Giles was blathering on about the house situation while my thoughts centered around Anya. I hadn't told anyone and I wasn't going to. But, lately she was really all I could think about. I wished so much that she would be here, with me in the back seat making sarcastic jokes about the pink and green houses. I sighed and looked out the window as house upon house passed our car. Ok, I know that we're the ones moving and it's all in the perspective but, it's just so convincing!
Giles voice saying my name directly snapped me out of my suburban trance. "Yeah." I said looking back at him and smiling and also trying to remember what he had been saying. Dawn hadn't even answered. "Yeah, one big house for pot...the Slayers." I paused and grinned looking away. "Umm, just so we're clear I did not say one big house for a certain illegal substance." Making that clear I adjusted myself trying to be more comfortable and sat back.
"We could get a mansion for the Slayers and a smaller mansion for us." Did that make any sense. Had I ever made any sense. Was any of this making any sense?
The conclusion I came to: no.
"So Dawn, what is your opinion on our housing?" I was not going down alone! No siree. She would have to show how much she had not been paying attention too. So there. Because there's only so long when you can BS your way through a conversation and I had a feeling I had already reached my quota. I settled on looking back out at the houses thinking up ways Anya might make cracks about them.
"Huh?" Someone said my name. Oh. It was Xander. I think I was too busy staring out of the window at the scenery. The pretty Cleveland scenery. Right. Busier trying not to think about anything.
"No pot," I said absentmindedly, having a hard time returning to reality. When I'd realized what I'd said, I looked at Xander and rolled my eyes. Only he could make a simple mistake out to be something... not as simple. And I don't think he was ever a stoner. Was he? I made a mental note to ask him about that, preferably not in front of Giles.
"Oh, um, housing. Well, having two mansions doesn't make sense. I don't think the Slayers could fill up an entire mansion on their own, and I personally don't want them living alone. Maybe we could find a really big house with, like, wings, so we could put the Slayers in one wing, live in the other, have a guest wing and stuff." I've always wanted to live in a house with wings.
For some reason, I get the feeling that my entire speech has once again been wasted. Why do I bother again? This is just to ridiculous for word. They’ve both grown up, yet they cannot even seem to concentrate long enough on a word a I say. Sighing, I shook my head and stared back out the window, watching the houses come by.
Then Xander makes one of his lame jokes and I share a look with Dawn I the rearview mirror. At least she can roll her eyes. I’m having a hard time resisting to do so. That was by far the most horrible joke I’ve heard. Ignoring it, though Dawn can’t seem to pass up the small jibe, I turn a corner and drive up a new street lined with houses.
“I have to agree with Dawn,” I nod when she’s done. Smart girl that one. She’d make a good watcher some day. “Two houses doesn’t make sense. We need to keep an eye on the Slayers, the new ones when they arrive. And we need a place to house the new Council. It seems silly to put that in two places.”
Wait, did she just say a house with wings? I doubt they’ve bloody castles here. We’re not in England, I could’ve gotten us something similar in England easily. “I suggest you two keep your eyes open for anything that might fit the…err….description.”
My joke rolled off both of them like rubber and glue. Figures, but niether of us were in a joking mood. So, that was fine. I chuckle at Dawn's comments and at the thought of a house with wings momentarily forgetting that there are houses with wings...but not the flying kind. Damn, she makes more sense then me. I guess it's always been that way.
"Yeah, wings it is." I said looking back out the window listening to Giles drum out the orders. "Aye aye G-man." He hated when I called him that and I knew it, that's why I did it. I exchanged a smirk with Dawn in the back seat, of course she knew how much that name irked him.
Fine, keep my eyes open. Oh, wait! Almost forgot. Eye! Not eyes...eye Giles, can't be hard to make that mistake. Got it, ok keep my eye out for a house with wings. I highly doubt in the middle of Cleveland we'll find winged houses but I humored him. Looking out the window at the customary 70's styled homes that looked like the A-team might put their new head quarters there.
Sighing I looked to the front and spotted one. "Giles, look!" I said. It wasn't exactly a mansion but definitely not a house. Victorian in style it looked like. And it had wings...surprised. What do you know, Cleveland does have class.
"Wings ahoy G-man." I said yet again. Yes, this was most definitely the fun part of the trip.
"Ooh, that one's pretty." And big. Not quite a mansion but really really big. We could get the Slayers to bunk or something. It could be like camp. Or boarding school. Except with vampires and training sessions.
"It looks big enough," I comment as we pull up in front of it. "And it'll probably have a library and stuff. Giles, we have to check that one out."
I pinch Xander's shoulder lightly over the seat. Mansion shopping is fun! And I know that he wants a pretty, big house as much as I do. I'm just being a little more sensible and Giles-like about it.
“Xander, I have asked you not to call me that.” Turning a little, I glare at him over the rim of my glasses before looking back at the road. For gods sake, I wish the boy would stop calling me that. It makes me sound like some kind of.. I’m not even going to finish that thought with Dawn in the car. Good lord.
And houses with wings? We should’ve just looked around for a bloody castle. Those come with a lot of wings and a lot of room and a lot of draft and no heating. They’d have a ball in the winter.
Nearly startling the car into the side of the road at Dawn’s words, I look up at the.. Oh my, that is a rather huge house. Mansion. Whatever one calls these things in this country. Frowning, I drive up to it, not entirely certain it’s what we’re looking for. No matter how hard Dawn is trying to convince me. Looks like someone has been taking some lessons from her big sister.
“Let’s just take a look first, shall we? You’d do well to curb your enthusiasm, Dawn. You’ll only end up disappointed.”
Dawn agrees with my ogling and also spots the beauty but a startled Giles accidentally swerved right thinking Dawn was yelling for something else. Well, a hellmouth was in Cleveland so there very well could've been cause for a scream. But by my ears I could clearly tell she was "OH!"-ing and not screaming but I wouldn't let Giles know that. No, I'd leave him in not so blissful ignorance.
Giles stopped the car and then belittled our perfect house. I linked eyes with Dawn and we both shared a grimace as I exited the car taking a good long gander at this place. Dissapointed G-man? This is definitely not what I would call a dissapointing house.
"G...iles, this is a nice house and it fits the criteria that Dawn and you randomly put together. It has wings so Dawn can fly 'er anytime she wants and it's big enough for the Slayers and us and Buffy and her disturbingly complicated past love lives." I said making a funny. At least I found it funny.
I looked back at the car and then at the house. Yes, mansion-like winged house is a much better alternative.
Bus rental: roughly would have been about 100$ Food stop: 40$ between us all Rental car: 180$ Househunting with an ex-watcher and ex-dimension key? Priceless and quite enjoyable. Actually, slightly boring when he goes on about Cleveland history.
Ok, not the best mastercard commercial. But close enough.
"So don't disappoint me, Giles," I grin at him and climb out of the car, looking up at the house. It's not that big. I mean, yeah, it's pretty mansion-like, but it's not too big. It doesn't have that so-big-we're-gonna-rattle-around-in-it feel. It feels homey. In a mansion-like way.
"I'm not saying, oh, this is totally the one," I explain, looking the house over. "I'm just saying it's a possibility. You can be so negative sometimes." I catch Xander's eye and grin. Then I make a face.
"Can we leave Buffy and her love lives out of this?" I complain. "I just don't wanna know, okay?"
Good lord, did Xander have an overload of sugar before we left? I gave him a suspicious glance and then looked over at Dawn. Thank god someone around here is trying to behave like an adult. It's rather a pity that though, that this certain someone shouldn't have to. They've all grown up to fast. I can't help but feel regret about that.
"I'm not the one who might disappoint you Dawn," I point out, following them toward the house. "I'm just saying all kinds of things might be wrong with something that looks perfect." Nothing can be perfect. Though, when Xander makes a joke about Buffy and her love live, Angelus and his curse come to mind.
"I agree with Dawn. Can we not discuss something that is none of our business?"
Instead we should go see to this mansion instead. Going toward the door, I look around for something that is supposed to be a doorbell. not finding anything, I put my hand on the door instead. Sturdy looking door, but will the rest of the house be like that. For all we know it might be very high maintenance.
There's a big brass knocker on the door, but I guess Giles doesn't notice it. Not that it matters, right? I mean, open house. I put my hand on the door alongside Giles' and push. It opens. Huh, cool. Glancing back at Giles and grinning, I step inside.
We're in an entrance hall, I guess. At least it's not like the mansions in the movies, with marble floors and a sweeping staircase. It'd be way too Gone With The Wind, especially for a bunch of Slayers. Nah, it's smaller, cozier, with a little quaint rug that would really have to go.
"Hello?" I call out. Shouldn't there be like, a realtor or something?
Just as I took a step back to squint up at the house, Dawn opened the door. "Dawn," I tried sternly, one isn't supposed to just walk into houses! But of course she wasn't listening. She just grinned and stepped right in. Sighing, I glanced over at Xander who was just wearing that silly grin and shrugged.
"You're no help," I muttered, carefully peering around the corner of the door. Xander just shrugged again, and then told me he was going to look around the back and the outside of the house. Seeing how it look or some such.
Nodding at that, and telling him to be careful, I quickly followed Dawn. "Dawn," I called out again. "One isn't supposed to just walk into strange houses un-announced." Pulling off my glasses, I started to polish them as I glanced around the entrance hall. It looks smaller in the inside then it does on the outside. Odd that.
"I just announced myself, hello?" I glance back at Giles and roll my eyes a little, then grin. "It's an open house. You're supposed to just walk in."
Xander wanders off and I move further into the house, hoping that Giles is gonna follow. If the entrance hall was small, the - what? recieving room? parlor? - isn't. It's not huge, but it's pretty big. It could be like, a front office or something. Someplace semi-official.
We move through the living room, it has a giant fireplace which I know I'm gonna love, through the dining room which is bordering on cavernous, but will fit a small army of teenage girls, and the kitchen in the back. The house is old, I can tell, but well-kept and fully modern in the way of appliances and stuff. It's nice. I like it. A lot.
"So any visible issues so far?" I ask Giles with a smile. I haven't found any and I'm picky. Although he's pickier. House shopping shouldn't be a hasty decision. But it's so pretty!
"Just because you announced yourself doesn't mean you can just walk in, really Dawn."
Giving her a stern look, alright it was probably more of a scowl, I shake my head. Apparently it's perfectly natural to just saunter through houses around here. Not wanting to leave Dawn on her own, I do just what one is supposed to do and saunter after her.
I can tell she likes the house, the only missing is the actual shrieking these girls are capable off. Though, I doubt it's very far behind. The downstairs looks alright to me. Though, I cannot help the feeling that we're being watched. Probably just me being paranoid, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears wide open.
Glancing around the kitchen, I frown confused at the modern equipment there. Good lord, whatever happened to an old fashioned stove. This thing doesn't even look like a stove. No doubt it's a...what do they call it again? Micro...wave? Right.
"Hmmm?" Turning around and walking back out of the kitchen, I shrug at her. "I'd have to take a closer look, though the kitchen looks rather complicated and very much out of place for such an old house."
My eyes narrow as I glance up the stairs wondering how many rooms there are. There are two more floors on top of this one and an attic. It *should* be enough to hold a small army of Slayers. "Shall we look upstairs?"
"You said we couldn't walk in unannounced, so I announced myself, which by your logic makes me all able to walk in and stuff," I argue, then shrug. "Anyway." It doesn't matter. I just like arguing with Giles because he gets so frustrated and then does very British things.
Which is all very amusing.
Of course Giles complains about the kitchen. What does he want, a fire pit in the corner with a kettle hanging over it? Seriously. "It'll be easier to maintain the more modern it is if we're gonna have a house full of teenage girls. Imagine cooking for an army of Slayers." Well, that's already been done. But those weren't the most nutritious meals. If we're gonna train Slayers, we should be able to feed them right.
God, I'm thinking like somebody's mother.
"Yeah, let's check it out," I agree and start climbing the stairs. On the second floor there's a library, a really pretty room with lots of windows and window seats and a small fireplace. There are bedrooms. It's not too shabby. I kinda like it. A lot.
That kitchen is still not my favorite. How am I supposed to boil my tea on that odd monstrosity the call a stove? It doesn’t even have gas! Just a few round plate like things that turn hot red the moment you touch them or some such. That can’t be good at all. No, that kitchen is most definitely a minus point.
Pulling off my glasses, I polished it as I trotted after Giles up to the second floor. More rooms there. Bedrooms, more bedrooms, bathroom also very modern looking, more bathrooms. Well, that’s a plus no doubt about it. More then one bathroom will be very useful with all those girls. I hope there are more then two actually. I’d rather not have a fight ever morning just to get a bloody shower.
Oh my good bloody god, will you look at his library. Putting my glasses back up, I look around a the rows of bookshelves, some of them even containing left over books. Immediately curious I walk over to the most loaded shelf and tilt my head. I wonder what the previous owner used to read, these books look quite old.
I grin as Giles freezes in the library, totally hypnotized. "Maybe we can set up a cot for you," I point, "over there in the corner. So you never have to leave. Except to take showers 'cause that'd be gross."
Just by the look on his face, I know he's sold. On the library and the fact that there's more than two bathrooms on every floor, so there won't be long lines for the shower every morning. Maybe we can wake the Slayers up in shifts or something. Of course, as a member of the original Scooby gang, I am so claiming a master suite. With my own bathroom. Buffy's going to, so why can't I? It'll be like, compensation for not having superpowers.
"Let's go check out the third floor. Giles?" I wave my hand in front of his face. "You'll have plenty of time to stare at the shelves"
Giles voice saying my name directly snapped me out of my suburban trance. "Yeah." I said looking back at him and smiling and also trying to remember what he had been saying. Dawn hadn't even answered. "Yeah, one big house for pot...the Slayers." I paused and grinned looking away. "Umm, just so we're clear I did not say one big house for a certain illegal substance." Making that clear I adjusted myself trying to be more comfortable and sat back.
"We could get a mansion for the Slayers and a smaller mansion for us." Did that make any sense. Had I ever made any sense. Was any of this making any sense?
The conclusion I came to: no.
"So Dawn, what is your opinion on our housing?" I was not going down alone! No siree. She would have to show how much she had not been paying attention too. So there. Because there's only so long when you can BS your way through a conversation and I had a feeling I had already reached my quota. I settled on looking back out at the houses thinking up ways Anya might make cracks about them.
Reply
"No pot," I said absentmindedly, having a hard time returning to reality. When I'd realized what I'd said, I looked at Xander and rolled my eyes. Only he could make a simple mistake out to be something... not as simple. And I don't think he was ever a stoner. Was he? I made a mental note to ask him about that, preferably not in front of Giles.
"Oh, um, housing. Well, having two mansions doesn't make sense. I don't think the Slayers could fill up an entire mansion on their own, and I personally don't want them living alone. Maybe we could find a really big house with, like, wings, so we could put the Slayers in one wing, live in the other, have a guest wing and stuff." I've always wanted to live in a house with wings.
Reply
Then Xander makes one of his lame jokes and I share a look with Dawn I the rearview mirror. At least she can roll her eyes. I’m having a hard time resisting to do so. That was by far the most horrible joke I’ve heard. Ignoring it, though Dawn can’t seem to pass up the small jibe, I turn a corner and drive up a new street lined with houses.
“I have to agree with Dawn,” I nod when she’s done. Smart girl that one. She’d make a good watcher some day. “Two houses doesn’t make sense. We need to keep an eye on the Slayers, the new ones when they arrive. And we need a place to house the new Council. It seems silly to put that in two places.”
Wait, did she just say a house with wings? I doubt they’ve bloody castles here. We’re not in England, I could’ve gotten us something similar in England easily. “I suggest you two keep your eyes open for anything that might fit the…err….description.”
Reply
"Yeah, wings it is." I said looking back out the window listening to Giles drum out the orders. "Aye aye G-man." He hated when I called him that and I knew it, that's why I did it. I exchanged a smirk with Dawn in the back seat, of course she knew how much that name irked him.
Fine, keep my eyes open. Oh, wait! Almost forgot. Eye! Not eyes...eye Giles, can't be hard to make that mistake. Got it, ok keep my eye out for a house with wings. I highly doubt in the middle of Cleveland we'll find winged houses but I humored him. Looking out the window at the customary 70's styled homes that looked like the A-team might put their new head quarters there.
Sighing I looked to the front and spotted one. "Giles, look!" I said. It wasn't exactly a mansion but definitely not a house. Victorian in style it looked like. And it had wings...surprised. What do you know, Cleveland does have class.
"Wings ahoy G-man." I said yet again. Yes, this was most definitely the fun part of the trip.
Reply
"It looks big enough," I comment as we pull up in front of it. "And it'll probably have a library and stuff. Giles, we have to check that one out."
I pinch Xander's shoulder lightly over the seat. Mansion shopping is fun! And I know that he wants a pretty, big house as much as I do. I'm just being a little more sensible and Giles-like about it.
Reply
And houses with wings? We should’ve just looked around for a bloody castle. Those come with a lot of wings and a lot of room and a lot of draft and no heating. They’d have a ball in the winter.
Nearly startling the car into the side of the road at Dawn’s words, I look up at the.. Oh my, that is a rather huge house. Mansion. Whatever one calls these things in this country. Frowning, I drive up to it, not entirely certain it’s what we’re looking for. No matter how hard Dawn is trying to convince me. Looks like someone has been taking some lessons from her big sister.
“Let’s just take a look first, shall we? You’d do well to curb your enthusiasm, Dawn. You’ll only end up disappointed.”
Reply
Giles stopped the car and then belittled our perfect house. I linked eyes with Dawn and we both shared a grimace as I exited the car taking a good long gander at this place. Dissapointed G-man? This is definitely not what I would call a dissapointing house.
"G...iles, this is a nice house and it fits the criteria that Dawn and you randomly put together. It has wings so Dawn can fly 'er anytime she wants and it's big enough for the Slayers and us and Buffy and her disturbingly complicated past love lives." I said making a funny. At least I found it funny.
I looked back at the car and then at the house. Yes, mansion-like winged house is a much better alternative.
Bus rental: roughly would have been about 100$
Food stop: 40$ between us all
Rental car: 180$
Househunting with an ex-watcher and ex-dimension key? Priceless and quite enjoyable. Actually, slightly boring when he goes on about Cleveland history.
Ok, not the best mastercard commercial. But close enough.
Reply
"I'm not saying, oh, this is totally the one," I explain, looking the house over. "I'm just saying it's a possibility. You can be so negative sometimes." I catch Xander's eye and grin. Then I make a face.
"Can we leave Buffy and her love lives out of this?" I complain. "I just don't wanna know, okay?"
Reply
"I'm not the one who might disappoint you Dawn," I point out, following them toward the house. "I'm just saying all kinds of things might be wrong with something that looks perfect." Nothing can be perfect. Though, when Xander makes a joke about Buffy and her love live, Angelus and his curse come to mind.
"I agree with Dawn. Can we not discuss something that is none of our business?"
Instead we should go see to this mansion instead. Going toward the door, I look around for something that is supposed to be a doorbell. not finding anything, I put my hand on the door instead. Sturdy looking door, but will the rest of the house be like that. For all we know it might be very high maintenance.
Reply
We're in an entrance hall, I guess. At least it's not like the mansions in the movies, with marble floors and a sweeping staircase. It'd be way too Gone With The Wind, especially for a bunch of Slayers. Nah, it's smaller, cozier, with a little quaint rug that would really have to go.
"Hello?" I call out. Shouldn't there be like, a realtor or something?
Reply
"You're no help," I muttered, carefully peering around the corner of the door. Xander just shrugged again, and then told me he was going to look around the back and the outside of the house. Seeing how it look or some such.
Nodding at that, and telling him to be careful, I quickly followed Dawn. "Dawn," I called out again. "One isn't supposed to just walk into strange houses un-announced." Pulling off my glasses, I started to polish them as I glanced around the entrance hall. It looks smaller in the inside then it does on the outside. Odd that.
Reply
Xander wanders off and I move further into the house, hoping that Giles is gonna follow. If the entrance hall was small, the - what? recieving room? parlor? - isn't. It's not huge, but it's pretty big. It could be like, a front office or something. Someplace semi-official.
We move through the living room, it has a giant fireplace which I know I'm gonna love, through the dining room which is bordering on cavernous, but will fit a small army of teenage girls, and the kitchen in the back. The house is old, I can tell, but well-kept and fully modern in the way of appliances and stuff. It's nice. I like it. A lot.
"So any visible issues so far?" I ask Giles with a smile. I haven't found any and I'm picky. Although he's pickier. House shopping shouldn't be a hasty decision. But it's so pretty!
Reply
Giving her a stern look, alright it was probably more of a scowl, I shake my head. Apparently it's perfectly natural to just saunter through houses around here. Not wanting to leave Dawn on her own, I do just what one is supposed to do and saunter after her.
I can tell she likes the house, the only missing is the actual shrieking these girls are capable off. Though, I doubt it's very far behind. The downstairs looks alright to me. Though, I cannot help the feeling that we're being watched. Probably just me being paranoid, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears wide open.
Glancing around the kitchen, I frown confused at the modern equipment there. Good lord, whatever happened to an old fashioned stove. This thing doesn't even look like a stove. No doubt it's a...what do they call it again? Micro...wave? Right.
"Hmmm?" Turning around and walking back out of the kitchen, I shrug at her. "I'd have to take a closer look, though the kitchen looks rather complicated and very much out of place for such an old house."
My eyes narrow as I glance up the stairs wondering how many rooms there are. There are two more floors on top of this one and an attic. It *should* be enough to hold a small army of Slayers. "Shall we look upstairs?"
Reply
Which is all very amusing.
Of course Giles complains about the kitchen. What does he want, a fire pit in the corner with a kettle hanging over it? Seriously. "It'll be easier to maintain the more modern it is if we're gonna have a house full of teenage girls. Imagine cooking for an army of Slayers." Well, that's already been done. But those weren't the most nutritious meals. If we're gonna train Slayers, we should be able to feed them right.
God, I'm thinking like somebody's mother.
"Yeah, let's check it out," I agree and start climbing the stairs. On the second floor there's a library, a really pretty room with lots of windows and window seats and a small fireplace. There are bedrooms. It's not too shabby. I kinda like it. A lot.
Reply
Pulling off my glasses, I polished it as I trotted after Giles up to the second floor. More rooms there. Bedrooms, more bedrooms, bathroom also very modern looking, more bathrooms. Well, that’s a plus no doubt about it. More then one bathroom will be very useful with all those girls. I hope there are more then two actually. I’d rather not have a fight ever morning just to get a bloody shower.
Oh my good bloody god, will you look at his library. Putting my glasses back up, I look around a the rows of bookshelves, some of them even containing left over books. Immediately curious I walk over to the most loaded shelf and tilt my head. I wonder what the previous owner used to read, these books look quite old.
Reply
Just by the look on his face, I know he's sold. On the library and the fact that there's more than two bathrooms on every floor, so there won't be long lines for the shower every morning. Maybe we can wake the Slayers up in shifts or something. Of course, as a member of the original Scooby gang, I am so claiming a master suite. With my own bathroom. Buffy's going to, so why can't I? It'll be like, compensation for not having superpowers.
"Let's go check out the third floor. Giles?" I wave my hand in front of his face. "You'll have plenty of time to stare at the shelves"
Reply
Leave a comment