Part I: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1096503.html
Part II: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1100922.html
Part III: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1104619.html#cutid1
Part IV: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1108537.html
Part V: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1112216.html
Part VI: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1124762.html
Part VII: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1134781.html
Part VIII: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1139412.html
Part IX: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1146552.html
Part X: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1155478.html
Part XI: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1164418.html
Part XII: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1173922.html
Part XIII: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1178885.html
Part XIV: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1182860.html
“…Not by burning down the gym?” Buffy’s expression managed to be both rueful and hopeful.
“Hard to do in an underground bunker, though I think Ciro tried once or twice Stay away from Ciro, by the by. He looks all sad and lost-geek, but he’s a nasty, nasty piece of work.”
“So I can’t stake the vampire… because he’s a student here?” Buffy frowned. “What kind of place is this, anyway? I mean, I’ve heard of some pretty hinky setups, but this about takes the cake.”
“Look, when you say vampire, what do you think of?” Magnolia had leaned against the wall like she had all the time in the world and, for some reason, Buffy had stopped pacing.
“Vampire? Stake it.”
“Ooh, I know this one,” Willow offered. “So, vampire. Corpse, possessed by a demon. Supernaturally strong, fast, and often they’re really good at fighting. But stick a stake through their chest and they fall to ash.”
“No remorse, no compassion, no soul.” Buffy’s voice was flat, and she ticked the points off on her fingers. “Kill them before they kill you. No point being nice about them – they aren’t going to be nice back.”
Willow did her best to hide her wince. Luckily, Magnolia was being distracting enough.
“Woah. Now those sounds like the kind of monsters Doug and the Thorne Girls fight, all right, but it doesn’t sound like our vampire.”
“Does he drink blood?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Pale, avoids the sunlight?” Buffy stood up straighter, the calm leaving her once again
“We live in a basement.”
“There you have it. Vampire. Stake it before it tortures your friends and tries to eat you for dinner.”
“You’re skipping the whole demonic possession thing.” Magnolia had gone snappish and annoyed. “Look, I’m not saying there aren’t demons out there – especially if y’all live at a dimensional portal. I hear those can be super nasty. – but we don’t, here. We have our own particular brand of strange here.”
She shook her hair again, and suddenly had jaguar spots up and down her legs and arms. And, Xander noted, a very pettable-looking jaguar tail. “We’re all a little strange here, all right? But none of us are the sort of demons you’re thinking of.”
“Magnolia!”
Next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1189171.html
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