Prompt 010 Toronto Ficlet
Title: Random Adventures in Toronto
Author:
lorelei_frolick
Rating: G
Word Count: 936
Prompt: 010, Your Town
Characters: Giles, Xander, Andrew, Buffy, Willow, Dawn.
A/N: I said I'd write a fic to go with that animated icon I made, so I did. It could be better, but it could also be worse. And yes, I already know I suck at titles, you don't have to tell me.
“Andrew, please put that away before-”
“If that sentence ends with ‘someone loses an eye’ that someone is going to be you, Giles.”
“I was going to say, before I lose my temper and gouge Andrew with it.”
“Oh. Well, that’s all right then,” Xander allowed.
“A soldier must always have his weapon at the ready,” Andrew said defensively.
“We’re investigating reports of gremlin activity, not fighting a guerilla war.”
“And if those reports turn out to be true, ornamental swords are tried, tested and true gremlin killers.”
“So are blenders and microwaves, but you don’t see us running off to buy those,” Xander said.
Giles sensed the argument had dipped into pop culture-reference territory and let out an exasperated sigh. He was beginning to wish that he hadn’t agreed to go sight-seeing with Xander and Andrew before getting down to business. “At any rate, you’re drawing odd looks,” he said, which was an understatement. Andrew was, infact, receiving many annoyed glares from the people he was inadvertently poking as they made their way through the bustling crowd, past colourful shops and fruit markets.
“Fine,” Andrew said and sheathed his newly purchased Zhanmadao.
“Is it just me, or are you guys getting the impression that the Chinese are taking over Canada?”
“We’re in Chinatown, Xander.”
“Hey, I’ve been to Chinatowns before, this is a China-city.”
“It’s the largest Chinatown in North America,” Andrew informed them happily. “They’ve also got a Little Italy, Little Portugal, Little India, Greektown, Koreatown, Cabbagetown and second Chinatown.”
“Cabbagetown?”
“This is the most multi-cultural city in the world.”
“Does Toronto also have an Annoying-Little-Men-Who-Recite-Guidebooks-Town?” Giles asked. Andrew had been rounding off facts all morning. “You should feel right at home there.”
“I want to check out this Cabbagetown. Is it filled with Cabbage-people?” Xander asked.
“I don’t know…” Andrew said seriously, slinging off his backpack and pulling out a brochure. “Maybe it’s a mistake.”
“Look, let’s just get to work, or we’ll be late meeting the girls,” Giles said. Buffy, Willow and Dawn had decided to spend their day shopping.
“Are you really so eager to get to work, or just to get to a really big library?” Xander asked.
“Both, actually. Let’s go.”
As Andrew had informed them enough times already, the University of Toronto had the third largest library system in North America, and Giles was rather keen on spending some time in their main library building. It was a lucky coincidence that Robarts Library was also the location that, rumour had it, gremlins were setting up a colony. When they arrived at the library, however, Giles found it a little disappointing.
“Is it supposed to look like a big, concrete turkey?” Xander asked.
“It’s supposed to look like a peacock,” Andrew said, consulting yet another brochure. “And it’s slowly sinking into the ground.”
“Ah, the work of our gremliny friends?”
“No, actually, when they designed the foundations, the engineers forgot to take into account the weight of fourteen stories of books.”
“Those crazy Canadians. What they need is some good ol’ American know-how.”
Giles scoffed compulsively, but turned it into a cough under the annoyed glares of Xander and Andrew. “Ahem… well, anyways, maybe it’s better inside.”
It wasn’t.
After obtaining visitor’s passes, the three men made their way to the stacks. They were grim, windowless, and industrial-looking, carrying on the concrete theme from the outside.
“And I thought Sunnydale High library was gloomy…” Xander said.
Giles frowned. Before he could defend his old workplace, however, Andrew hushed them both.
“Listen!”
There was the sound of tiny feet scampering across the linoleum. They followed the noise between the metal shelves and arrived at the back just in time to see little green feet disappear through a hole barely big enough for a grown man to fit through.
Giles, Xander and Andrew stared after it. Then Giles and Xander turned to Andrew.
“What are you looking at me like that for?” He asked nervously.
“There’s no way I’m going to fit down that rabbit hole,” Xander said, “Same for Giles.”
“I don’t want to go down there alone!”
“You won’t be alone. You’ll have the company of your new and useful gremlin-killing saber.”
“But it looks all musty and dusty and I’m allergic!” Andrew protested as Xander and Giles practically dragged him over to where the gremlin disappeared.
“It’s for the greater good.” Giles said, and Xander practically pushed Andrew down the hole.
“Don’t forget, we’re meeting the girls at three!” he called after him. He turned to Giles. “Feel like going for lunch?”
“Alright.”
Three hours later Giles and Xander were walking to the corner of Bloor and St. George, two blocks away from the library. The girls were already there, surrounded by bags from The Gap, Tommy Hilfiger and American Eagle. They were all staring fixedly across the street.
“Hey, I see you've been patronizing all the classic Canadian institututions." Xander said. They didn't acknowledge him. "Um, watcha looking at?"
“Tell me, does that say what I think it does? Or am I just dreaming?” Buffy said.
Giles followed her gaze and read the sign on the side of the building across the street. “Bata Shoe Museum.”
“Wow.” Willow said. “It’s like, my two of my favourite things in the world, come together and melded into one wonderful thing of wonderfulness.”
“We are so going there next.” Dawn added. “Hey, where’s Andrew?”
Giles had just begun to shrug his shoulders when he heard a weary voice.
“Here I am.” Andrew was standing behind him, covered in green slime. “That gremlin king was a tough kill.”