Giles scanned a few pages ahead. Blessedly, the man's spelling and grammar tended to improve over time. Perhaps the influence of having to act properly on a regular basis in front of someone important. He dusted the dried carcasses of insects off the pages, and shook them out of the spine. Their constant crunching sound irritated his frayed nerves further. It was certainly not for the council's benefit.
July 17—
Picked up a spot o' unusual flotsam today.
Signs were bad from th'start. Bad weather. Misty an' still. 'tis unlucky enough to have a woman onboard--miniature one or no, but it be downright damning with the lass singing pirate songs and running on about how exciting it would be to meet some. The things I could tell her, scare her out of her curly head. Captain wouldn't like it though, or her father. Not sure if it's stupidity, a girl's fancy, or the headstrong bravery of a potential. One o' the first two, they be closely linked, after all. Mayhaps she'll grow out of it enough to settle down and make some patient man a handsome wife.
After our illustrious captain…
--hundreds of years later Rupert Giles could still feel the sarcasm drip off the page. He let out a snicker that clashed with his cultured appearance and read on—
…told the girl he planned to hang any pirates he met, acted out in detail by myself, she wandered off to lean over the starboard rail. She looked amused, rather than ill. I'll give her that much credit. Not violence, not rolling motions bother her overmuch. But I kept one eye half on her, wouldn't do to have her falling…
She shrieked, and every sailor amongst us rolled our eyes, wondering what small thing could send her off thus. A rat? An eel? She called out something about a boy being in the water—and a mate picked up the cry with man overboard.
Much huffing and cussing and hauling later we got our man.
Boy really, not much older than the lass. The whelp looked like a drowned rat. Familiar somehow, too. But I've known many a drowned rat, and plenty of non drowned ones.
We took up the boy, and set the girl on him. Turning, we saw a wrecked ship drift toward us out of the ungodly mist. One voice insisted that the gunpowder must've caught fire, I said all their arms did them no good. Say what they will, I know it was pirates. Don't have to see her to know her.
It was the Pearl.
--J.Gibbs
--Giles shook his head and raised his eyes to the clock. This is turning into a bloody pirate story. Maybe the potential is Wendy… All I need is Peter Pan. But precious little I can do right now. His eyes flicked to a half hidden coffee pot, still not quite time for coffee. He very quietly poured something from a small flask into his tea, and settled down for a long read.
A/N I haven't seen this particular episode of Buffy in ages, anyone know where I can find a good outline/ summary of it?
Hope you enjoy, please R&R!