13382/Magic Box Training

Magic Box Training
Date of Scene:	26 May 2021
Location:	The Magic Box, Sunnydale
Synopsis:	Buffy and Spike make a bet, and the loser welches.
Cast of Characters:	Spike, Buffy Summers

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Spike has posed:
Stubbornness was practically a prerequisite for being a Scooby. There were a few exceptions, Xander, Oz, but by and large, they were all stubborn in their own way. With Giles and Mercy heading out, Spike and Buffy seemed to head back towards the training room. There was everything a Slayer might want in there. Weights, punching bags, weapons, mats, stuff for an obstacle course, even music. Spike would start with the music, pressing play on the randomizer, which began playing the theme from Bloodsport. Somehow, it seemed appropriate.

While she wore her workout gear, Spike was in regular clothes, hell, he was in that darn coat. It flowed quite freely, but could also be used against him. This was going to be tough, since he couldn't hurt her without also hurting himself, but he was going to try and knock some sense into her. "Anytime Slayer... bring it."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers was in a mood tonight, that much was for certain. And she sure as hell didn't look like she was gonna hold back any time soon. Heck, she was wanting to unleash some frustrations on him specifically even if she was just as much at fault for nearly giving into temptation a few times.

"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you." she clenched her fists, studying his moves, knowing he is not as pansy as he looks, nor a walk in the park. Afterall, this vampire *did* slay two Slayers, and that's saying a lot.

She comes in fast, rushing at him with a series of quick jabs, before darting to the side, attempting to knee him in the stomach. Buffy may be holding back just a bit..But not a whole lot. There's an unbridled rage in her eyes and an untapped anger she just needs to get out of her system.

Spike has posed:
Spike was playing with her, which was just going to make her madder. An angry slayer was dangerous, to be sure, but they also tended to make mistakes, and leave openings. He would shift, side step, moving quickly, and most annoyingly, as if it were effortless. He was making small, short, and subtle, movements, deflecting this, evading that, and was that some aikido he was employing? He had been studying it since he can't cause people pain. Seems the chip didn't have a problem with people causing their own pain. Not really something he could use effectively for offensive, but great all the same. Besides, sooner or later one of the Slayers was going to want to stake him. If not Buffy, Faith, then the next one, or the one after that, and definitely the one after that. He smiled at her mid fight.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers notices the slight shift in his tactics, the more refined moves he uses rather than going for brute strength. But of course she can easily keep up, fueled by anger and a desire to prove herself after certain things were blown terribly out of proportion.

"Come on Spike, quit toying with me and punch me already. Aren't you the one who'd wager a bet against me winning?" she smirks, shadowing his moves, practically dancing with him as she fakes a jab here and there, using quick movements, but also mixing it up, striking high, then dipping down quickly with a foot sweep, attempting to knock him off his feet. If she felt stressed a week ago, she sure has lots of energy to burn now.

Spike has posed:
Spike remarked, "oh, I'd love to wager a bet, but we gotta set the stakes, no pun intended, or it's just sparring. What are you willing to wager. How much are you willing to give up," he paused, whispering, "if you lose." And all while coyly fighting with her. She did get in a few hits, brute force can do that, but he wasn't yet fighting back, not to the extent that she knows he can. He's holding back, letting her work out her anger for now, and most of all, just toying with her.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a brow. "My stakes? I dunno, what a question..Umm for starters how about we end the Thomas bashing?" eyes narrow, letting loose a bit more, not about to go easy on someone whom she knows can dish out a lot of punishment. In theory anyway.

"What of the unlikely event that you win?" she smirks, hazel eyes gleaming as if she finds the idea of a neutered vamp being able to beat her kind of..Amusing, too angry right now to feel any pity for him really.

As she speaks, Buffy rushes at him with a series of rapid kicks, high low high, then another side step and she makes a grab for his wrist, while attempting to sweep him off his feet a second time.

Spike has posed:
"You want me to lay off the Incubus, is it? I would have thought he'd have developed a thicker skin after feeding on people for all those years." Spike can still dish out a lot of punishment. The problem is these days, he has to deal with the repercussions, so he must be careful and strategic. He could do it, but it was boring to him. He usually just gave in to his passions.

"How about in the event, unlikely though it may be, that I win, you grant me... one wish within your power." He grinned slyly, not having gone into greater detail than that. Was she willing to live with the consequences. Some of the kicks hit him, some are dealt with, and he was showing some good use of Aikido, likely causing her to hurt herself a few times. He leapt over the sweep attempt, but she had a good grip of his wrist. "I'll want that back, you know."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers narrows her eyes at him, quite annoyed that he's so artfully managed to surge or twist out of many of her attacks so far.

"Yeah, he's got a thick skin and way more confidence than you'll ever have. I'm sure you won't hurt his feelings, but you're sure as hell making me angry!"

She doesn't bl give him back his hand but attempts to twist it at an angle to force his elbow backwards, at such an angle that it would be hard for him to stand if he can't break free somehow, which will be even harder as she wraps her other hand around his neck.

"Well, this is a dilemma, you can't breathe, but you can still feel pain.." she shrugs and considers, "Depends on the wish. Do I look like a genie to you?!"

Spike has posed:
"You say angry, I say passionate," he grinned, and was making her angry. With her grip on his hand, and another on his neck, he reached for the small of her back with his free arm, giving the impression that either they were fighting, or dancing, and at the same time, it seemed to be both. This would likely only infuriate her further. "Right on both counts," he spoke, able to do so despite her hand on his neck, "so, Buffy, you willing to risk an open ended wish? Are you that confident you can beat me?" She did have an unfair advantage, since he actually hurting her, hurt himself too. So, either Spike figured he had some kind of ace up his sleeve, or he was just looking to help her work out her anger on him.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers narrows her eyes at him, full of fury or passion or..Whatever he wants to call it. Either way she looks ready to bite his head off, and that unintended embrace makes her all the madder, gritting her teeth and using her raw strength to try and shove him into the wall.

"Really? And what makes you so confident you can beat this Slayer? You gonna cheat?" she shrugs and smirks. "Ok fine, I know I can beat you easy so go for it"

Spike has posed:
Spike's back hits the wall as Buffy shoves him into it, and keeps him pinned there. She seemed to be getting angrier by the minute, but Spike was calm, seeming to enjoy this. He actually laughed as she shoved him into the wall, "that all you got, Buffy?" And now he was taunting her about it. "Call it a hunch," though he didn't seem to be doing too well in the fight so far. "Tough talk."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers continues to glower at him, really wishing she could choke him or strangle him or otherwise wipe that arrogant smirk off his pretty face, but of course Vampires are tricky that way.

But they can still feel pain. Which is a good thing. He makes a good punching bag afterall. "Oh no, I'm just getting started!"

And with that, she'll attempt to grab him by the scruff of the neck, pulling him back and down as she rolls backward, attempting to hurl him into the air and possibly into the wall on the other side of the room with any luck and with that super strength of hers as an added bonus.

Spike has posed:
Vampires are tricky, and Spike is trickier than most. Like how he turned off the fans back here before their fight began. The room, which had already been hot, had been steadily rising, and Buffy was exerting herself, while Spike didn't generate his own body temperature, so he was fine, despite his black, on black, on black, and layered clothing. The layers also helped give him a bit more padding from the punches, kicks, and throws, but not much.

With her grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, Buffy used her strength to hurl him all across the room, which hurt, it hurt like hell, and that was even with Spike doing his best to break his landing. He said a natural, "ow," and as he righted himself, he sarcastically called out, "ouch, oh, woe is me, so much pain. Come on Buffy, I know you can do better than that. Are you losing your touch? Do you need a minute to rest?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers rolls back then sidings effortlessly to her feet. Although..Who turned off the fans? Even in her light clothing, it's boiling in here. Hopefully the AC is still running but still.

The heat is making her slow down, breathe a bit heavier but she just shrugs, shaking her head as she strides purposefully towards him, a look of focused anger in her eyes still.

"You really have a death wish, don't you?" she rushes at him this time with a jumping side kick, hoping to knock him down again.

Spike has posed:
The AC had also been turned off. Spike could be a devious sort, now, couldn't he? It was good that Giles had left with Mercy, or else he might have wondered why it was so hot in here, or worse, turned them back on. "Nah, when I win, I'm not going to wish for you to kill me," he was so confident about it too. He stepped to the side as she jumped, almost entirely evading her, but she caught part of his duster, which sent him spinning, and he would attempt to strike at her as she likely collided with not him, but the wall, knowing full well that it would cause him pain if his strike was true.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Fortunately, Buffy doesn't clumsily crash into the wall but lands on it with both feet, flipping off it but missing Spike entirely, eyes blazing with fury, although there's a little smirk there. "Heh, too bad, I would have enjoyed that." She rushes at him again, this time with a rapid flurry of punches, though the heat and her annoyance makes them less accurate than before.

Spike has posed:
"You still could, just not something I'd wish for, you understand," how was he so casual about all this. She seemed to be getting so upset, so sweaty, so angry, and he was as cool as a cucumber. He had been wincing and aching all through the fight, not every time he made contact with her, but every time he actively tried to hurt her, or when he did something directly to hurt her. Aikido was good and all, but if he threw her as she charged him, that would hurt him too, since he would be throwing her. It was very difficult for him to fight like this, which was why he would throw the odd intended punch, kick, or trip, even knowing he would feel it all the same.

Spike's plan wasn't so much to beat Buffy, he could never do that so long as the chip was in his head. If he knocked her unconscious, he would knock himself like that too. But, if he could tire her out, make her act foolishly, exhaust her from the heat, the exertion; he might just have a chance. Also, it helped that Spike likely had a bit of a masochist streak in him, seemingly enjoying the pain. Either that or he conflated fighting with something else.

He could sense she was close, and then, with knowledge that the pain was coming, he would head butt her, wincing and crying out as it hurt him as much as it did her, if not more so, but the effort wasn't meant to cause her pain, so much as to lose her balance, and he would then trying to pounce on her, intending to pin her to the mat.

Buffy Summers has posed:
In normal conditions, Buffy would certainly be more on her game. But as it were, she's already hot and sweaty and mad as hell after her little tiff with Giles. It's a deadly combination, especially as they stand on the brink of a vampire war, and that head butt is the last straw.

Oh, it's not enough to knock her out, no, but it is enough to surprise her, cause her to stagger back just a few steps. It's enough to give him the slight advantage, to knock her off balance and pin her to the ground.

She grits her teeth, eyes glaring angry daggers at him. Oh, Buffy could probably squirm out of it at any other time. But with that unbearable heat, she's just mentally drained and really really wants a nice cold drink and a shower. "Alright, already! You win, dammit! But only because you cheated!" she grumbles.

Spike has posed:
Spike had Buffy right where he wanted her. He had his body weight on top of her, his footing, his positioning, he held her there, between him and the mat, until she gave up. Even that was bizarre. Buffy rarely ever gave up, even in practice. She was not well. If that didn't prove it, what would. "Cheated? I have a chip in my head. I can't hurt you without hurting myself. If you think that's cheating, I hate to hear what you consider a fair fight? Perhaps with one hand tied behind my back? Or two? Would that be fair?" He wasn't letting her up yet, but he did loosen his grip.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers is not feeling well, likely because of the insane heat. But she's not about to let him have the last word either. "Shut up, already!" With a yell, she twists to the side, attempting to knee him hard in the groin before flipping him over, rolling so that she's now pinning him down.

"Enough of your games. If you think I'm losing my edge, you got another thing coming." She pants a bit, probably from the unbearable heat, but she'd never let a vampire, much less *this* vampire best her.

With a quick flip of her wrist, Buffy pulls a carefully hidden chopstick out of her ponytail clip, pressing it against his heart. "So, give me one good reason why I shouldn't stake you." Yeah, she's tried before, but maybe this time she's serious. And to be fair, she's staked vamps before with chopsticks. It's all in the wrist.

Spike has posed:
No, she was not feeling well, but Spike was in rare form. Or at least he had been. He barely fought her as she twisted and shifted, rolling, so that she was no on top of him, pinning him to the mat. He looked up at her, so angry, so hot, so frustrated, now even threatening his existence with wooden chopstick hair pins, or whatever they were. She asked for a reason for her to spare his life. "I guess the smart move would be to use my one wish for you to spare my life, Buffy, but I've never been the smart one. So, I'm afraid I'll have to go with my original plan. I wish for you to take a week off. Have a mini vacation. Rest, relax, read a book, have some time to yourself. We'll deal with the Vampire war. We'll pick up the slack. You need some time for you."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks in surprise at his request and without a word, she lets go, climbing to her feet and skipping the chopstick back in her artfully styled hair.

"Sorry, can't afford to take time off. Wow, what a..Strange request. Would have expected you to demand something stupid of me, like to profess my undying 'love' to you, or kiss you, something dumb and pointless like that."

She reaches her bottle, taking a long sip of it and sighs, sinking into a nearby chair, reaching for a towel to wipe her face. "Slayers don't get to relax or take vacation while the world needs saving. You should know that by now."

At least some of that anger has subsided..

Spike has posed:
Spike thought briefly about calling her on that. She lost, she was now welching on the bet. He shook his head as he got up, "Yes, they do, or they end up dead, and most don't have vampires, wizards, witches, and all kinds of friends to pick up the slack. You can, you just choose not to." He would take a seat on the edge of a chair next to hers, "you keep this up, you're going to find yourself in an early grave. I... care about you."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers sighs, shaking her head. But she seems to have calmed down a little. "Suppose you're right..The timing's just bad, I.." she closes her eyes, leaning back against the chair thinking.

"Theres something important in that stronghold and I can't explain it but..I need to be there." she glances at him, smiling faintly, "But after we check it out, then I promise I'll try to take things easy, just for a little while."

She glances towards her duffle bag again, still heavy with some large object in it. "But you have to promise me something too."

Spike has posed:
"You'll rest after we check it out. And what makes you so certain you'll survive in your current state." He kept on at her, but wasn't talking about how her timing was off, fatigued, reaction seemed to be slowed, he was genuinely concerned about her. But he had said his peace. Giles had said his peace. No one was going to get through to her. Really, the only way to get Buffy to rest would be to kidnap her and drop her off on some tropical island, which for a vampire, was easier said than done.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers shrugs, climbing to her feet, stepping towards the bag and unzipping it. "Sure, fine, whatever you say. If it'll get you off my back."

She pulls out an object from her bag, a long black samurai sword in a black scabbard, adorned with elaborate red markings and a ribbon trailing out the end. It's not one of Giles' weapons, nor is it magically induced on any way. But it's functional, simple, light and attractive.

She steps towards him, offering it to him. "I want you to have this, yknow, cuz next time you're fighting something like that Kraken it may come in handy. And.."

She sighs a bit, hesitant to add the last part, maybe even a bit pink in the cheeks as she admits. "I...Worry about you, too. Promise you're not gonna go dying on me." well that's the closet he'll probably ever get to her admiring she actually cares about him at least.

Spike has posed:
Spike smirks, "Front, I was on your front, and you were on mine, luv, but not yer back," and winks, before seeing her pull out the sword, which was offered to him. He listened to her explanation, genuinely touched, especially when she said she worries about him. "Thanks," he was being serious, and honest, "I appreciate it. It's a nice sword. And even nicer to know you care." She knew he cared, he loved her, but this was one of those rare moments where she demonstrated that at least in part, it was reciprocated.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers bites her lip, looking away. "Don't make a big deal out of it, just need to know all my allies are in top shape, can defend themselves. But of course it's more than that, she never went to this length for anyone but Thomas. And that's saying a lot.

Once he has taken the sword, Buffy reaches for her water bottle again taking a long sip before glancing at him with a more gentle, more thoughtful smile. "And..thanks for the workout, it helped me to think things through..I guess. I know everyone's all worried about me, but really I'll be fine. I promise.

She frowns, "I guess maybe I was too harsh on Giles? Even you maybe. I know you were just trying to help.."

Spike has posed:
Spike knew how to read a room. The question was whether he cared. Today, he did. So he didn't dwell on it or make more of it than she wanted. He took the sword, getting up, walking around, and giving it a swing or two, after making sure she wasn't too close during his practice swings. "We care about you Buffy." He said. He knew she would continue to make mistakes. And there was nothing he could about it. "Sun should be going down soon. I can finally move about. And you could use a shower." He laughed.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers nods, swallowing a bit as she studies him, wondering perhaps, how a soulless vampire is even capable of worrying, or caring, maybe even loving another person? But somehow he..

She shakes her head. Nope, not going down that road, if she thinks too much then things get awkward between them. "I know..Thankyou..."

She crosses the room swiftly then, waiting for a break in his practice swings, reaching down to grab his hand, give it a gentle squeeze. "Take care, okay?" there's that faintly sad look in her eyes as she says it. Then she lets go quickly, stepping back, grabbing a fresh towel from her bag and some soap, heading to the shower room, glancing back only briefly at him before she hurries off.