Despite being surrounded by supernatural predators that hunted other supernatural creatures Buffy noticed how at ease Saya was. It could be because of not knowing slayer capabilities but that idea rang somewhat hollow, Saya wasn't rudely dismissive, she simply wasn't worried.
Casting her eyes across the conference room to Faith she received a clueless shrug, Faith couldn't figure it out either. Buffy shook her head, bringing herself back to the matter at hand. Learning about their potential charge. "So, Saya, what can you tell us about yourself," Buffy asked gently, and about a race of semi-vampires no one ever told me about..
The young, in appearance, Japanese girl smiled, taking everyone in the room off guard at just how... unworried their guest was, normally even supernatural allies got nervous this close to this many slayers much less a guest more than one slayer wanted to kill because of her self professed status as a predator of humanity, "It would be helpful to know what you know. Then I may fill in the blanks."
It was a reasonable request, Buffy looked to Giles, still head watcher, and Dawn, his assistant despite Buffy's repeated attempts to get her to find a different line of work. Giles cleared his throat and examined the papers he held, "I'm afraid we know very little actually. Our records show that our people discovered an unusual body they believed to be a demon being delivered to a chateau in France."
Not an eye in the room missed the involuntary bristling Saya did at the word demon. Still, Giles continued uninterupted, "The council at the time was unable to prevent the de- body," he corrected mid word as Saya tensed again, interesting reaction, "from being delivered and instead sent a man to infiltrate the chateau as a servant. He was able to report that two cocoons had been pulled from the... body's womb. There is a short gap of minimal information as they were kept under wraps before out of nowhere a reddish brown eyed baby was brought to the manor. A baby with severe anemia that he suspected was a child of the body he'd been sent to find."
Saya nodded as if nothing enexpected was known so far and Giles continued, "There is no real information after that. The baby, I assume was you, grew until shortly after her twentieth birthday, afterwhich she was frozen in time, never aging a day. Then in June of 1888 the reports stopped with no explanation. A team was sent but discovered only the burned ruins of the chateau. I was hoping you could fill us in on the rest."
Saya closed her eyes, that was a day of regret in so many ways. "Your guy got one thing right. There were two cocoons. My sister... identical twin except for eye color, cracked her cocoon just after I did. Joel, the man you were unable to take my mother from, was a scientist you see, so he devised an experiment... he split us up. That... bastard raised me as a normal girl and my sister... she was locked in a tower and experimented on. I didn't even know my sister existed till I was fifty years old." Saya paused for a moment, lost in memory and oblivious to the looks of pity, not that she'd have appreciated being pitied if she had. Only two gazes held another emotion. Giles and Buffy locked eyes and frowned. They'd known people like the initiative had existed before but it still made them angry that people would do these things with someone they couldn't understand, not really. They were almost so distracted they missed Saya resuming.
"A few days before Joel's birthday I heard singing as I walked through the forest. Being naturally curious I explored to find the source. It was my sister, only I didn't know that at the time, and she had no name, so I gave her one, Diva," Saya began again.
Dawn gasped, "The singer who was going to take the world by storm."
Saya nodded, "My sister... she was so beautiful. She looked just like me, our healing factor eliminating any scars she might have had. Of course, I didn't learn that for a couple more days when I found the key to her cell, I didn't know I could just break it at the time. I was called away by Haji... my friend, and was unable to keep my promise to her that I would be her friend. Later, as he was climbing a cliff to get a stupid flower for me to give to the bastard, Haji fell... I saved him but he was eternally bound to me after that. When we got back to the manor... it was in flames and there was Diva, looking every inch my twin, draining Joel dry. So began the hundred and twenty year war of two queens. Ending in that opera house."
Killing Angel had been hard enough. Killing Dawn, even if she was a big bad, even if it was to save the world from her... "There's more to the story. You loved Diva too much to kill her without a plan for after."
Saya nodded, "The only way to kill a chiropteran queen is with the blood of her twin. When we fought we impaled each other with swords coated in our blood, not because she had matched me, she was a singer not a swordswoman while I was classically trained and had talent besides, we drew because I believed the world would be a better place without us. Things didn't go according to plan, she died, I didn't."
"If you don't mind me asking, do you know why?" Dawn, ever curious, couldn't help but ask.
Saya nodded, "When my sister became pregnant her body turned her blood's potency to zero to prevent her from killing her own daughters. Whether or not it would have eventually returned... I don't know. I do know my nieces are all I have left of my sister. I will do whatever it takes to keep them safe." Saya spoke drawing surprised looks at the vehemence of the vow from three quarters of the room and a nod of respect and agreement from Buffy.
Dawn stared in shock at her sister, she knew Buffy would protect her vehemently but her nod surprised the vessel of the key, "Buffy..."
"You know Dawn, during the Glory debacle Giles suggested killing you. Said you aren't really my sister and do you know how I replied? I told the entire magic box that if they hurt a hair on your head that I would kill them myself, and I meant it," Buffy responded her voice solid and sure.
"Family is family no matter the blood but blood is blood and it's always about the blood," Saya spoke, unknowingly quoting a certain bleach blond british vampire.
Buffy stood from her spot at the table, "These two," she paused to point out the two minis in the room, "Will stay here for your own protection while we talk about your story."
Saya shrugged, she didn't need the two minis for protection but Buffy had no way to know that. She hadn't discussed her abilities and if it made them feel better, whether they were guarding her or keeping an eye on her, so be it.