It was late afternoon the following Monday, and though Sunnydale High School was closed for Labor Day, all was not silent within. From deep within the walls of this institution erupted an explosion of noise, punctuated by a shout and a few choice, and very british, curses. Sprawled out on the floor of the library, Giles stared at the ceiling for a moment, now silently giving voice to the rising ire he was feeling. Pushing some of the books off his body, he attempted to stand, wincing as his back protested the sudden movement. Slowly he straightened, glancing around at the literary carnage wrought by his attempts to unpack the latest shipment from the Watcher's Council…by himself.
"Blast that boy!" the british librarian muttered under his breath, bending down to pick up some of the books that he had upended on himself during his fall. "Where the devil could he be? Stuffing his face no doubt." As he attempted to bring some semblance of order to the chaos around him, Giles muttered under his breath about bloody americans and their bad habits…one particular teenage boy at the forefront of his rant. He bent to pick up another armful of books when his eyes took in a unique volume among the masses. Unlike the other texts, this small, palm sized book appeared to be bound tightly, locked to prevent other eyes from seeing the contents within. Made of black leather, the cover of the book was imprinted with a special seal, one Giles had only seen once in his life; it was the seal the Watcher's Council gave to anything which was considered too dangerous to be seen by all of its members.
His hand shaking slightly, Giles touched the lock on the book cover. It was old and highly rusted, breaking apart at his light touch. Taking a shaky breath, he lifted the cover of the book slowly, moving it closer to his face as he tried to decipher the old, fading ink. "Contained herein the records of the Council of Watchers, formed this day in…" Giles would have read on, his curiosity piqued, had not the sound of someone clearing their throat jarred him back to reality. Turning, he glanced at the entrance to the library and saw a young, dark-haired woman standing there, glancing at him and the chaos behind him with one eyebrow raised.
"Um…am I intruding? I know the school is closed, but the front door was open and I thought…"
Giles sighed and carefully placed the ancient text on the desk and turned to fully face the young woman who had entered his, at the moment chaotic, sanctuary. "Oh, it's quite alright I assure you. Please forgive the mess, I was just cataloguing a new shipment for the library. How may I help you?"
"The woman at the public library said you have quite a collection of rare and odd books. I was wondering if you might have what I need." Cautiously she stepped further into the room, casting glances at the floor as if the books might fly up at her.
"Yes, I do have a rather um eclectic collection of volumes, are you searching for a particular text or just books with reference to a certain subject?" Giles asked.
"Egyptian curses," she murmured, raising her gaze meet Giles. Staring at him for a moment, the brunette tilted her head slightly, a small smile touching her pouty lips. "Next time, I think you should let the books win." A tinge of amusement flickered in her eyes, lightening their emerald color to something more like springtime as she took in his disheveled appearance.
Giles' eyes glinted back at the girl in amusement and his lips twisted into a smile that echoed hers. "Yes, well um, I was supposed to have some help with this but it seems my assistant has left me to my own devices, or rather I should say, disasters," he said, turning to take in the books scattered hither and thither around the floor. "Egyptian curses, you said? Yes I do believe I have a few volumes dealing with such things. Now where did Willow put them?"
Kat watched the british librarian attempt to find a few books out of the many scattered across the table and floor in the middle of the library, all the while trying to tame his appearance back to civility. Biting her cheek to keep from laughing, she moved closer, gesturing to the mess. "Care for some help, Mr…"
Giles straightened up from the pile of books he was bent over, "Oh, I do apologize for my rudeness; my name is Rupert Giles, though the children usually call me Giles. I would greatly appreciate your assistance, if that little tyrant were to walk in here now I shudder to think of the lecture he'd hand out after seeing this mess. May I ask your name?"
"Just call me Katura, or Kat for short," she responded, bending to pick up a few books. Her shirt rode up her back a little as she worked, a tiny bit of her tattoo peeking out as she continued to talk. "So who's this tyrant you're so worried about, the principal or something?"
Giles knelt down to retrieve some of the scattered books and replied, "I'm sorely tempted to say 'or something' but no, he's just the principal. We have a mutual dislike of each other and we've clashed a few times over a group of the students." He glanced over at his companion and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a hieroglyph printed on her back. He thought about asking about the tattoo but asked instead; "Can you give me any more specifics on the curses you're looking for? It should help narrow the search once we find the volumes."
Kat stopped picking up books and put her hands on her knees, hesitating in her response. Reaching up to brush her hair behind her ear, she picked up a book and traced the words on the cover, trying to make her voice light as she said, "I'm looking for something relating Egyptian curses to deities…or perhaps to lunar phases and deities."
Giles stood, motioning Kat to stand as well and led her over to the table where he sat and took off his glasses, preparing to clean them. "Please, do take a seat Kat. Well, you certainly seem to know what you're looking for. The information you provided should help to narrow our search quite a bit. But before we speak any further I'd like to know what prompted a young lady such as yourself to search for these things in the first place? Is there anything specific I should know?"
Kat's eyes darkened to a cold emerald color, a guarded look coming over her face as she sat down warily in front of Giles. Inwardly she cursed her wayward thinking; damn, but she was getting careless, letting something so personal slip out in conversation. Fortunately she was spared from an immediate answer as the doors to the library burst open and in walked Xander, Willow in tow. "Hey G-man, the cavalry has arrived!" Xander lurched to a stop just shy of the table, causing Willow to collide with him from behind. "What happened in here? Did the books finally have enough and declare a mutiny?" He stared down at the chaos at his feet, not noticing the look of relief on Kat's face or the look of shocked recognition on Willow's.
Meanwhile the redhead was trying to recover from her shock; both at seeing the strange woman from the previous Friday at the Bronze, and from the chaotic look of the library and its keeper. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Willow moved around Xander and headed towards Giles, skirting the brunette's side of the table. "What happened? Are you alright Giles?"
The librarian briefly placed his hand on the petite girl's shoulder and said, "Thank you Willow, I'm quite alright. To answer your question Xander, I was attempting to sort through these books and I fell. Now, before we allow our rudeness to go any further I'd like to introduce you both to Katura, or Kat as she prefers. Kat, may I introduce Willow Rosenburg, and her worse half, my missing assistant Xander Harris."
Finally noticing that there was someone else in the room, Xander turned towards her and grinned. "Oh hey Kat, feeling any better today?" Feeling eyes on him, he turned and caught the looks from Giles and Willow. "What? I met her Friday night at the Bronze."
Kat returned Xander's smile, though it was slightly forced. Her eyes remained a dark emerald as she responded. "I'm feeling better, thanks." Turning her head, she glanced at Willow. "Willow is it? Xander told me a little about you the other night. Pleased to meet you." Rising from her chair, she leaned forward over the table, her hand extended.
Remembering how the girl had made her feel before, Willow tried not to let her hand shake as she reached out and shook Kat's hand briefly. "Nice to meet you." Her hand fell back down to her side as soon as it left Kat's. An awkward silence descended on the group.
Giles cleared his throat, making the three youngsters turn towards him. "Well, now that introductions have been made, Willow do you happen to remember where you put those books of Egyptian prophecies and references and such after you scanned them into the dread machine?" The librarian asked.
"I believe you put them in your office; however if you want I can cross check for specific information in the books on this," Willow replied, already moving to her position in front of the computer and turning it on before he could finish speaking. "Anything in particular I should look for?" She glanced Kat's way to see the new girl's reaction to his request, and then back at Giles, waiting for his response.
"Our new friend has an interest in Egyptian curses. Xander would you mind trying to restore some sort of order to this mess?" The older man glanced over that the boy, who already looked bored.
Xander looked at the pile of books on the floor, then at Giles. Shrugging, he bent to pick up some of the books. "Sure thing G-man." As he began to straighten up the floor, he looked over to Kat, raising an eyebrow at her. "So…Egyptian curses? Afraid of mummies or something?"
Kat shook her head, once again tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she thought up some sort of response. She was aware of everyone's eyes on her, and it made her uneasy. "No…it's sort of a hobby of mine. My family traces some of its roots to Egypt and my mother," she tried to keep her voice from catching, "my mother liked to tell me stories; about Egyptian gods of old and some of the curses used back in the days of the pharaohs. After she died…I felt like I had to learn all I could about her favorite topic." It wasn't entirely a lie, for her mother had the same obsession Kat had. It wasn't a choice; it was part of who they were.
Giles looked across the table at the lovely brunette. 'She looks so sad' he thought to himself. Aloud he asked, "Really? Is your mother a professor of some sort? Sadly, interest in ancient cultures has decreased over the years. These days it seems only the scholars have a fascination with the more ancient civilizations."
Kat smiled sadly in agreement, shrugging. "Well, like I said, it's kind of a family thing." Suddenly feeling a little restless, Kat moved over to the mess on the floor, helping Xander put the books on the table for sorting. Her eyes lost some of their focus, becoming more blue than green as she worked silently beside him.
Giles' muscles tensed momentarily in frustration. The strange young woman was trying diligently to not give him any insight into her motives. He was about to reply with another probing question when Xander interrupted. "Hey G-man, what's this thing? It looks older than your precious pyramids." Giles glanced over at the boy and saw he was holding that precious, ancient text with the watchers sacred seal imprinted on the cover.
"Ahh," the Watcher exclaimed, sounding very undignified. "Xander give that here immediately. It more than likely is older than the pyramids. I'll just go put it in my office to peruse later." Giles straightened carefully from his seat, still feeling his earlier tumble. Xander handed him the ancient text and the watcher moved to take the book into his office.
Kat let out the small breath she had been holding. Damn, but that man made her uneasy. She had a feeling if she stayed for very much longer, he would continue to probe into her curious interests. Straightening, she turned her head towards Willow, catching the girl's speculative glance before the hacker looked back at the computer screen. "How long will it take you to find the information?" She kept her voice soft and even, not trying to betray her agitation.
Willow nibbled on her lip, shifting a little on the chair she was sitting on. She knew that there was a connection between Kat and the website she found online; she was pretty sure the deity Kat was most interested in was Sakhmet, the lion-headed goddess. She knew right where the information was on Giles' computer, but something inside of the redhead made her shrug innocently.
"Giles has a lot of stuff on Egypt; it could take a few days."
Kat stared at the petite redhead for a few moments, not sure if Willow was telling her everything. The unease grew inside of her, however, and she shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. "I gave him some specifics," waving her hand in the direction of Giles' office, "so if you get stuck he can tell you what I'm looking for." She turned on her heel, moving to leave the library. "I'll come back in a couple of days. See you around." Offering Xander a brief smile, she started across the room towards the doors. On the way she veered over to Giles' office and rapped on the door, kicking herself inwardly for feeling she at least owed him a polite goodbye before she fled.
When Kat knocked on his office door Giles had just finished locking the secret drawer in his desk, where he had stored the special book. "Yes? Please come in." he replied to the knock. Kat came in and stood with her arms crossed under her breasts, her posture defensive.
"I have to take off, I need to do some shopping if there are any stores open today. I just came in to say good-bye and tell you that I'll be back in a day or so to see if you've found any of the information I'm looking for. It's been very nice meeting you Mr. Giles." She said, trying to make her voice sound light.
"It's been a pleasure to meet you as well Kat, I will do my best to find some information for you in my books. And please just call me Giles, Mr. Giles is my father." The librarian offered his hand and Kat stepped forward to shake it for a moment. "I'll see you in a few days then, I hope you have a pleasant evening." Giles said as she released his hand. As she turned and left his office he noted her ever changing eyes had darkened again to a deep, piercing emerald.
Out of habit he turned the kettle on to make himself a cup of tea, then walked back into the main part of the library. He spotted Willow still typing away in front of that nasty new piece of technology and Xander paging through one of the new books, no doubt looking for sketches of nymphs and such.
Giles looked at the clock behind the counter as he crossed the room to speak to his charges. "Willow," he said, "I'd appreciate it if you could keep looking for the Egyptian references. Kat is looking for curses relating to deities and lunar phases specifically." The librarian picked up a stack of books from the table, motioning Xander to do the same and heading for the book cage.
The pixie like redhead glanced up from her monitor to reply, "Sure Giles, do you want us to patrol after sunset?" Her face had disappeared back behind the screen before she finished speaking.
"Yes, just a quick one mind you, and don't try to take on more than any one vampire at a time. I worry dreadfully about you when you patrol." The kettle in Giles office started whistling. Giles headed back to his office to stop the infernal squealing calling back over his shoulder, "Xander would you make sure all of the books are in the cage before you leave?" A moment later the library fell into silence as the three occupants turned to their appointed tasks.
The time passed quickly and before Willow knew it, it was time to go out on patrol. "Hey Xan, grab some supplies and lets get patrol done. Maybe we can stop and get something to eat afterwards."
Xander did as ordered, grabbing a good assortment of stakes and their holy water guns. "Ooh food, great idea Wills, lets go!" The teens called out to Giles that they were leaving and trooped out of the library, just catching his order to be careful and to phone him when they got home safely.
Inside his office Giles had debated opening the locked secret drawer and examining the text held within. 'No,' he thought to himself. 'Better to wait until the children have left. I don't want them barging in while I'm trying to decipher it.' He sat down behind his desk with a cup of good English tea and opened the volume on European vampires he'd been studying. By the time Willow and Xander called their good-bye's the watcher had completely forgotten about the drawer and it's contents.
* * * * * * * * *
The young man behind the counter was bored; really bored. It was Labor Day, and instead of enjoying his last few moments of summer, he was stuck working for his father at the local home improvement store. 'Like anyone is actually going to come in here,' he thought dourly to himself, flipping idly though the pages of a magazine. Thus he was very much surprised when the front door bell rang, announcing a customer as it swung open. He was equally surprised when the customer turned out to be a very attractive young woman. Grinning to himself, he tossed the magazine on the counter. 'This is turning out to be a good day after all.' As the dark-haired young woman approached the counter, he turned on his best charm. "Welcome! How may I 'serve' you?"
The young woman seemed oblivious to his flirting. Glancing about the store, her eyes lit up as she spied something that interested her. Gesturing to the display by the window, she asked, "How much?"
Turning, the clerk looked where the young woman was pointing, to the wooden chair in the window. "That? That costs about $30, but it's just a display model. It's not for…hey!" He cried out as she picked up the chair, swinging it around and smashing it against the wall, causing pieces to go scattering. Picking up the legs, along with a few long, splintered pieces, she walked back up to the speechless teenager and flipped a few tens on the counter. "That should cover it." Her lips twisting into an evil smile, she sauntered out of the store, calling back over her shoulder. "Thanks again." It wasn't until several minutes had passed since she left that the youth was able to sit back down in his chair. His eyes continued to stare at the wreckage she had left behind.
"Blast that boy!" the british librarian muttered under his breath, bending down to pick up some of the books that he had upended on himself during his fall. "Where the devil could he be? Stuffing his face no doubt." As he attempted to bring some semblance of order to the chaos around him, Giles muttered under his breath about bloody americans and their bad habits…one particular teenage boy at the forefront of his rant. He bent to pick up another armful of books when his eyes took in a unique volume among the masses. Unlike the other texts, this small, palm sized book appeared to be bound tightly, locked to prevent other eyes from seeing the contents within. Made of black leather, the cover of the book was imprinted with a special seal, one Giles had only seen once in his life; it was the seal the Watcher's Council gave to anything which was considered too dangerous to be seen by all of its members.
His hand shaking slightly, Giles touched the lock on the book cover. It was old and highly rusted, breaking apart at his light touch. Taking a shaky breath, he lifted the cover of the book slowly, moving it closer to his face as he tried to decipher the old, fading ink. "Contained herein the records of the Council of Watchers, formed this day in…" Giles would have read on, his curiosity piqued, had not the sound of someone clearing their throat jarred him back to reality. Turning, he glanced at the entrance to the library and saw a young, dark-haired woman standing there, glancing at him and the chaos behind him with one eyebrow raised.
"Um…am I intruding? I know the school is closed, but the front door was open and I thought…"
Giles sighed and carefully placed the ancient text on the desk and turned to fully face the young woman who had entered his, at the moment chaotic, sanctuary. "Oh, it's quite alright I assure you. Please forgive the mess, I was just cataloguing a new shipment for the library. How may I help you?"
"The woman at the public library said you have quite a collection of rare and odd books. I was wondering if you might have what I need." Cautiously she stepped further into the room, casting glances at the floor as if the books might fly up at her.
"Yes, I do have a rather um eclectic collection of volumes, are you searching for a particular text or just books with reference to a certain subject?" Giles asked.
"Egyptian curses," she murmured, raising her gaze meet Giles. Staring at him for a moment, the brunette tilted her head slightly, a small smile touching her pouty lips. "Next time, I think you should let the books win." A tinge of amusement flickered in her eyes, lightening their emerald color to something more like springtime as she took in his disheveled appearance.
Giles' eyes glinted back at the girl in amusement and his lips twisted into a smile that echoed hers. "Yes, well um, I was supposed to have some help with this but it seems my assistant has left me to my own devices, or rather I should say, disasters," he said, turning to take in the books scattered hither and thither around the floor. "Egyptian curses, you said? Yes I do believe I have a few volumes dealing with such things. Now where did Willow put them?"
Kat watched the british librarian attempt to find a few books out of the many scattered across the table and floor in the middle of the library, all the while trying to tame his appearance back to civility. Biting her cheek to keep from laughing, she moved closer, gesturing to the mess. "Care for some help, Mr…"
Giles straightened up from the pile of books he was bent over, "Oh, I do apologize for my rudeness; my name is Rupert Giles, though the children usually call me Giles. I would greatly appreciate your assistance, if that little tyrant were to walk in here now I shudder to think of the lecture he'd hand out after seeing this mess. May I ask your name?"
"Just call me Katura, or Kat for short," she responded, bending to pick up a few books. Her shirt rode up her back a little as she worked, a tiny bit of her tattoo peeking out as she continued to talk. "So who's this tyrant you're so worried about, the principal or something?"
Giles knelt down to retrieve some of the scattered books and replied, "I'm sorely tempted to say 'or something' but no, he's just the principal. We have a mutual dislike of each other and we've clashed a few times over a group of the students." He glanced over at his companion and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a hieroglyph printed on her back. He thought about asking about the tattoo but asked instead; "Can you give me any more specifics on the curses you're looking for? It should help narrow the search once we find the volumes."
Kat stopped picking up books and put her hands on her knees, hesitating in her response. Reaching up to brush her hair behind her ear, she picked up a book and traced the words on the cover, trying to make her voice light as she said, "I'm looking for something relating Egyptian curses to deities…or perhaps to lunar phases and deities."
Giles stood, motioning Kat to stand as well and led her over to the table where he sat and took off his glasses, preparing to clean them. "Please, do take a seat Kat. Well, you certainly seem to know what you're looking for. The information you provided should help to narrow our search quite a bit. But before we speak any further I'd like to know what prompted a young lady such as yourself to search for these things in the first place? Is there anything specific I should know?"
Kat's eyes darkened to a cold emerald color, a guarded look coming over her face as she sat down warily in front of Giles. Inwardly she cursed her wayward thinking; damn, but she was getting careless, letting something so personal slip out in conversation. Fortunately she was spared from an immediate answer as the doors to the library burst open and in walked Xander, Willow in tow. "Hey G-man, the cavalry has arrived!" Xander lurched to a stop just shy of the table, causing Willow to collide with him from behind. "What happened in here? Did the books finally have enough and declare a mutiny?" He stared down at the chaos at his feet, not noticing the look of relief on Kat's face or the look of shocked recognition on Willow's.
Meanwhile the redhead was trying to recover from her shock; both at seeing the strange woman from the previous Friday at the Bronze, and from the chaotic look of the library and its keeper. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Willow moved around Xander and headed towards Giles, skirting the brunette's side of the table. "What happened? Are you alright Giles?"
The librarian briefly placed his hand on the petite girl's shoulder and said, "Thank you Willow, I'm quite alright. To answer your question Xander, I was attempting to sort through these books and I fell. Now, before we allow our rudeness to go any further I'd like to introduce you both to Katura, or Kat as she prefers. Kat, may I introduce Willow Rosenburg, and her worse half, my missing assistant Xander Harris."
Finally noticing that there was someone else in the room, Xander turned towards her and grinned. "Oh hey Kat, feeling any better today?" Feeling eyes on him, he turned and caught the looks from Giles and Willow. "What? I met her Friday night at the Bronze."
Kat returned Xander's smile, though it was slightly forced. Her eyes remained a dark emerald as she responded. "I'm feeling better, thanks." Turning her head, she glanced at Willow. "Willow is it? Xander told me a little about you the other night. Pleased to meet you." Rising from her chair, she leaned forward over the table, her hand extended.
Remembering how the girl had made her feel before, Willow tried not to let her hand shake as she reached out and shook Kat's hand briefly. "Nice to meet you." Her hand fell back down to her side as soon as it left Kat's. An awkward silence descended on the group.
Giles cleared his throat, making the three youngsters turn towards him. "Well, now that introductions have been made, Willow do you happen to remember where you put those books of Egyptian prophecies and references and such after you scanned them into the dread machine?" The librarian asked.
"I believe you put them in your office; however if you want I can cross check for specific information in the books on this," Willow replied, already moving to her position in front of the computer and turning it on before he could finish speaking. "Anything in particular I should look for?" She glanced Kat's way to see the new girl's reaction to his request, and then back at Giles, waiting for his response.
"Our new friend has an interest in Egyptian curses. Xander would you mind trying to restore some sort of order to this mess?" The older man glanced over that the boy, who already looked bored.
Xander looked at the pile of books on the floor, then at Giles. Shrugging, he bent to pick up some of the books. "Sure thing G-man." As he began to straighten up the floor, he looked over to Kat, raising an eyebrow at her. "So…Egyptian curses? Afraid of mummies or something?"
Kat shook her head, once again tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she thought up some sort of response. She was aware of everyone's eyes on her, and it made her uneasy. "No…it's sort of a hobby of mine. My family traces some of its roots to Egypt and my mother," she tried to keep her voice from catching, "my mother liked to tell me stories; about Egyptian gods of old and some of the curses used back in the days of the pharaohs. After she died…I felt like I had to learn all I could about her favorite topic." It wasn't entirely a lie, for her mother had the same obsession Kat had. It wasn't a choice; it was part of who they were.
Giles looked across the table at the lovely brunette. 'She looks so sad' he thought to himself. Aloud he asked, "Really? Is your mother a professor of some sort? Sadly, interest in ancient cultures has decreased over the years. These days it seems only the scholars have a fascination with the more ancient civilizations."
Kat smiled sadly in agreement, shrugging. "Well, like I said, it's kind of a family thing." Suddenly feeling a little restless, Kat moved over to the mess on the floor, helping Xander put the books on the table for sorting. Her eyes lost some of their focus, becoming more blue than green as she worked silently beside him.
Giles' muscles tensed momentarily in frustration. The strange young woman was trying diligently to not give him any insight into her motives. He was about to reply with another probing question when Xander interrupted. "Hey G-man, what's this thing? It looks older than your precious pyramids." Giles glanced over at the boy and saw he was holding that precious, ancient text with the watchers sacred seal imprinted on the cover.
"Ahh," the Watcher exclaimed, sounding very undignified. "Xander give that here immediately. It more than likely is older than the pyramids. I'll just go put it in my office to peruse later." Giles straightened carefully from his seat, still feeling his earlier tumble. Xander handed him the ancient text and the watcher moved to take the book into his office.
Kat let out the small breath she had been holding. Damn, but that man made her uneasy. She had a feeling if she stayed for very much longer, he would continue to probe into her curious interests. Straightening, she turned her head towards Willow, catching the girl's speculative glance before the hacker looked back at the computer screen. "How long will it take you to find the information?" She kept her voice soft and even, not trying to betray her agitation.
Willow nibbled on her lip, shifting a little on the chair she was sitting on. She knew that there was a connection between Kat and the website she found online; she was pretty sure the deity Kat was most interested in was Sakhmet, the lion-headed goddess. She knew right where the information was on Giles' computer, but something inside of the redhead made her shrug innocently.
"Giles has a lot of stuff on Egypt; it could take a few days."
Kat stared at the petite redhead for a few moments, not sure if Willow was telling her everything. The unease grew inside of her, however, and she shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. "I gave him some specifics," waving her hand in the direction of Giles' office, "so if you get stuck he can tell you what I'm looking for." She turned on her heel, moving to leave the library. "I'll come back in a couple of days. See you around." Offering Xander a brief smile, she started across the room towards the doors. On the way she veered over to Giles' office and rapped on the door, kicking herself inwardly for feeling she at least owed him a polite goodbye before she fled.
When Kat knocked on his office door Giles had just finished locking the secret drawer in his desk, where he had stored the special book. "Yes? Please come in." he replied to the knock. Kat came in and stood with her arms crossed under her breasts, her posture defensive.
"I have to take off, I need to do some shopping if there are any stores open today. I just came in to say good-bye and tell you that I'll be back in a day or so to see if you've found any of the information I'm looking for. It's been very nice meeting you Mr. Giles." She said, trying to make her voice sound light.
"It's been a pleasure to meet you as well Kat, I will do my best to find some information for you in my books. And please just call me Giles, Mr. Giles is my father." The librarian offered his hand and Kat stepped forward to shake it for a moment. "I'll see you in a few days then, I hope you have a pleasant evening." Giles said as she released his hand. As she turned and left his office he noted her ever changing eyes had darkened again to a deep, piercing emerald.
Out of habit he turned the kettle on to make himself a cup of tea, then walked back into the main part of the library. He spotted Willow still typing away in front of that nasty new piece of technology and Xander paging through one of the new books, no doubt looking for sketches of nymphs and such.
Giles looked at the clock behind the counter as he crossed the room to speak to his charges. "Willow," he said, "I'd appreciate it if you could keep looking for the Egyptian references. Kat is looking for curses relating to deities and lunar phases specifically." The librarian picked up a stack of books from the table, motioning Xander to do the same and heading for the book cage.
The pixie like redhead glanced up from her monitor to reply, "Sure Giles, do you want us to patrol after sunset?" Her face had disappeared back behind the screen before she finished speaking.
"Yes, just a quick one mind you, and don't try to take on more than any one vampire at a time. I worry dreadfully about you when you patrol." The kettle in Giles office started whistling. Giles headed back to his office to stop the infernal squealing calling back over his shoulder, "Xander would you make sure all of the books are in the cage before you leave?" A moment later the library fell into silence as the three occupants turned to their appointed tasks.
The time passed quickly and before Willow knew it, it was time to go out on patrol. "Hey Xan, grab some supplies and lets get patrol done. Maybe we can stop and get something to eat afterwards."
Xander did as ordered, grabbing a good assortment of stakes and their holy water guns. "Ooh food, great idea Wills, lets go!" The teens called out to Giles that they were leaving and trooped out of the library, just catching his order to be careful and to phone him when they got home safely.
Inside his office Giles had debated opening the locked secret drawer and examining the text held within. 'No,' he thought to himself. 'Better to wait until the children have left. I don't want them barging in while I'm trying to decipher it.' He sat down behind his desk with a cup of good English tea and opened the volume on European vampires he'd been studying. By the time Willow and Xander called their good-bye's the watcher had completely forgotten about the drawer and it's contents.
* * * * * * * * *
The young man behind the counter was bored; really bored. It was Labor Day, and instead of enjoying his last few moments of summer, he was stuck working for his father at the local home improvement store. 'Like anyone is actually going to come in here,' he thought dourly to himself, flipping idly though the pages of a magazine. Thus he was very much surprised when the front door bell rang, announcing a customer as it swung open. He was equally surprised when the customer turned out to be a very attractive young woman. Grinning to himself, he tossed the magazine on the counter. 'This is turning out to be a good day after all.' As the dark-haired young woman approached the counter, he turned on his best charm. "Welcome! How may I 'serve' you?"
The young woman seemed oblivious to his flirting. Glancing about the store, her eyes lit up as she spied something that interested her. Gesturing to the display by the window, she asked, "How much?"
Turning, the clerk looked where the young woman was pointing, to the wooden chair in the window. "That? That costs about $30, but it's just a display model. It's not for…hey!" He cried out as she picked up the chair, swinging it around and smashing it against the wall, causing pieces to go scattering. Picking up the legs, along with a few long, splintered pieces, she walked back up to the speechless teenager and flipped a few tens on the counter. "That should cover it." Her lips twisting into an evil smile, she sauntered out of the store, calling back over her shoulder. "Thanks again." It wasn't until several minutes had passed since she left that the youth was able to sit back down in his chair. His eyes continued to stare at the wreckage she had left behind.