I find the days blur together into a patchwork of training with Buffy,
training with Tara, and patrolling. The only things that help separate them
out in my mind are the moments of friendship I share with those around me.
Tara playing the cello after we wake, then later her singing in the shower as she gets ready for the one lecture she hasn't missed. I ask her later if she's ever thought of joining a band. She just blushes deeply and mumbles.
Buffy with her cold, I stop round before patrolling with a sandwich bag full of tomato soup. I'm pretty sure that with some practise she could dust vamps with that stare.
My first locator spell, for a few hours we watched the light from a hundred or so happy souls as they moved around Sunnydale. Trying to work out what each of them was doing. It was sad to see so few, but I was overjoyed to see the two twinkling lights in the Magicbox.
Coming into the Magicbox to find Buffy comforting Willow. She'd heard rumours that Tara was seeing some guy. I took comfort that Willow would be so affected by the news, before telling her that I would be able to smell the guy on Tara if she was. The next day I was overwhelmed the strength of perfume Buffy and Willow wore, I quietly gave them some intimate details of what I could still smell on them, and then promised I'd pretend I didn't know if they did.
Starting to train Tara to defend herself in exchange for the magic training. The smile on her face would have been worth it alone, I've never seen her laugh so much.
My first use of magic in the field. The vampire had clearly seen too many action movies while alive, he had a girl held by the throat and told us to drop the stakes and kick them over too him. The expression on his face was priceless as he turned to dust, leaving nothing but a floating stake. The girl lost consciousness at about the same time, so I let Buffy think that she'd done it, stating that I thought I'd seen her at the Wiccan bake stall once.
Giles knowing exactly what to say when he saw Tara eating a twinkie in the patent Scooby method. "Congratulations Tara, welcome to the group." Then shaking her hand and looking at me. "I don't think even Cordelia or Oz ever got that honour." It's my turn to blush. "Strictly speaking neither did you." "I've told you, when you undergo the watcher initiation I'll undergo yours."
Also later that day, when Buffy came to our research session and Giles showed her the twinkie wrapper and nodded to Tara. Buffy actually squealed as she pulled Tara into a hug.
Then there was the awkwardness that came with refusing to go to the cinema with Buffy and Willow, without telling them it was because I was heading to the bronze with Tara. Plus there was the much greater awkwardness when a change of plan brought them to the Bronze.
I spent the whole next day explaining my actions to Willow. How I didn't tell her about spending time with Tara because I didn't want it to look like I was picking one friend over the other in their break-up. She got quite angry then. "Since when have you and Tara been friends?" It got worse when in her short tirade she asked "is there anything else you want to tell me? Are you bestest buds with Oz too?" As my promise to never lie to Willow comes back to bite me in the arse. "If it's any help I'm getting on pretty well with Angel now too." We eventually made up, how could we not, and spent the rest of the day talking. The sad look in her eyes every time Tara was mentioned did not escape me though.
Since then things between Tara seem to have gotten a little better.
I got frustrated at my progress with my magic. I'm worried that it won't be enough to fight Linus, and I got angry. Tara told me the dangers of learning magic any other way. Horror stories of people who had become possessed by demons older than this world, or those who had become addicted to the magics, who have eventually lost themselves. I can't help but think of Willows first spell. I tell her my concerns and her face clouds over. Willow never told her how she came to practice magic.
Buffy's annoyance when Giles is able to beat me in a training session when she couldn't. I tell her it's because I haven't worked out his tells. "I have tells?" "Only to a vampire." The rest of the day is spent trying to teach her to not fight in tune with her breathing, I have no idea how she can hide her scent cues though.
I think Tara possible has the cutest smile of anyone on the planet short of Willow. She tried to teach me Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on her cello. I think her squeal and clapping when I eventually managed something approximating it will remain one of my all time favourite memories.
Apparently Giles has worked out a way to affect Buffy's scent when fighting, something he called biofeedback. She beat me for the first time in a week.
Tara did a spell she says will help with Linus, but she won't tell me how. She just made me promise that I would call her before I fought him, so that she could activate it.
I meet Willow down the espresso pump. She uses magic to sweeten her latte, even though there's sugar on the table. Tara's warning flashes through my mind.
Tara actually caused Giles to pop a lens from his glasses! We were sitting around researching the latest demon to come to Sunnydale. Buffy was talking about the good old days of Sunnydale High. "Just one of the girls weren't you Xan?" It doesn't hurt me like it did, but Buffy likes to tease me about it. Tara just winked at me, then put on a dreamy look and uttered a long, drawn out sigh. Buffy actually spat out her coffee while Giles polished his glasses so hard that the lens fell out. We were only able to keep straight faces for about 10 seconds before we both collapsed to the floor in a fit of laughter.
Tara playing the cello after we wake, then later her singing in the shower as she gets ready for the one lecture she hasn't missed. I ask her later if she's ever thought of joining a band. She just blushes deeply and mumbles.
Buffy with her cold, I stop round before patrolling with a sandwich bag full of tomato soup. I'm pretty sure that with some practise she could dust vamps with that stare.
My first locator spell, for a few hours we watched the light from a hundred or so happy souls as they moved around Sunnydale. Trying to work out what each of them was doing. It was sad to see so few, but I was overjoyed to see the two twinkling lights in the Magicbox.
Coming into the Magicbox to find Buffy comforting Willow. She'd heard rumours that Tara was seeing some guy. I took comfort that Willow would be so affected by the news, before telling her that I would be able to smell the guy on Tara if she was. The next day I was overwhelmed the strength of perfume Buffy and Willow wore, I quietly gave them some intimate details of what I could still smell on them, and then promised I'd pretend I didn't know if they did.
Starting to train Tara to defend herself in exchange for the magic training. The smile on her face would have been worth it alone, I've never seen her laugh so much.
My first use of magic in the field. The vampire had clearly seen too many action movies while alive, he had a girl held by the throat and told us to drop the stakes and kick them over too him. The expression on his face was priceless as he turned to dust, leaving nothing but a floating stake. The girl lost consciousness at about the same time, so I let Buffy think that she'd done it, stating that I thought I'd seen her at the Wiccan bake stall once.
Giles knowing exactly what to say when he saw Tara eating a twinkie in the patent Scooby method. "Congratulations Tara, welcome to the group." Then shaking her hand and looking at me. "I don't think even Cordelia or Oz ever got that honour." It's my turn to blush. "Strictly speaking neither did you." "I've told you, when you undergo the watcher initiation I'll undergo yours."
Also later that day, when Buffy came to our research session and Giles showed her the twinkie wrapper and nodded to Tara. Buffy actually squealed as she pulled Tara into a hug.
Then there was the awkwardness that came with refusing to go to the cinema with Buffy and Willow, without telling them it was because I was heading to the bronze with Tara. Plus there was the much greater awkwardness when a change of plan brought them to the Bronze.
I spent the whole next day explaining my actions to Willow. How I didn't tell her about spending time with Tara because I didn't want it to look like I was picking one friend over the other in their break-up. She got quite angry then. "Since when have you and Tara been friends?" It got worse when in her short tirade she asked "is there anything else you want to tell me? Are you bestest buds with Oz too?" As my promise to never lie to Willow comes back to bite me in the arse. "If it's any help I'm getting on pretty well with Angel now too." We eventually made up, how could we not, and spent the rest of the day talking. The sad look in her eyes every time Tara was mentioned did not escape me though.
Since then things between Tara seem to have gotten a little better.
I got frustrated at my progress with my magic. I'm worried that it won't be enough to fight Linus, and I got angry. Tara told me the dangers of learning magic any other way. Horror stories of people who had become possessed by demons older than this world, or those who had become addicted to the magics, who have eventually lost themselves. I can't help but think of Willows first spell. I tell her my concerns and her face clouds over. Willow never told her how she came to practice magic.
Buffy's annoyance when Giles is able to beat me in a training session when she couldn't. I tell her it's because I haven't worked out his tells. "I have tells?" "Only to a vampire." The rest of the day is spent trying to teach her to not fight in tune with her breathing, I have no idea how she can hide her scent cues though.
I think Tara possible has the cutest smile of anyone on the planet short of Willow. She tried to teach me Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on her cello. I think her squeal and clapping when I eventually managed something approximating it will remain one of my all time favourite memories.
Apparently Giles has worked out a way to affect Buffy's scent when fighting, something he called biofeedback. She beat me for the first time in a week.
Tara did a spell she says will help with Linus, but she won't tell me how. She just made me promise that I would call her before I fought him, so that she could activate it.
I meet Willow down the espresso pump. She uses magic to sweeten her latte, even though there's sugar on the table. Tara's warning flashes through my mind.
Tara actually caused Giles to pop a lens from his glasses! We were sitting around researching the latest demon to come to Sunnydale. Buffy was talking about the good old days of Sunnydale High. "Just one of the girls weren't you Xan?" It doesn't hurt me like it did, but Buffy likes to tease me about it. Tara just winked at me, then put on a dreamy look and uttered a long, drawn out sigh. Buffy actually spat out her coffee while Giles polished his glasses so hard that the lens fell out. We were only able to keep straight faces for about 10 seconds before we both collapsed to the floor in a fit of laughter.