Xander Harris woke in a strange place; it took him a moment to realize how he'd come to be in the pool house of the Chase estate, surrounded by his pack as the sun started to break over the hills to the east. Sounds outside let him know he wasn't the first up, and after a quick cleanup, he cast off most of his remaining costume, grabbing a pair of swim trunks and a towel with the hope of a morning swim. He noticed as he walked out, pack around him, that he was in even better shape than before, denser toning, his Ramirez memories approving of his previous capabilities molded to that of a master swordsman. Exiting the pool house and setting his belongings, including weapons aside, he kept the sword and decided on sword routines before a swim. He looked over to Angel, who was talking to Giles, and whistled low.
:Apprentice, have you kept up your swordsmanship: Xander with Ramirez's 'voice' slightly taunting the previous host of Connor Macleod. He continued without looking, to a large open place on the green, and began to move into 'his' routine.
A couple minutes later, Angel joined him, slowly matching the graceful movements, and this attracted the attention of the others who'd been slowly preparing breakfast and wondering what the Sunday would hold. After about ten more minutes the two faced off and began to slowly circle and test each other, increasing in speed as they sparred, both forgetting for just a moment they weren't Immortal.
Blades struck and both men put a little more into it, but only from Xander's side did it work, some blue sparking working along the blade and giving Angel a little shock. The former Immortals looked on in amazement and the others in confused surprise as the two continued to spar, but Cordelia decided to even things out a bit, getting a nod from Duke Greystoke, who tossed her his own sword.
The former Mara Jade now Slayer smiled as she moved in and tried drawing on the Force to boost her capabilities, and after a moment felt it start to flow into her. Xander looked up in surprise, then smiled as Angel took advantage and pressed an attack. Cordelia, who at the end of the night, drew on the memories of Mara's entire life, especially of the training Luke had given her, as well as her Slayer memories, still unsettled from her Calling, reaching deep for the primal speed and strength.
Buffy and Dawn felt…something…as did the pack as Cordelia and Xander met blade to blade, and that feeling echoed among the former Immortals…a feeling of Power. As Xander used a trick of the blade to deflect Cordelia, he used the Force to push Angel out of the fray.
:Let's see where this goes, Live-Boy: he communicated to the former vampire:This could be important:
Cordelia drew on both sources, and Xander redirected as much as possible to her styles rather than that merely of steel blade, blending as she did as he drew on his Primal forces, the Force and his apparent Quickening, to meet her Force, Force-reinforced Assassin and Primal Slayer capabilities, Kendra awakening and leaping down to the ground from her assigned bedroom to take in the match.
Xander and Cordelia knew exactly where almost everything larger than a blade of grass was situated in the area, Xander countering the increasingly complex and unfortunately deadly moves the new slayer attempted, and he began talking to her a little as they moved faster, ran over and around furniture, statues, and walls, raced over the pool water and more before ending up back on the lawn, Buffy and Dawn, followed by Kendra, locating weapons and beginning to slowly build up three-way speed as they sought to mimic Cordelia's sudden energy.
Cordelia finally found a plateau within herself, and lost the borderline need for the kill, instead reveling in the match itself, the fight, an amazing gray area of strength as her and Xander swept around and between the three slayers, dodging their strikes and giving them short scares as they moved beyond, Primal and Force burring their moves almost to the invisible.
Five minutes later, the three slayers had continued to build, then as Xander and Cordelia seemed to move from attacking each other toward achieving minor nicks on the three, the slayers really kicked in and met the increase in emergency, their essences tapping that of the Primal Slayer even without the Force, striving against hope to hold off the two Force-wielders until, as suddenly as they'd begun, the two leapt and landed feet first in front of the pool, paused, then bowed to each other, and to Angel next to them.
"Thank you for the match, Liam, Cordelia," Xander nodded to each, "That was quite the work out." He looked to Cordelia, in swim attire, the wrap having fallen off, "Ready for a swim, maybe a little Force-boosting, Slayer Jedi Chase?"
"Thank you, yes," Cordelia smiled, acknowledging the joy she'd felt as he'd allowed her to go almost all-out against him without really striking back, and that she looked forward to learning from each of his backgrounds, Jedi, Sith, millenia-old Immortal, Watcher and Lord of the Jungle, "Master Juan Greystoke."
Xander winked and blew his girlfriends a kiss as he dove in the pool at the same time as Cordelia, and began cooling down over the next ten minutes of swimming, starting fast, and slowing until they stepped out and into the gold hot tub for a few minutes of most agreeable soaking. The Chases came over and crouched near their daughter.
"Honey, are you alright?" her mother asked, father nearby looking reassuring, "That was amazing but looked like it took a lot out of you."
"It did, mom," Cordelia agreed, "But I don't think my training will require that much effort." They looked over at Xander, who didn't even open his eyes.
"Not with weapons," he said just loud enough to be heard, "But we'll be working on maximizing the physical capabilities of all you slayers as slayers, then swordswomen, then in modern weapons, the Force and magic depending on ability. And since many here were briefly Immortals, we'll see about maintaining the languages and weapons skills, maybe have you all go for doctorates in history, linguistics or such as covers. And since we have Midas and Helen with us, they can start writing down everything they remember of those time periods, where the cities were, who was around. It wouldn't hurt the Chase prestige if in a few years Reginald and Margaret Chase pinned down a couple of PhDs to go with their money."
"Well, it seems your…trainer has a solid idea of how to proceed," Mr. Chase conceded, still amazed it was Xander Harris that was the clearly capable person in this matter, "And it wouldn't hurt for us to add to our vitae, I guess, what do you think Margaret?"
"Let's think about it," she told her husband, then got up to pay attention to her other daughters.