Stay and Gloat
Astoria was rather pleased with finding her quarry finally.
She was watching the man from afar, and it was all going rather well until some puke she'd hexed last week started some static with her. She was not making many friends by defending Blaise. She had to dispatch the irritating bastard again.
When she looked up, he was gone. Astoria made a growling sound. She reached out with her senses. He was not anywhere.
"I can't help but notice that you're following me."
Astoria spun around with a glare. "I am not."
"Oh but you are, and I have to ask why."
"Rayne, I told you no guests."
Astoria looked at the guy Rayne was meeting and panicked. It was not one of her finer moments. She absolutely was not letting the man who had been tormenting Marcus and Draco get away. Astoria lunged for him and disapperated, but not before she took a mental picture of the other man. Before he could get his bearings she used her wand to hurl him closer to the door of the Council house. While he was still disoriented from that, she pulled off her gloves and placed her bare hands on his face.
Nothing.
He was a black void. Astoria could not even get a flicker of anything. It was like he didn't exist. That angered her.
She shoved him inside. Astoria did not know what her plan with all of this was, but surely Giles would know something to do with him. She pulled her gloves back on in anger as he staggered.
Ethan fell through the door as the slight woman pushed him. She was stronger than she looked.
Daisy had fainted.
Astoria gave the nearest slayer a feral grin. "Please retrieve Mr. Giles for me."
"Giles? You've brought me to Ripper, dear girl?" Ethan asked, starting to get up.
"I'm not your dear anything, and if I were you, I'd stay right there before I put the heel of my shoe through your skull, you stain."
"Are you a slayer like Ripper's girl?"
Astoria pushed up her sleeve to reveal the slow-healing burn. It was mostly gone, but her white skin was still faintly pink where the burn had been. "Oh, we've met before."
"Ah! Ethan, old friend! I do hope you are feeling well!" Giles smiled a wholly unnerving smile. He strode into the room quickly, hands in the pockets of his tweed jacket.
"Bugger," Ethan muttered. "I've been doing quite well until your little friend here abducted me from a very important meeting."
"Oh?" Giles looked like he was feigning surprise. Sardonically. "My goodness. It's probably a very good thing that you've been collected in time for this one, as your social secretary seems to be very bad a scheduling. Did you know that she double-booked you for this evening?"
His hands were still in his pockets.
Astoria moved over to Daisy and helped her up. "Sorry to startle you, love."
Daisy was looking on with wide eyes.
"Are you going to damage him?" Astoria asked. "Because if you won't, I will. He's done something to himself. I put my bare hands on his face, and I got not a thing. He's vision-blocked his person from me somehow. I've no idea what he's up to, and damn the gods, I want to know how he did, so do torture it out of him."
"Well, Mistress Greengrass, I suppose that I could," he told her, "But you were supposed to report back, as we -- that is to say Buffy, Willow, and I -- felt that it may be slightly too dangerous for you to be the one recovering him for us. And now I feel my irritation being split two ways, but seeing as I only have one taser, I suppose I shall have to deal with you later."
With that, he pulled a taser gun out of his pocket, and shot the business end at Ethan.
Ethan tried to get away from Astoria. The device shot its payload into Ethan's chest and... Nothing happened.
Giles shook the gun, and nothing continued to happen.
He smacked the side of the device with his other palm. Nothing certainly was making its mark.
"Oh Well. I guess that this will have to suffice." Giles threw a green ball of plasma which wrapped itself around Ethan and levitated him a good six inches off of the floor. Giles pulled the taser electrode out of Ethan's chest by the wires.
Astoria used her wand to enclose Ethan so he could not hear her.
"He's a black void. I was so irritated, that I got too close. I'm human," Astoria said with the raise of a brow. "I have been known to make a mistake or two. You could always let him escape. I got a good look at the bloke he was meeting. I think that's the more important part. I'm about to hunt him."
Giles was torn. He had wanted to give Buffy something to do, and she disliked Ethan enough that he could let her question him, or he could send her with Astoria after the other bloke... He made a decision. "Go after the other. And take Willow with you. Buffy and I would like to have a word with this one."
Astoria made a face. "You think Willow can control me."
There was tense silence. Astoria used her wand to take the silence spell off.
"She can barely control herself, but I will promise to be more careful this time, and not to kill anyone."
"No," Giles said, "I want Willow there to back you up. You see, after we speak to Mister Rayne, we'll be wanting to chat with Mister... What was his name, Ethan?"
Ethan just glared at him.
Astoria smiled wickedly. "Aww. He's not going to talk right away. I'm going to miss all of the fun. I'm really very good at beating things out of people. You should see me with a riding crop."
"Oh, I think we may have more in store for Mister Rayne than a lowly riding crop... One of our Artifact Recovery Specialists lent me his best bullwhip the last time he was in town. It'll be just like the old days, won't it Ethan?"
Astoria gasped and put her hands over her heart. "You used to whip him? Why won't Marcus share? Your hidden wickedness is absolutely delicious."
"Wherever did you find her?" Ethan asked.
"Marks and Spencer," Giles responded flippantly. "Come along, Ethan. We have much to chat about."
Astoria sighed and leaned on Daisy's desk. "Can I at least see your bullwhip later, Mr. Giles?"
"I shall ask Doctor Jones," he responded idly. "Daisy, please send Buffy down at her earliest convenience."
"Down? Y-you're going to the dungeon?" Daisy asked.
Astoria's jaw dropped. "There's a dungeon? There's a dungeon here and no one's showed it to me? Gods damn it. The dungeon is usually my favorite part of a house."
Both of Ethan's eyebrows went up.
"Yes, we're going to the dungeon. It's because that's where the old butcher's station is, and they've left us the band saw." He pulled a hoodwink out of his other jacket pocket and put it on Ethan's head. "Here, Ethan. You may want this."
"There's a band saw?" Astoria rolled her eyes and gave a very loud sigh of frustration.
"Your companions have gotten decidedly less moral high ground, Ripper. I find it refreshing."
"Yes, well, what with one thing an another, they really want to put you out of our misery. And really, who can blame them?"
Astoria smiled. She hunted alone. She had no intention of involving Willow.
She was watching the man from afar, and it was all going rather well until some puke she'd hexed last week started some static with her. She was not making many friends by defending Blaise. She had to dispatch the irritating bastard again.
When she looked up, he was gone. Astoria made a growling sound. She reached out with her senses. He was not anywhere.
"I can't help but notice that you're following me."
Astoria spun around with a glare. "I am not."
"Oh but you are, and I have to ask why."
"Rayne, I told you no guests."
Astoria looked at the guy Rayne was meeting and panicked. It was not one of her finer moments. She absolutely was not letting the man who had been tormenting Marcus and Draco get away. Astoria lunged for him and disapperated, but not before she took a mental picture of the other man. Before he could get his bearings she used her wand to hurl him closer to the door of the Council house. While he was still disoriented from that, she pulled off her gloves and placed her bare hands on his face.
Nothing.
He was a black void. Astoria could not even get a flicker of anything. It was like he didn't exist. That angered her.
She shoved him inside. Astoria did not know what her plan with all of this was, but surely Giles would know something to do with him. She pulled her gloves back on in anger as he staggered.
Ethan fell through the door as the slight woman pushed him. She was stronger than she looked.
Daisy had fainted.
Astoria gave the nearest slayer a feral grin. "Please retrieve Mr. Giles for me."
"Giles? You've brought me to Ripper, dear girl?" Ethan asked, starting to get up.
"I'm not your dear anything, and if I were you, I'd stay right there before I put the heel of my shoe through your skull, you stain."
"Are you a slayer like Ripper's girl?"
Astoria pushed up her sleeve to reveal the slow-healing burn. It was mostly gone, but her white skin was still faintly pink where the burn had been. "Oh, we've met before."
"Ah! Ethan, old friend! I do hope you are feeling well!" Giles smiled a wholly unnerving smile. He strode into the room quickly, hands in the pockets of his tweed jacket.
"Bugger," Ethan muttered. "I've been doing quite well until your little friend here abducted me from a very important meeting."
"Oh?" Giles looked like he was feigning surprise. Sardonically. "My goodness. It's probably a very good thing that you've been collected in time for this one, as your social secretary seems to be very bad a scheduling. Did you know that she double-booked you for this evening?"
His hands were still in his pockets.
Astoria moved over to Daisy and helped her up. "Sorry to startle you, love."
Daisy was looking on with wide eyes.
"Are you going to damage him?" Astoria asked. "Because if you won't, I will. He's done something to himself. I put my bare hands on his face, and I got not a thing. He's vision-blocked his person from me somehow. I've no idea what he's up to, and damn the gods, I want to know how he did, so do torture it out of him."
"Well, Mistress Greengrass, I suppose that I could," he told her, "But you were supposed to report back, as we -- that is to say Buffy, Willow, and I -- felt that it may be slightly too dangerous for you to be the one recovering him for us. And now I feel my irritation being split two ways, but seeing as I only have one taser, I suppose I shall have to deal with you later."
With that, he pulled a taser gun out of his pocket, and shot the business end at Ethan.
Ethan tried to get away from Astoria. The device shot its payload into Ethan's chest and... Nothing happened.
Giles shook the gun, and nothing continued to happen.
He smacked the side of the device with his other palm. Nothing certainly was making its mark.
"Oh Well. I guess that this will have to suffice." Giles threw a green ball of plasma which wrapped itself around Ethan and levitated him a good six inches off of the floor. Giles pulled the taser electrode out of Ethan's chest by the wires.
Astoria used her wand to enclose Ethan so he could not hear her.
"He's a black void. I was so irritated, that I got too close. I'm human," Astoria said with the raise of a brow. "I have been known to make a mistake or two. You could always let him escape. I got a good look at the bloke he was meeting. I think that's the more important part. I'm about to hunt him."
Giles was torn. He had wanted to give Buffy something to do, and she disliked Ethan enough that he could let her question him, or he could send her with Astoria after the other bloke... He made a decision. "Go after the other. And take Willow with you. Buffy and I would like to have a word with this one."
Astoria made a face. "You think Willow can control me."
There was tense silence. Astoria used her wand to take the silence spell off.
"She can barely control herself, but I will promise to be more careful this time, and not to kill anyone."
"No," Giles said, "I want Willow there to back you up. You see, after we speak to Mister Rayne, we'll be wanting to chat with Mister... What was his name, Ethan?"
Ethan just glared at him.
Astoria smiled wickedly. "Aww. He's not going to talk right away. I'm going to miss all of the fun. I'm really very good at beating things out of people. You should see me with a riding crop."
"Oh, I think we may have more in store for Mister Rayne than a lowly riding crop... One of our Artifact Recovery Specialists lent me his best bullwhip the last time he was in town. It'll be just like the old days, won't it Ethan?"
Astoria gasped and put her hands over her heart. "You used to whip him? Why won't Marcus share? Your hidden wickedness is absolutely delicious."
"Wherever did you find her?" Ethan asked.
"Marks and Spencer," Giles responded flippantly. "Come along, Ethan. We have much to chat about."
Astoria sighed and leaned on Daisy's desk. "Can I at least see your bullwhip later, Mr. Giles?"
"I shall ask Doctor Jones," he responded idly. "Daisy, please send Buffy down at her earliest convenience."
"Down? Y-you're going to the dungeon?" Daisy asked.
Astoria's jaw dropped. "There's a dungeon? There's a dungeon here and no one's showed it to me? Gods damn it. The dungeon is usually my favorite part of a house."
Both of Ethan's eyebrows went up.
"Yes, we're going to the dungeon. It's because that's where the old butcher's station is, and they've left us the band saw." He pulled a hoodwink out of his other jacket pocket and put it on Ethan's head. "Here, Ethan. You may want this."
"There's a band saw?" Astoria rolled her eyes and gave a very loud sigh of frustration.
"Your companions have gotten decidedly less moral high ground, Ripper. I find it refreshing."
"Yes, well, what with one thing an another, they really want to put you out of our misery. And really, who can blame them?"
Astoria smiled. She hunted alone. She had no intention of involving Willow.