Drabble: Commerce
Title: Commerce
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Whedonverse
Characters: Anya, Giles
Written for: miss_atom at the whedonland Birthday Celebration!
Word Count: 467
The cash register sends out it’s cheery little ring of goodwill but Anya isn’t listening. She’s staring at Giles as if he’s turned into a demon yet again. And perhaps he has. His request is very demon-like. It’s very possible his brain has been swapped with one of the more evil races that sometimes lurk in the back of closets, waiting for children to let their feet hang off the edge of their beds.
“Why can’t you?” she asks, trying to fight this with everything in her arsenal. Next, she will consider throwing some of the glaysa powder in his face. It wouldn’t do much more than make him sneeze but let him try to catch her while trying to wipe it off. That would show him.
“I’ve told you already.” Giles takes his glasses off and begins to inspect them for spots. It’s how he tries to buy time. She’s not buying it this time.
“Yes. You did tell me. But I don’t want to.”
“Well, neither do I. And I own the shop.”
This is something she can work with. Pulling out the credit card that Xander left with her, reminding her that it was only for emergencies and making her repeat back to him the list of things that constituted emergencies so that she rolled her eyes several times, even though he promised they would have sex when he returned.
“Fine. I’ll buy the shop from you. Then you will work for me and you can do it.”
“Put the credit card away. I’m not going to sell the shop to you. Just do this one tiny job and I’ll double your salary today.”
“For a week. You’ll double it for a week. And you’ll buy lunch.”
Giles sighs. “Fine. I’ll double it for a week and buy you lunch but I get to decide where. No more eating at the Plaza. Just to sit down there costs more than either of us brings in every month.”
“Agreed.”
“So, I’ll just leave for an hour to do… Watcher things. And you will stay here and take the college Wicca group on a tour of the shop. Do be sure to show them the love potions. Those should sell well if you tell them how well they work.”
“But they don’t work.” Anya is sulking now but even she can understand what he’s saying. Money is good. If they like what they see, they’ll buy it. College kids have a lot of money. She smiles up at Giles. “Ah, the love potions. I understand. I’ll tell them hwo I used one on Xander and now he can’t keep his hands off me. They’ll buy every single one we have.”
It’s a lie but a lie told for a profit isn’t really a lie at all.
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Whedonverse
Characters: Anya, Giles
Written for: miss_atom at the whedonland Birthday Celebration!
Word Count: 467
The cash register sends out it’s cheery little ring of goodwill but Anya isn’t listening. She’s staring at Giles as if he’s turned into a demon yet again. And perhaps he has. His request is very demon-like. It’s very possible his brain has been swapped with one of the more evil races that sometimes lurk in the back of closets, waiting for children to let their feet hang off the edge of their beds.
“Why can’t you?” she asks, trying to fight this with everything in her arsenal. Next, she will consider throwing some of the glaysa powder in his face. It wouldn’t do much more than make him sneeze but let him try to catch her while trying to wipe it off. That would show him.
“I’ve told you already.” Giles takes his glasses off and begins to inspect them for spots. It’s how he tries to buy time. She’s not buying it this time.
“Yes. You did tell me. But I don’t want to.”
“Well, neither do I. And I own the shop.”
This is something she can work with. Pulling out the credit card that Xander left with her, reminding her that it was only for emergencies and making her repeat back to him the list of things that constituted emergencies so that she rolled her eyes several times, even though he promised they would have sex when he returned.
“Fine. I’ll buy the shop from you. Then you will work for me and you can do it.”
“Put the credit card away. I’m not going to sell the shop to you. Just do this one tiny job and I’ll double your salary today.”
“For a week. You’ll double it for a week. And you’ll buy lunch.”
Giles sighs. “Fine. I’ll double it for a week and buy you lunch but I get to decide where. No more eating at the Plaza. Just to sit down there costs more than either of us brings in every month.”
“Agreed.”
“So, I’ll just leave for an hour to do… Watcher things. And you will stay here and take the college Wicca group on a tour of the shop. Do be sure to show them the love potions. Those should sell well if you tell them how well they work.”
“But they don’t work.” Anya is sulking now but even she can understand what he’s saying. Money is good. If they like what they see, they’ll buy it. College kids have a lot of money. She smiles up at Giles. “Ah, the love potions. I understand. I’ll tell them hwo I used one on Xander and now he can’t keep his hands off me. They’ll buy every single one we have.”
It’s a lie but a lie told for a profit isn’t really a lie at all.