Disclaimer: Main characters are Joss Whedons etc etc. The minor characters are my creation, but just made up for the purpose of the chapter
Authors note: Sorry again. One word explanation. School.
CHAPTER 16
Giles looked on with pride as Faith battled one of the older Potentials. She was using much of what he had been teaching her, and actually sticking to the rules of Spar, not improvising her own.
He thought that some of the show may have been because she had realised she was being watched. Obviously she knew Giles was there, as he always was, but he suspected that she knew of the silent watcher standing on the platform high above her head.
The Watcher up there, one by the name of Johan Kier, was an old aquaintance of Giles'. He and Johan had began at the council at around the same time, and had worked together occasionly.
If it had been his choice Giles most certainly would not have chosen Johan as the one to evaluate Faith. Johan was one of the most traditional members of the council, one of the Watchers who disapproved of improvisation. In other words someone who would not approve of Faith's individual methods.
But no, the child was performing more or less to the Council standards, which she obviously did know. God knows she should, Giles thought with a sigh, he had been drumming them into her head for months. But this was one of the few times he had actually seen the girl put them into play.
Johan Kier nodded approvingly. He didn't know what the Instructors of hand- to- hand had been talking about. They had told him that the child was wild and fought like a small beast. This child was going through the familiar council approved moves smoothly, holding her own well against her larger opponent.
Either Mr. Giles had done some marvellous work on the child, or the instructors had been exaggerating out of embarrassment because, he had been told, this small child had managed to force several of them into defeat.
He supposed it to be the second. He had prior experience of Rupert Giles. And none of it indicated that the man could reign a wild child under control. If anything contact with Mr. Giles would be more likely to make the child worse.
Johan knew of his fellow Watcher's dark past and did not approve of it at all. In fact he had had severe doubts when all the young children had been assigned to Giles. He had believed that a watcher with such a dark history really should not be the one assigned to look after impressionable youngsters.
Although the whole council knew that he had been really because he was already in charge of the Summers child. They hadn't seen why they should waste separate watchers looking after the young ones when they could just bunch them all together.
Johan had met the Summers girl, just once, a year or so ago. And he had no wish to repeat the experience. It had been soon after the child's parents had died and the girl had been an absolute monster, undisciplined, running around the council headquarters screaming.
That had been when the decision to assign Mr. Giles and the girl to Traverston had been made. Johan had been there that day, as one of the Watcher Representatives from Traverston. He had been disgusted by his fellow Watcher's control of the child.
But this child was perfectly disciplined, or it seemed from what he had seen so far. Perhaps Mr. Giles had learned something since he and Johan had last met.
He turned over to look at Mr. Giles for a moment. The other man had a faint smile on his face, as though finding something slightly amusing about the scene before him.
Giles could not get the small smile of pride and amusement off his face. It really was rather funny when Faith conformed to the council standards. It happened so rarely that it surprised him whenever she did so, and just looked strange compared to her usual anything goes style.
Faith sighed. She was getting a little bored. She wanted to stop being tame and just fight the older kid like she usually did. But she couldn't do that cos there was a watcher up above her. And Watchers didn't like the way she normally fought.
Gemma looked down at the child she was sparring and frowned in confusion. The kid didn't seem to be trying too hard and there wasn't a lot of, feeling coming out of the kid. It was like she was bored or something.
She sped up her blows, determined to make the kid pay attention, fight properly, put herself into the fight, instead of the semi- detached way she was fighting now. The kid sped up accordingly, but just kept looking slightly vacant.
Faith allowed a small smile to escape her lips. Finally this spar was heating up a little. She swept her foot out quickly, catching the older girl's legs and sweeping them out from under her.
Gemma grinned. That was better. That was the first real move the kid had made in this fight. Gemma neatly flipped backwards, landing into a crouch. She straightened up and threw a punch down at the kid's middle.
But she just met air. The child had seen it coming and quickly dodged. Before Gemma had time to counter she was met again with the kid's small foot, this time aimed straight at her kneecaps.
That one she easily dodged, but found that the child had outsmarted her. It had been a real enough blow, but the kid had backed it up with an upwards kick to her chin.
Gemma felt herself flying backwards and sighed. She had lost this match. To a five year old no less. She shrugged slightly. Oh well, the kid deserved the victory. Once she had started for real the kid had proved she was really good for one her size.
Gemma broke her fall neatly, minimising injury the way they were taught. She winced. That small foot sure felt like it had done a bit of damage to her jaw. She got up slowly and walked over to shake the kid's hand.
Johan nodded in approval again. A nicely done spar, all rules conformed to, and skill obviously evident. He slipped out the back before the child saw him. The Potentials were not allowed to know of their evaluations.
Giles walked to the main part of the room, applauding lightly. "Nicely done Girls" he praised. "Thank you for volunteering Gemma, you may go now."
The young girl who had been acting as Faith's opponent smiled and left, waving farewell. Giles smiled after her. She seemed a good fighter. And a good sport too. Most of the Potentials weren't that cheerful after being beaten by one of his young charges.
"So did I do OK?" Faith asked him, a grin firmly on her face. "That Watcher looked happy enough when I looked"
Giles faked a disapproving look, "Now Faith" he started.
"I know, I know," she said. "I'm s'posed to concentrate on just the fight and not my surroundings," she recited.
Giles smiled at her. "Well never mind," he said, "You looked like you were concentrating so that's good enough. But you could at least try it sometime"
She grinned up at him. "Yeah right" she said and ran off.
Authors note: Shorter than it has been, but not that short. Anyway, I'm gonna write up Kendra's evaluation for the next chapter, even if you're getting a bit sick of them. It's not fair to leave her out after all. After that, well who knows. Please review.
Authors note: Sorry again. One word explanation. School.
CHAPTER 16
Giles looked on with pride as Faith battled one of the older Potentials. She was using much of what he had been teaching her, and actually sticking to the rules of Spar, not improvising her own.
He thought that some of the show may have been because she had realised she was being watched. Obviously she knew Giles was there, as he always was, but he suspected that she knew of the silent watcher standing on the platform high above her head.
The Watcher up there, one by the name of Johan Kier, was an old aquaintance of Giles'. He and Johan had began at the council at around the same time, and had worked together occasionly.
If it had been his choice Giles most certainly would not have chosen Johan as the one to evaluate Faith. Johan was one of the most traditional members of the council, one of the Watchers who disapproved of improvisation. In other words someone who would not approve of Faith's individual methods.
But no, the child was performing more or less to the Council standards, which she obviously did know. God knows she should, Giles thought with a sigh, he had been drumming them into her head for months. But this was one of the few times he had actually seen the girl put them into play.
Johan Kier nodded approvingly. He didn't know what the Instructors of hand- to- hand had been talking about. They had told him that the child was wild and fought like a small beast. This child was going through the familiar council approved moves smoothly, holding her own well against her larger opponent.
Either Mr. Giles had done some marvellous work on the child, or the instructors had been exaggerating out of embarrassment because, he had been told, this small child had managed to force several of them into defeat.
He supposed it to be the second. He had prior experience of Rupert Giles. And none of it indicated that the man could reign a wild child under control. If anything contact with Mr. Giles would be more likely to make the child worse.
Johan knew of his fellow Watcher's dark past and did not approve of it at all. In fact he had had severe doubts when all the young children had been assigned to Giles. He had believed that a watcher with such a dark history really should not be the one assigned to look after impressionable youngsters.
Although the whole council knew that he had been really because he was already in charge of the Summers child. They hadn't seen why they should waste separate watchers looking after the young ones when they could just bunch them all together.
Johan had met the Summers girl, just once, a year or so ago. And he had no wish to repeat the experience. It had been soon after the child's parents had died and the girl had been an absolute monster, undisciplined, running around the council headquarters screaming.
That had been when the decision to assign Mr. Giles and the girl to Traverston had been made. Johan had been there that day, as one of the Watcher Representatives from Traverston. He had been disgusted by his fellow Watcher's control of the child.
But this child was perfectly disciplined, or it seemed from what he had seen so far. Perhaps Mr. Giles had learned something since he and Johan had last met.
He turned over to look at Mr. Giles for a moment. The other man had a faint smile on his face, as though finding something slightly amusing about the scene before him.
Giles could not get the small smile of pride and amusement off his face. It really was rather funny when Faith conformed to the council standards. It happened so rarely that it surprised him whenever she did so, and just looked strange compared to her usual anything goes style.
Faith sighed. She was getting a little bored. She wanted to stop being tame and just fight the older kid like she usually did. But she couldn't do that cos there was a watcher up above her. And Watchers didn't like the way she normally fought.
Gemma looked down at the child she was sparring and frowned in confusion. The kid didn't seem to be trying too hard and there wasn't a lot of, feeling coming out of the kid. It was like she was bored or something.
She sped up her blows, determined to make the kid pay attention, fight properly, put herself into the fight, instead of the semi- detached way she was fighting now. The kid sped up accordingly, but just kept looking slightly vacant.
Faith allowed a small smile to escape her lips. Finally this spar was heating up a little. She swept her foot out quickly, catching the older girl's legs and sweeping them out from under her.
Gemma grinned. That was better. That was the first real move the kid had made in this fight. Gemma neatly flipped backwards, landing into a crouch. She straightened up and threw a punch down at the kid's middle.
But she just met air. The child had seen it coming and quickly dodged. Before Gemma had time to counter she was met again with the kid's small foot, this time aimed straight at her kneecaps.
That one she easily dodged, but found that the child had outsmarted her. It had been a real enough blow, but the kid had backed it up with an upwards kick to her chin.
Gemma felt herself flying backwards and sighed. She had lost this match. To a five year old no less. She shrugged slightly. Oh well, the kid deserved the victory. Once she had started for real the kid had proved she was really good for one her size.
Gemma broke her fall neatly, minimising injury the way they were taught. She winced. That small foot sure felt like it had done a bit of damage to her jaw. She got up slowly and walked over to shake the kid's hand.
Johan nodded in approval again. A nicely done spar, all rules conformed to, and skill obviously evident. He slipped out the back before the child saw him. The Potentials were not allowed to know of their evaluations.
Giles walked to the main part of the room, applauding lightly. "Nicely done Girls" he praised. "Thank you for volunteering Gemma, you may go now."
The young girl who had been acting as Faith's opponent smiled and left, waving farewell. Giles smiled after her. She seemed a good fighter. And a good sport too. Most of the Potentials weren't that cheerful after being beaten by one of his young charges.
"So did I do OK?" Faith asked him, a grin firmly on her face. "That Watcher looked happy enough when I looked"
Giles faked a disapproving look, "Now Faith" he started.
"I know, I know," she said. "I'm s'posed to concentrate on just the fight and not my surroundings," she recited.
Giles smiled at her. "Well never mind," he said, "You looked like you were concentrating so that's good enough. But you could at least try it sometime"
She grinned up at him. "Yeah right" she said and ran off.
Authors note: Shorter than it has been, but not that short. Anyway, I'm gonna write up Kendra's evaluation for the next chapter, even if you're getting a bit sick of them. It's not fair to leave her out after all. After that, well who knows. Please review.