CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: LO-HESH
Friday: 2pm
21st May 1999 California: Sunnydale
"You stopped an Ascension?" Giles asked incredulously. "You stopped an Ascension?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Buffy said.
Giles looked between Buffy and Faith who were seated on the couch in the apartment, neither of them with a scratch on them.
"Yes, but.you actually stopped one from happening," Giles said.
"Well, technically, it did happen. He just went down in a blaze of fire," Buffy said.
Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. The Council was going to be thoroughly impressed. Not only had Buffy and Faith defeated an ascended demon, they had done it with no research, no back-up and no weapons. It was incredible.
"Good heavens."
"I think we broke him," Faith whispered. Buffy grinned and looked towards her Watcher.
"So.can I have the night off or what?" she asked. "I think I've fulfilled my demon killing quota for the next millennium in one day."
Giles nodded dumbly and began flipping through some of his books, still in shock over what he had just heard.
"Uh-oh. Research mode. We should leave before he ropes us into it," Buffy whispered.
Faith nodded and the two girls stood up, trying to sneak out before Giles noticed. He asked a question just as they reached the door.
"What did you say the demon looked like again?"
Faith rolled her eyes and gave Buffy a grin. "You're on your own for the rest of this one B." She was out the door before Buffy could grab her.
"Traitor!" Buffy called. Faith twirled and gave Buffy a grin before Buffy shut the door and sat herself back down on the couch.
"Four wings. Looked like a pterodactyl. Ugly, scaly, grey, demon guy. He was big too."
"Four wings you say," Giles mused, flipping through some volumes. Buffy sighed and reached for one of the books as well, knowing that there was no way to get out of helping him research when he was deep in thought like that.
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"Giles," Buffy said, trying to get her Watcher's attention. Giles didn't even respond.
"Rupert."
Nothing.
Buffy sighed. She hated doing this to him. "Ripper!"
Giles looked up, startled. He looked at his Slayer who had a bemused grin on her face.
"What did you call me?"
"Everything that you were likely to respond to. I love how you won't respond to Giles or Rupert, but I can get you with Ripper every time," Buffy mused.
Giles rolled his eyes and went back to his book.
"Hey, don't start reading again. I was trying to get your attention for a reason," Buffy complained.
"Hmm? Oh. Sorry. What was it?"
"I found our guy," Buffy said, handing over her book. "The demon Lo-Hesh. A four-winged soul-killer. Sounds nasty if you ask me."
The book was in Latin and Giles slowly read through the text, writing down small pieces of information as he read.
"Are you certain of its size. It says here that they're only meant to be five feet tall. That's shorter than you," Giles said.
"That woulda been nice. I never get short demons," Buffy said. "And trust me, this thing was about twelve foot tall."
"Hmmm."
"I hate when you do that," Buffy commented.
"What? Oh.I was just wondering."
"You gonna share?"
Giles looked down at the book again and then regarded his Slayer curiously.
"Well, an Ascension isn't something to be taken lightly. It's someone transforming themselves into pure demon instead-"
"Instead of the hybrids," Buffy finished. "You're saying that a hybrid Lo- Hesh is five feet tall, and the full demon is twelve? I guess that kinda makes sense when you think about it."
"I'm just curious as to how we didn't see any of the signs. We never even assumed that the Mayor would do anything like this," Giles said.
"It's not everyday that someone wants to turn themselves into a demon on purpose," Buffy mused. "And maybe we just never heard of it cos we were so busy with the everyday vamps and demons. You'd think the Council would have told us that something big was going on."
"Yes," Giles said slowly. "One would think."
Buffy completely missed the sceptical look on Giles' face. He began to wonder whether or not the Council truly wanted them in operation at all.
Dunno what happened there. Very strange. My apologies.
Friday: 2pm
21st May 1999 California: Sunnydale
"You stopped an Ascension?" Giles asked incredulously. "You stopped an Ascension?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Buffy said.
Giles looked between Buffy and Faith who were seated on the couch in the apartment, neither of them with a scratch on them.
"Yes, but.you actually stopped one from happening," Giles said.
"Well, technically, it did happen. He just went down in a blaze of fire," Buffy said.
Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. The Council was going to be thoroughly impressed. Not only had Buffy and Faith defeated an ascended demon, they had done it with no research, no back-up and no weapons. It was incredible.
"Good heavens."
"I think we broke him," Faith whispered. Buffy grinned and looked towards her Watcher.
"So.can I have the night off or what?" she asked. "I think I've fulfilled my demon killing quota for the next millennium in one day."
Giles nodded dumbly and began flipping through some of his books, still in shock over what he had just heard.
"Uh-oh. Research mode. We should leave before he ropes us into it," Buffy whispered.
Faith nodded and the two girls stood up, trying to sneak out before Giles noticed. He asked a question just as they reached the door.
"What did you say the demon looked like again?"
Faith rolled her eyes and gave Buffy a grin. "You're on your own for the rest of this one B." She was out the door before Buffy could grab her.
"Traitor!" Buffy called. Faith twirled and gave Buffy a grin before Buffy shut the door and sat herself back down on the couch.
"Four wings. Looked like a pterodactyl. Ugly, scaly, grey, demon guy. He was big too."
"Four wings you say," Giles mused, flipping through some volumes. Buffy sighed and reached for one of the books as well, knowing that there was no way to get out of helping him research when he was deep in thought like that.
------------------------
"Giles," Buffy said, trying to get her Watcher's attention. Giles didn't even respond.
"Rupert."
Nothing.
Buffy sighed. She hated doing this to him. "Ripper!"
Giles looked up, startled. He looked at his Slayer who had a bemused grin on her face.
"What did you call me?"
"Everything that you were likely to respond to. I love how you won't respond to Giles or Rupert, but I can get you with Ripper every time," Buffy mused.
Giles rolled his eyes and went back to his book.
"Hey, don't start reading again. I was trying to get your attention for a reason," Buffy complained.
"Hmm? Oh. Sorry. What was it?"
"I found our guy," Buffy said, handing over her book. "The demon Lo-Hesh. A four-winged soul-killer. Sounds nasty if you ask me."
The book was in Latin and Giles slowly read through the text, writing down small pieces of information as he read.
"Are you certain of its size. It says here that they're only meant to be five feet tall. That's shorter than you," Giles said.
"That woulda been nice. I never get short demons," Buffy said. "And trust me, this thing was about twelve foot tall."
"Hmmm."
"I hate when you do that," Buffy commented.
"What? Oh.I was just wondering."
"You gonna share?"
Giles looked down at the book again and then regarded his Slayer curiously.
"Well, an Ascension isn't something to be taken lightly. It's someone transforming themselves into pure demon instead-"
"Instead of the hybrids," Buffy finished. "You're saying that a hybrid Lo- Hesh is five feet tall, and the full demon is twelve? I guess that kinda makes sense when you think about it."
"I'm just curious as to how we didn't see any of the signs. We never even assumed that the Mayor would do anything like this," Giles said.
"It's not everyday that someone wants to turn themselves into a demon on purpose," Buffy mused. "And maybe we just never heard of it cos we were so busy with the everyday vamps and demons. You'd think the Council would have told us that something big was going on."
"Yes," Giles said slowly. "One would think."
Buffy completely missed the sceptical look on Giles' face. He began to wonder whether or not the Council truly wanted them in operation at all.
Dunno what happened there. Very strange. My apologies.