubt the demons will have anything on their little minds except getting you guys, but it might help."
"So where were you?"
"Playing "Little Ghost," which is what one of them calls me."
""You've been detected?"
"But not seen or caught," Warren grinned, then sobered. "They got a good start this morning. Expect Joyce along in the next little while to say that they've hit our little roadblock, she's keeping watch there. They'll probably come out of the hills early tomorrow, the pace they're walking."
"You have Joyce out there? Buffy's not gonna like that."
"Ask me if I care," Warren shrugged. "She's not close enough to get into any danger, and she'll be able to warn you if any of them do try coming up that way."
"Kay, I'll tell the others." Willow reached for a clump of grass but stopped when a hand touched her shoulder.
"We need to talk," Warren said seriously. "Now as I understand the plan, you're gonna place Dawn in the cul de sac, and drive the demons towards her. When they get close enough, she's going to open a portal to somewhere, and Xander and Cordelia are gonna use their powers to shove them through it. Is that right?"
"Yes," Willow wiped sweat off her brow.
"Might have worked if you only had a few to deal with, but you got fourteen. Fourteen big mothers, and they're not gonna be all cooperative. What are you going to be doing?"
"I got my Battleth. I've been practicing. Besides, I won't be in the main fight. I'll be standing by to light fires."
"Not a good idea. You're one of their main guns. They need you their doing the best you can."
"I don't use magic. Not any more."
"Which is why you got into this in the first place. You thought going cold turkey was all you had to do. Well your lack of use has given me a real life altering experience."
"What," Willow shouted. "My not using magic did this to you? Did I peel your brain too?"
"Being on this side of the line gives you a whole fresh new perspective, and knowledge. Knowledge there's no way you'd know on that side. Such as magic has always been a part of you. Even when you didn't know it, and didn't use it. Its always been there, an addiction waiting to happen. Except its not an addiction like tobacco or drugs. Its a living addiction, one that, once it has been tapped into, isn't going to go away and lie dormant while you wish you didn't have the cravings. If you don't use it, it's gonna find a way to come exploding forth again given the right trigger. I pulled that trigger when I shot Tara, and even though that was accidental there's some that'd say I got what was coming. That I deserved to have you coming after me. Maybe, but you went off the deep end, and did something you wouldn't have done if you'd been in your right mind, which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't tried to swear off using your magic."
"You think I should use magic?"
"I think it's only a matter of time before something happens, and a whole lotta people are gonna be hurt. Especially the Slayer, if she's gonna end up killing you."
"So what do you want me to do."
"Go talk to Riley, and Xander. Get yourself into position where you can be of some good."