Ficlet: "Stake of the Month Club" for elizabuffy, rated E for everyone!
Stake of the Month Club
Character: Buffy
Rating: E for Everyone
I'm dedicating this to my dear elizabuffy. It's talking with her that puts bizarre ideas like this into my head in the first place! So, I know you didn't ask for it, but this one's for you, babe ;^) Plus, just thinking about you with your lush and coach purses and all coming in the mail...this reminds me of you ;^)
Buffy walked in door and threw down her bag, exhausted. Then she saw the package out of the corner of her eye. Any bit of weariness she felt seemed to fade away when she recognized the distinctive size of the box and the color of the logo.
Grinning, she grabbed it and clutched it to her chest, and ran up the stairs, trying not to trip in her excitement. When she reached her room, she knelt down in front of tiered velvet stand. Six places on the top row and six on the bottom, five of which were already filled. At first, she was tempted just to rip into the package and reveal the likely to be gorgeous surprise inside, but then she schooled herself into patience, forcing herself to wait. Giles would be proud, she thought.
Instead, she wanted to savor the moment-and how better to do that than to admire the contents of the other five packages that had preceded the latest one?
Reverently, Buffy picked up the one from the first slot. It was one of her favorites. This one was carved from cherry wood in the shape of a Chinese dragon to represent the New Year. Its four clawed legs were tucked in along its belly, and the head had long whiskers that made it look wise at they swept back toward the body. The tail tapered into a point so sharp, she could almost prick her finger on it…delicate, but potentially lethal in the right hands, nevertheless. After following the curve of its spine, she set it back, before examining the next.
February was heavy and clear as ice. A single vein of dark Peruvian walnut spiraled through its smooth conical crystal prison, exposing itself only at the very tip.
March was fragrant spring cedar. Celtic knots and designs formed delicate lacework across the weapon’s entire surface, making it almost breathtakingly ornate with the elegant simplicity of the geometric designs.
April was shaped like a dagger. Rare South American bloodwood, nearly as hard and unyielding as steel, made up the blade, gleaming with its heavy polish and set into a handle of darker African wenge. A single ruby was imbedded in the hilt, gleaming heavily. The overall impression Buffy had as she looked at it was that she held a weapon of death, angry and begging to be fed the blood of her enemies.
May was almost black. Gabon ebony from Africa, hard and heavy. The inlaid design of four rampaging horses was in shiny quilted maple taken from California’s own coast. The stallions seemed to lope around the cylindrical base, their manes ablaze as they bore down on their foes.
Finally, Buffy set the last of them back into their display and turned to the box that awaited her. With bated breath, she tore off the outer paper with its shipping label and innocuous company logo, revealing the box within. With painful slowness, she lifted the lid. When she finally saw this month’s prize, she knew it had been worth it.
June was quite simple really. The head was squared and flared. Then it tapered down into a cylinder and finally into the deadly point that could pierce skin and turn vampires to dust. The oak was highly polished, highlighting the majestic grain. The only design was a single tendril of ivy that twined and twisted about the weapon from top to tip, a raised pattern in the wood with perfect miniature leaves. It was a sign of life on a weapon that was designed to kill the dead; Buffy found it oddly appropriate as she found herself grinning, and thinking, as she did every month, that this could be her favorite.
She had to admit, Dawn had given her some pretty interesting gifts over the years. Some were sweet and some bizarre, but the membership to Stake of the Month Club had to be the best of them all!
Character: Buffy
Rating: E for Everyone
I'm dedicating this to my dear elizabuffy. It's talking with her that puts bizarre ideas like this into my head in the first place! So, I know you didn't ask for it, but this one's for you, babe ;^) Plus, just thinking about you with your lush and coach purses and all coming in the mail...this reminds me of you ;^)
Buffy walked in door and threw down her bag, exhausted. Then she saw the package out of the corner of her eye. Any bit of weariness she felt seemed to fade away when she recognized the distinctive size of the box and the color of the logo.
Grinning, she grabbed it and clutched it to her chest, and ran up the stairs, trying not to trip in her excitement. When she reached her room, she knelt down in front of tiered velvet stand. Six places on the top row and six on the bottom, five of which were already filled. At first, she was tempted just to rip into the package and reveal the likely to be gorgeous surprise inside, but then she schooled herself into patience, forcing herself to wait. Giles would be proud, she thought.
Instead, she wanted to savor the moment-and how better to do that than to admire the contents of the other five packages that had preceded the latest one?
Reverently, Buffy picked up the one from the first slot. It was one of her favorites. This one was carved from cherry wood in the shape of a Chinese dragon to represent the New Year. Its four clawed legs were tucked in along its belly, and the head had long whiskers that made it look wise at they swept back toward the body. The tail tapered into a point so sharp, she could almost prick her finger on it…delicate, but potentially lethal in the right hands, nevertheless. After following the curve of its spine, she set it back, before examining the next.
February was heavy and clear as ice. A single vein of dark Peruvian walnut spiraled through its smooth conical crystal prison, exposing itself only at the very tip.
March was fragrant spring cedar. Celtic knots and designs formed delicate lacework across the weapon’s entire surface, making it almost breathtakingly ornate with the elegant simplicity of the geometric designs.
April was shaped like a dagger. Rare South American bloodwood, nearly as hard and unyielding as steel, made up the blade, gleaming with its heavy polish and set into a handle of darker African wenge. A single ruby was imbedded in the hilt, gleaming heavily. The overall impression Buffy had as she looked at it was that she held a weapon of death, angry and begging to be fed the blood of her enemies.
May was almost black. Gabon ebony from Africa, hard and heavy. The inlaid design of four rampaging horses was in shiny quilted maple taken from California’s own coast. The stallions seemed to lope around the cylindrical base, their manes ablaze as they bore down on their foes.
Finally, Buffy set the last of them back into their display and turned to the box that awaited her. With bated breath, she tore off the outer paper with its shipping label and innocuous company logo, revealing the box within. With painful slowness, she lifted the lid. When she finally saw this month’s prize, she knew it had been worth it.
June was quite simple really. The head was squared and flared. Then it tapered down into a cylinder and finally into the deadly point that could pierce skin and turn vampires to dust. The oak was highly polished, highlighting the majestic grain. The only design was a single tendril of ivy that twined and twisted about the weapon from top to tip, a raised pattern in the wood with perfect miniature leaves. It was a sign of life on a weapon that was designed to kill the dead; Buffy found it oddly appropriate as she found herself grinning, and thinking, as she did every month, that this could be her favorite.
She had to admit, Dawn had given her some pretty interesting gifts over the years. Some were sweet and some bizarre, but the membership to Stake of the Month Club had to be the best of them all!