Wesley Ryanne
Ryanne walked down to the training room sighing. Dad had told her to workout while he did some paperwork. She didn't know why since she wasn't planning on ever again going out to patrol. That was the only to stay alive.
Wesley practiced his swordwork in the training room. He'd been spending too much time on his rear, looking through books. It was time to get back into the fight in a more meaningful way.
Ryanne walked in and saw Wesley and turned to run back up the stairs. He'd make her workout. She tried to creep out as quietly as she could to avoid detraction.
"Hello Ryanne. Just about done here if you'd like the room to yourself." He worked on a thrust and parry that he always was a little slow with.
"No that's okay. I was gonna go ride my bike before dark." Ryanne lied quickly. "Thought i left my helmet down here but I umm didn't."
"Ryanne." Wesley stopped and fixed her with a look. "I don't care if you like me or not. I don't even care if you try to take out your frustrations on me. But I will not be lied to." He put the sword back on the rack.
Ryanne bit her lip and looked down. "Dad wants me to workout." She sighed and sat on the bottom steps. "I don't wanna. I don't wanna ever go outside again at night less it's with Dad or someone for ice cream and then just come home."
Wesley knew that tone. He'd heard it i his own head often enough. He leaned in the door and looked at the wall opposite. "It truly does...suck... to have a destiny. But leaving it behind is very difficult. Not only does it like to follow you, but it has a way of taking everything you hold dear away from you." He looked at Ryanne. "Do you really want to give up what you've gained here?"
"Huh?" Ryanne looked at him, "You mean Dad would throw me out if I didn't slay?"
Was that the only reason Giles and the others wanted her around? She looked at Wes was fear in her eyes, a far cry from the street kid he had first meet.
Wesley raised an eyebrow. "Oh stop blubbering. Of course he won't." Wesley sighed in frustration. "You know Ryanne, I can understand that you have things in your past. But at some point you're going to have to move on from them. You're not the only one who's been abused by the men in their life." Wesley stopped and shifted uncomfortably. "What I'm trying to say is that since you are a Slayer, you need to be able to at least defend yourself. Demons and vampires can sense it and will come after you whether you want them to or not."
Ryanne glared at him for a second. "It ain't fair. You got to run away!" Ryanne stood up and walked over to the bag hitting it in anger. "And I ain't blubbering, just don't plan on ever ever ever going back out again, cause I wanna like live."
Wesley looked at the floor, trying not to get angry. At who, he wasn't exactly sure. "Running away can many times make the problem worse. It did before, and it did so this time." He was quiet for a moment, then his shoulders slumped. "I obviously am not the right person to talk to you. Anything I say would sound like so much hot air to you." He straightened up and moved to go up the stairs. "Although at least you don't show your contempt by locking people in small closets for a few days."
"Who does that?" Ryanne looked at him. Geez is that how he punished his Slayers? "Dad says I gotta. Go Slay that is. I don't understand. I mean they are gonna kill me and he's making me do it. And you and Lilah are all good so your running away did you good."
Wesley stopped, but didn't turn around. "No I did not do that to my Slayers, if that's what you're thinking. It was my father's way of dealing with me as a child. Actually it was the kindest method he used." He tried not to let the memories overwhelm him so that he could keep his voice calm. "And it didn't do any good at all. Lilah and I have to work to regain our trust of one another, not to mention everyone else." He turned slightly to look at Ryanne. "If you're going to die young, don't you think it would be better to go out fighting, than cowering in your room, never having lived at all?"
Ryanne looked at him amazed. "My step dad hurt me lots too. I didn't use to think about it." She kicked the bag, "I'm scared Wes. I ain't as good as anyone. Even Poophead is better than me."
"Then you work on getting better than him. Even if that's your only goal." Wesley turned and went back down to stand in front of her. "Wouldn't you love to be able to go on patrol with him, and have to save his life?"
"That would be so cool. And to rub his nose in it like always." Ryanne gave Wes one of the few real smiles she had in her anymore. "I can sorta get Dad to like be easy on me. You hate me right? You wanna make me better?"
Wesley grinned back at her. "I think you're an incorrigible brat. But I'd like for you to be able to stay around to annoy me for a few more years."
Ryanne smiled a little more, "Sorry I took your money. So what do I have to do? Think I can get as good as Faith and Buffy?"
"First thing we have to work on is your patience. If you want to get that good, you have to know how to wait." Wesley looked at her for a moment. "Plus I think we need to find your special skill."
"I got a special skill?" Ryanne tilted her head at him curious. "Like Mutant X stuff and all?" Wes didn't seem that bad, now that she thought about it. "And do I get to wait inside til I am good? Cause if I do, I am the most patient girl you'll ever meet."
Wesley chuckled. "Well, we need to find out what it is. I can talk to Giles about letting you off patrol until you're better able to protect yourself." He held a hand out to her. "Now, have you ever done yoga? That's the first step I think to finding out what you're best at. By seeing how flexible you are."
"Yoga?" Ryanne laughed, "That's like rich people exercise." She started giggling, "Next you gonna tell me I gotta eat raw fish and French crap?"
Wesley laughed with her. "No, I wouldn't do that to you. Yoga actually is very good for fighting. Ask Buffy."
"Cool! So how do I do it?" Ryanne started bouncing a little bit. Not much but more than she had in the past week or two.
"First thing you need to do is learn how to be still. If you can do that, you won't telegraph your moves." Wesley sat down on the mats, cross-legged. "Breathing is a way of keeping calm, even when you're frightened."
Ryanne looked at him confused. "I know how to breathe Silly. Gotta breath to be alive." She went over and sat across from him, mimicking the way he was sitting.
"There are certain ways of controlling. They work to slow down your heartbeat, which also helps to keep vampires from knowing what you're going to do since they can hear it." He smiled at her. "I think perhaps that's where we should start then."
Wesley practiced his swordwork in the training room. He'd been spending too much time on his rear, looking through books. It was time to get back into the fight in a more meaningful way.
Ryanne walked in and saw Wesley and turned to run back up the stairs. He'd make her workout. She tried to creep out as quietly as she could to avoid detraction.
"Hello Ryanne. Just about done here if you'd like the room to yourself." He worked on a thrust and parry that he always was a little slow with.
"No that's okay. I was gonna go ride my bike before dark." Ryanne lied quickly. "Thought i left my helmet down here but I umm didn't."
"Ryanne." Wesley stopped and fixed her with a look. "I don't care if you like me or not. I don't even care if you try to take out your frustrations on me. But I will not be lied to." He put the sword back on the rack.
Ryanne bit her lip and looked down. "Dad wants me to workout." She sighed and sat on the bottom steps. "I don't wanna. I don't wanna ever go outside again at night less it's with Dad or someone for ice cream and then just come home."
Wesley knew that tone. He'd heard it i his own head often enough. He leaned in the door and looked at the wall opposite. "It truly does...suck... to have a destiny. But leaving it behind is very difficult. Not only does it like to follow you, but it has a way of taking everything you hold dear away from you." He looked at Ryanne. "Do you really want to give up what you've gained here?"
"Huh?" Ryanne looked at him, "You mean Dad would throw me out if I didn't slay?"
Was that the only reason Giles and the others wanted her around? She looked at Wes was fear in her eyes, a far cry from the street kid he had first meet.
Wesley raised an eyebrow. "Oh stop blubbering. Of course he won't." Wesley sighed in frustration. "You know Ryanne, I can understand that you have things in your past. But at some point you're going to have to move on from them. You're not the only one who's been abused by the men in their life." Wesley stopped and shifted uncomfortably. "What I'm trying to say is that since you are a Slayer, you need to be able to at least defend yourself. Demons and vampires can sense it and will come after you whether you want them to or not."
Ryanne glared at him for a second. "It ain't fair. You got to run away!" Ryanne stood up and walked over to the bag hitting it in anger. "And I ain't blubbering, just don't plan on ever ever ever going back out again, cause I wanna like live."
Wesley looked at the floor, trying not to get angry. At who, he wasn't exactly sure. "Running away can many times make the problem worse. It did before, and it did so this time." He was quiet for a moment, then his shoulders slumped. "I obviously am not the right person to talk to you. Anything I say would sound like so much hot air to you." He straightened up and moved to go up the stairs. "Although at least you don't show your contempt by locking people in small closets for a few days."
"Who does that?" Ryanne looked at him. Geez is that how he punished his Slayers? "Dad says I gotta. Go Slay that is. I don't understand. I mean they are gonna kill me and he's making me do it. And you and Lilah are all good so your running away did you good."
Wesley stopped, but didn't turn around. "No I did not do that to my Slayers, if that's what you're thinking. It was my father's way of dealing with me as a child. Actually it was the kindest method he used." He tried not to let the memories overwhelm him so that he could keep his voice calm. "And it didn't do any good at all. Lilah and I have to work to regain our trust of one another, not to mention everyone else." He turned slightly to look at Ryanne. "If you're going to die young, don't you think it would be better to go out fighting, than cowering in your room, never having lived at all?"
Ryanne looked at him amazed. "My step dad hurt me lots too. I didn't use to think about it." She kicked the bag, "I'm scared Wes. I ain't as good as anyone. Even Poophead is better than me."
"Then you work on getting better than him. Even if that's your only goal." Wesley turned and went back down to stand in front of her. "Wouldn't you love to be able to go on patrol with him, and have to save his life?"
"That would be so cool. And to rub his nose in it like always." Ryanne gave Wes one of the few real smiles she had in her anymore. "I can sorta get Dad to like be easy on me. You hate me right? You wanna make me better?"
Wesley grinned back at her. "I think you're an incorrigible brat. But I'd like for you to be able to stay around to annoy me for a few more years."
Ryanne smiled a little more, "Sorry I took your money. So what do I have to do? Think I can get as good as Faith and Buffy?"
"First thing we have to work on is your patience. If you want to get that good, you have to know how to wait." Wesley looked at her for a moment. "Plus I think we need to find your special skill."
"I got a special skill?" Ryanne tilted her head at him curious. "Like Mutant X stuff and all?" Wes didn't seem that bad, now that she thought about it. "And do I get to wait inside til I am good? Cause if I do, I am the most patient girl you'll ever meet."
Wesley chuckled. "Well, we need to find out what it is. I can talk to Giles about letting you off patrol until you're better able to protect yourself." He held a hand out to her. "Now, have you ever done yoga? That's the first step I think to finding out what you're best at. By seeing how flexible you are."
"Yoga?" Ryanne laughed, "That's like rich people exercise." She started giggling, "Next you gonna tell me I gotta eat raw fish and French crap?"
Wesley laughed with her. "No, I wouldn't do that to you. Yoga actually is very good for fighting. Ask Buffy."
"Cool! So how do I do it?" Ryanne started bouncing a little bit. Not much but more than she had in the past week or two.
"First thing you need to do is learn how to be still. If you can do that, you won't telegraph your moves." Wesley sat down on the mats, cross-legged. "Breathing is a way of keeping calm, even when you're frightened."
Ryanne looked at him confused. "I know how to breathe Silly. Gotta breath to be alive." She went over and sat across from him, mimicking the way he was sitting.
"There are certain ways of controlling. They work to slow down your heartbeat, which also helps to keep vampires from knowing what you're going to do since they can hear it." He smiled at her. "I think perhaps that's where we should start then."