Of sincerity and ash - Entry 3
The wooden stake splintered and Buffy drove it into the still cold heart of her undead victim. He turned to dust and the ashes fell to the ground before her, making a tiny cloud appear as they hit the floor.
Buffy was breathing hard from the struggle, and she rose to her feet and gazed around the abandoned warehouse surrounding her.
'All clear' she thought.
But she was wrong. She heard small, clicking footsteps against the cement floor and turned around towards the noises. She raised her stake into the air, ready for battle, as the shadow with the noisy shoes came into view.
The young woman stepped into the last few rays of sunshine peering in through a broken window high in the rafters of the deserted warehouse. Suddenly Buffy realized this was no vampire.
The woman wore knee high leather boots covered in buckles and pink stitches, complete with 3 inch heels. She wore a long leather jacket that hemmed at the top of her tall boots, and cut in tightly around her hips. Beneath the jacket she wore a short skirted dress covered in the same hot pink stitching as her boots, with chains around her waistline.
In her hand she carried a long stick that resembled a cane, but was made of a smoky glass. The glass seemed to be filled with pink and black smoke that swirled around one another and made the glass glow in fragments.
Buffy stared at the glass staff that the woman tapped against the ground as she walked closer to Buffy. She did not lower her stake as the woman kept walking, and she prepared a trademark "smart-ass" slayer comment.
"Ya know canes went out of style about a decade after Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory came out, you should probably hire a new stylist." Buffy said, a stern smirk on her face.
"Ha" the woman replied, staring directly at Buffy, unwavering as she walked closer, a trademark grin on her face.
"Stop right there. Who are you?" Buffy demanded.
"That's an interesting question" the woman replied, tapping her staff as she stopped a foot away from Buffy.
"What do you want?" Buffy demanded, her stake still raised up, ready for attack.
"Put down your little two-by-four slayer. It will have little effect on me."
"Try me" Buffy said, still putting on her little badass façade.
"Buffy she's right" a voice spoke from the shadows.
The woman spun around slowly, staring into the darkness.
"Angelus" she said, smirking presumptuously.
"Vanessa" he replied, emerging from the shadows, nodding at her with an uncharacteristic hint of a smile on his face.
"You know this chick?" Buffy asked Angel, a bit surprised.
"Do you know what I find interesting?" Vanessa said, circling around Buffy, looking her up and down. "Women who claim to be breaking through the molds that society has placed upon femininity, but who still buy into their own stereotypes by using the very words that demean them"
Buffy looked a bit confused, but decided to mask it with another little slayer "I kick butt" comment.
"If I wanted to talk to a human dictionary I'd be at the library with Giles right now" she said, looking back at Vanessa who was still circling her.
"I see you slayer. I see your powers, and I see the little girl that hides behind them. He sees them too" Vanessa said cryptically, walking towards Angel and circling him as well, dragging her staff on the cement inches behind her boots as she walked slowly around him.
"Angelus knows. That's why he loves you. He has spent over two centuries living in a world full of hate, and murder, and destruction. In you he finds good, he finds peace, and happiness. Do you know why?" Vanessa questioned.
"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me" Buffy said, uncomfortable with the tone of the conversation.
"Because every day you see tidbits of what he has seen his entire life, and you can ignore it. You can murder demons, and then pop open a tube of candied nail-polish and manicure yourself to death. That's why he loves you. Because you can live in ignorance of the truth that has plagued him ever since the day he grew a soul."
Vanessa smiled evilly at both of them and walked away slowly, tapping her staff behind her. Angel and Buffy stood watching her. Angel reminded of the crypticism and brutal honesty he had not heard in decades. Buffy finally exposed, faced with her own willingness to ignore and forget.
The wooden stake splintered and Buffy drove it into the still cold heart of her undead victim. He turned to dust and the ashes fell to the ground before her, making a tiny cloud appear as they hit the floor.
Buffy was breathing hard from the struggle, and she rose to her feet and gazed around the abandoned warehouse surrounding her.
'All clear' she thought.
But she was wrong. She heard small, clicking footsteps against the cement floor and turned around towards the noises. She raised her stake into the air, ready for battle, as the shadow with the noisy shoes came into view.
The young woman stepped into the last few rays of sunshine peering in through a broken window high in the rafters of the deserted warehouse. Suddenly Buffy realized this was no vampire.
The woman wore knee high leather boots covered in buckles and pink stitches, complete with 3 inch heels. She wore a long leather jacket that hemmed at the top of her tall boots, and cut in tightly around her hips. Beneath the jacket she wore a short skirted dress covered in the same hot pink stitching as her boots, with chains around her waistline.
In her hand she carried a long stick that resembled a cane, but was made of a smoky glass. The glass seemed to be filled with pink and black smoke that swirled around one another and made the glass glow in fragments.
Buffy stared at the glass staff that the woman tapped against the ground as she walked closer to Buffy. She did not lower her stake as the woman kept walking, and she prepared a trademark "smart-ass" slayer comment.
"Ya know canes went out of style about a decade after Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory came out, you should probably hire a new stylist." Buffy said, a stern smirk on her face.
"Ha" the woman replied, staring directly at Buffy, unwavering as she walked closer, a trademark grin on her face.
"Stop right there. Who are you?" Buffy demanded.
"That's an interesting question" the woman replied, tapping her staff as she stopped a foot away from Buffy.
"What do you want?" Buffy demanded, her stake still raised up, ready for attack.
"Put down your little two-by-four slayer. It will have little effect on me."
"Try me" Buffy said, still putting on her little badass façade.
"Buffy she's right" a voice spoke from the shadows.
The woman spun around slowly, staring into the darkness.
"Angelus" she said, smirking presumptuously.
"Vanessa" he replied, emerging from the shadows, nodding at her with an uncharacteristic hint of a smile on his face.
"You know this chick?" Buffy asked Angel, a bit surprised.
"Do you know what I find interesting?" Vanessa said, circling around Buffy, looking her up and down. "Women who claim to be breaking through the molds that society has placed upon femininity, but who still buy into their own stereotypes by using the very words that demean them"
Buffy looked a bit confused, but decided to mask it with another little slayer "I kick butt" comment.
"If I wanted to talk to a human dictionary I'd be at the library with Giles right now" she said, looking back at Vanessa who was still circling her.
"I see you slayer. I see your powers, and I see the little girl that hides behind them. He sees them too" Vanessa said cryptically, walking towards Angel and circling him as well, dragging her staff on the cement inches behind her boots as she walked slowly around him.
"Angelus knows. That's why he loves you. He has spent over two centuries living in a world full of hate, and murder, and destruction. In you he finds good, he finds peace, and happiness. Do you know why?" Vanessa questioned.
"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me" Buffy said, uncomfortable with the tone of the conversation.
"Because every day you see tidbits of what he has seen his entire life, and you can ignore it. You can murder demons, and then pop open a tube of candied nail-polish and manicure yourself to death. That's why he loves you. Because you can live in ignorance of the truth that has plagued him ever since the day he grew a soul."
Vanessa smiled evilly at both of them and walked away slowly, tapping her staff behind her. Angel and Buffy stood watching her. Angel reminded of the crypticism and brutal honesty he had not heard in decades. Buffy finally exposed, faced with her own willingness to ignore and forget.