All Signs Point to Sunnydale
Fandom: Buffy
Canon Compliancy: Set between the movie and Season 1
Character: Travers
Genre: Drama
Rating: G
Word Count: ~720
Disclaimer: Not mine; no money.
Summary: Why did Joyce Summers chose Sunnydale?
Written for still_grrr's prompt to set fic between the movie and Season 1 and posted there.
Award winner - details here.
Quentin Travers sat in his office and waited for the reports to roll in, a fat spider translating pulses from various skeins of web.
It seemed unthinkable that an unknown Potential had been called, one not taken early from family to be molded. One he couldn’t force to his will.
But means would be found.
The game he played was a patient one, as befitted a centuries-old institution such as the Council, but he nonetheless made sure to cast multiple coils of strong, sticky entanglements.
~~~
“Mr. Gollins, report.”
“Things have gone even better than we’d planned, Mr. Travers. Once you increased the budget for this operation, I was able to … ensure that two County Commissioners on the School Board saw things our way.”
“Capital news.”
“Precisely. Because normally for cases such as this, where there are no witnesses who want to implicate the accused party, the School Board errs on the side of caution and lets the student remain in school.”
“However …”
“However, with added pressure from our Mr. Galin and Mrs. Carlson, the Board ordered Miss Summers expelled from all public schools in Orange County.”
“Excellent, Mr. Gollins. Excellent. And you were quite right - it was far easier to buy politicians than to create erroneous witnesses.”
“And, sir?”
“Yes.”
“If my budget could be increased again, I think I can also ensure that Miss Summers will not be accepted at any of the local private schools either.”
“I like to see forward thinking in my people, Mr. Gollins. I’m assuming you’ve already put together your estimate. Was it under twenty thousand pounds?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then proceed. Even though I plan on disrupting her family’s financial situation, one can never be too cautious.”
~~~
“Mr. Tustin, report.”
“Everything’s well under control, Mr. Travers. A spot of nightshade in the regular secretary’s drink, and she’s in hospital. We’ve got Mrs. Tulling in place to see that the woman doesn’t recover anytime soon.”
“And Miss Dearling?”
“Inserted without problem. We rerouted the call right to our fake Temp Agency. The blighter never suspected a thing.”
“How does Mr. Summers seem to be responding?”
“Deborah - beg pardon, I mean Miss Dearling, sir - reports that he can barely keep his hands off her already. And she’s set to wear even more revealing outfits beginning next week. I wager that, by the end of a fortnight, he won’t be able to keep his todger in his trousers, sir.”
“A little more … crudely put than I may have wanted, but good news nonetheless, Mr. Tustin. You are to be congratulated on having so accurately determined the man’s tastes on the first try.”
“Weren’t nothing, sir. As soon as we broke into the house and scanned his collection of p-, umm, of naughty magazines, we had him typed. Just lucky that Miss Dearling matched with nothing more than a dye job and a fake Yank accent.”
“Indeed. If things go well, she should prove able to keep him occupied for some time … quite some time.”
~~~
“Ms. Wilton, report.”
“Things look good, Mr. Travers. As soon as I purchased the Sunnydale Gallery, I placed advertisements in both Gallery Today and Modern Art Sales since those are two I know Mrs. Summers has access to at her current place of employment.”
“It seems a bit precipitous to call for employees though - we must make sure we fit the timeline.”
“You are correct, sir. Which is why this month’s ads focus merely on upcoming collections the gallery will be hosting. I will repeat with a similar format for next month as well. After all, I am trying to establish in her mind a familiarity with Sunnydale Gallery.”
“And then?”
“Beginning the first of August, I will run the advertisements calling for a new gallery manager. It is just enough of a step up from Mrs. Summers’ current position for it to be appealing without seeming overwhelming, and it has an additional benefit.”
“Yes?”
“It fits your timeline perfectly, sir.”
“Well done, Ms. Wilton. Exceedingly well done.”
~~~
Bloated with a surfeit of positive results, Quentin Travers spun happily in the middle of his far-flung web, waiting for another line to twitch.
Even if he couldn’t command this new Slayer to go to the Hellmouth, he could make sure she got there nonetheless.
Canon Compliancy: Set between the movie and Season 1
Character: Travers
Genre: Drama
Rating: G
Word Count: ~720
Disclaimer: Not mine; no money.
Summary: Why did Joyce Summers chose Sunnydale?
Written for still_grrr's prompt to set fic between the movie and Season 1 and posted there.
Award winner - details here.
Quentin Travers sat in his office and waited for the reports to roll in, a fat spider translating pulses from various skeins of web.
It seemed unthinkable that an unknown Potential had been called, one not taken early from family to be molded. One he couldn’t force to his will.
But means would be found.
The game he played was a patient one, as befitted a centuries-old institution such as the Council, but he nonetheless made sure to cast multiple coils of strong, sticky entanglements.
~~~
“Mr. Gollins, report.”
“Things have gone even better than we’d planned, Mr. Travers. Once you increased the budget for this operation, I was able to … ensure that two County Commissioners on the School Board saw things our way.”
“Capital news.”
“Precisely. Because normally for cases such as this, where there are no witnesses who want to implicate the accused party, the School Board errs on the side of caution and lets the student remain in school.”
“However …”
“However, with added pressure from our Mr. Galin and Mrs. Carlson, the Board ordered Miss Summers expelled from all public schools in Orange County.”
“Excellent, Mr. Gollins. Excellent. And you were quite right - it was far easier to buy politicians than to create erroneous witnesses.”
“And, sir?”
“Yes.”
“If my budget could be increased again, I think I can also ensure that Miss Summers will not be accepted at any of the local private schools either.”
“I like to see forward thinking in my people, Mr. Gollins. I’m assuming you’ve already put together your estimate. Was it under twenty thousand pounds?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then proceed. Even though I plan on disrupting her family’s financial situation, one can never be too cautious.”
~~~
“Mr. Tustin, report.”
“Everything’s well under control, Mr. Travers. A spot of nightshade in the regular secretary’s drink, and she’s in hospital. We’ve got Mrs. Tulling in place to see that the woman doesn’t recover anytime soon.”
“And Miss Dearling?”
“Inserted without problem. We rerouted the call right to our fake Temp Agency. The blighter never suspected a thing.”
“How does Mr. Summers seem to be responding?”
“Deborah - beg pardon, I mean Miss Dearling, sir - reports that he can barely keep his hands off her already. And she’s set to wear even more revealing outfits beginning next week. I wager that, by the end of a fortnight, he won’t be able to keep his todger in his trousers, sir.”
“A little more … crudely put than I may have wanted, but good news nonetheless, Mr. Tustin. You are to be congratulated on having so accurately determined the man’s tastes on the first try.”
“Weren’t nothing, sir. As soon as we broke into the house and scanned his collection of p-, umm, of naughty magazines, we had him typed. Just lucky that Miss Dearling matched with nothing more than a dye job and a fake Yank accent.”
“Indeed. If things go well, she should prove able to keep him occupied for some time … quite some time.”
~~~
“Ms. Wilton, report.”
“Things look good, Mr. Travers. As soon as I purchased the Sunnydale Gallery, I placed advertisements in both Gallery Today and Modern Art Sales since those are two I know Mrs. Summers has access to at her current place of employment.”
“It seems a bit precipitous to call for employees though - we must make sure we fit the timeline.”
“You are correct, sir. Which is why this month’s ads focus merely on upcoming collections the gallery will be hosting. I will repeat with a similar format for next month as well. After all, I am trying to establish in her mind a familiarity with Sunnydale Gallery.”
“And then?”
“Beginning the first of August, I will run the advertisements calling for a new gallery manager. It is just enough of a step up from Mrs. Summers’ current position for it to be appealing without seeming overwhelming, and it has an additional benefit.”
“Yes?”
“It fits your timeline perfectly, sir.”
“Well done, Ms. Wilton. Exceedingly well done.”
~~~
Bloated with a surfeit of positive results, Quentin Travers spun happily in the middle of his far-flung web, waiting for another line to twitch.
Even if he couldn’t command this new Slayer to go to the Hellmouth, he could make sure she got there nonetheless.