8021/Back to Basics

Back to Basics
Date of Scene:	24 June 2019
Location:	The Magic Box, Sunnydale
Synopsis:	After a short absence and a trip out of town, Buffy touches base with Giles and is introduced to a new training area and hq.
Cast of Characters:	Buffy Summers, Rupert Giles

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Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers had just got back in town herself, after dealing with something of importance out of the country - something that apparently required her particular set of skills and was all pretty hush-hush. The secret mission turned out to be easier than she expected, and she had enjoyed a lovely vacation. She had eventually returned to town, ready to continue college afresh, and to continue with her slayer training. Although Giles had taken a brief hiatus as well, or so she heard, she was hoping to vamp up her training and see his new magic shop. So a moment later, the bell rings and she steps into the Magic Box, peering around with wide-eyed wonder. "Wow..So this is your new pad, huh?" she grins. Willow is gonna love this place.

Rupert Giles has posed:
"Buffy!" Rupert Giles pops up from behind a small display case containing some unmentionable collection of artifacts. He'd been rearranging when she entered, and he seems particularly pleased to see her by the way he jerks upright and has to catch one of the runestones he'd been adjusting before it falls to the ground. With a hasty motion, he sets it back in place and straightens his vest, turning to face the Slayer properly. "Do-- do you like it? I haven't quite gotten everything set up the way it should be, but it's a start." He glances around at the shelves with a thin smile.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smirks as she notes his sudden surprise. "Careful, wouldn't want to damage one of these priceless items.." she steps down to the display case at the front desk, peering into it. "wow, you've got absolutely everything in here! This place is actually pretty cool. I mean, it would be, if I knew what you use half this stuff for." she chuckles, "I DO like it! I think it's great that you finally got out of that stuffy library - of course, I guess you didn't have much choice considering it went 'boom!'" Well..Okay, so it's kinda her fault it exploded, but heey, they had to defeat the Mayor *somehow*. "But, I'm curious, have you ever actually RUN a business before? Looks like it'll be a lot of work."

Rupert Giles has posed:
The thin smile disappears as Buffy continues talking, but although he sniffs a bit and looks vaguely irritated at her lack of faith, Buffy knows him well enough to know the difference between 'stuffy normal Giles' and 'actually offended Giles', and this is clearly the former. "I assure you, I am fully capable of managing this establishment," he says, and nudges his glasses up a bit as he steps out from behind the display and paces over to the front counter. "It will hardly be more work than keeping tabs on you lot, anyway... how was your journey?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles with a twinkle in her eye, always amused at his stuffy British Gile-isms. "Well, I imagine it'll be different from running a library, but I suppose that was kinda like running a shop too, right?" she grins and nods reassuringly, "I'm sure you'll do spiffy!" she makes a face however, at the 'keeping tabs on you lot' part. "Sooo, got any..Secret rooms or slayer hq areas? I imagine we'll be gathering here for our little meetings right? I mean, that would be pretty cool.." she continues to wander around the store, peering at this and that. "Oh, my mission to Transylvania? It went alright. I mean, why can't they have more slayers around so I don't have to do little side jobs like this anyway? I'm pretty sure I stamped out Dracula, or 'A' Dracula anyways, but they claim that he had re-established himself there again.." she shrugs, "We checked out his lair, wiped out more of his minions. Place is clean now. Mom and Dawn wanted to stay a bit longer though.."

Rupert Giles has posed:
Rupert Giles says, "Well done," Giles says in response to her report, his praise warm but brief. His gaze follows Buffy as she pokes around, and he seems mollified by the fact that she appears hale and hearty-- no sign of hidden injury or lingering curses, at least, which is enough for him. Buffy's mention of the library makes him chew briefly on his lip as he fussily dusts the already-dusted counter; the library was a sanctuary, though it wasn't truly -his-... but this place? This, he can turn into something truly special. It's not there yet, but it will be one day. "Plenty of-- ah, 'HQ areas', of course," he assures her. To be quite honest, the Watcher is excited (in his repressed way) by the potential. And having Buffy here makes it feel a bit more real. "May I show you around?""

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers beams, always happy for his praise. She already likes what she sees, but knowing Giles, this place probably serves more than just an asethetic purpose. "Sure! I'd love a tour! I mean, this place seems pretty small, but I'll bet there's more to it than meets the eye, right?"

Rupert Giles has posed:
"Hmm," he hums, although he doesn't outright agree. It's clear he's pleased by her interest, however, as Giles immediately moves towards a door at the back of the public area of the store. "This, ah, storage area wasn't necessary-- filled with cobwebs and the like-- so I took the liberty of modifying it." His words are modest, but when the Watcher pushes through the door and steps aside to show her what he's done, he seems to radiate a quiet pride: it's a training area. A well-stocked training area, with a collection of weapons on the brick walls, gym mats, pommel horses, and a collection of things that look as though they'd hurt a lot if used offensively. He's silent for a while, to give her the opportunity to explore if she so chooses, but it isn't long before Giles feels the need to ask: "What do you think? More than 'meets the eye', as you put it?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers was hoping for like, a 5 minute mini-tour of the shop, maybe some secret meeting space with a small table or something to that effect. She is certainly not prepared for what she sees instead, and she just stands there, gaping at the training room in quiet shock and awe. "Woooooow....YOU designed this?" she laughs, moving towards the pommel horse, across to the large punching bag, giving it a few test punches, impressed that it still holds. She glances at the other 'goodies' giving her nod of approval, and a quiet smile and laughs, hugging him. "This is...Amazing!! Thank you! I can't believe you did all this!"

Rupert Giles has posed:
Her easy appreciation almost puffs his chest out, but Giles has some sense of decorum: he merely smiles, accepting the hug as he accepts (almost) everything from the Slayer, with tolerance and humor. It's who he is, and who he will remain, Council be damned. "Yes, well. It should suffice," he says modestly. "There's a small library... a meeting place, of course. And a place to rest." Or two. For those nights when everyone's either 'plum tuckered out' or got pummelled by some Big Bad in an alleyway. Clearing his throat, he steps away and towards a low cabinet along one wall. "When you feel up for it, I have some artefacts I've been saving you might find... challenging." Read: We're going to put you through your paces, Slayer. "It should do us nicely."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers grins, "Cool, I mean..I guess I'm not really into the reading part, unless I really have to.." she rolls her eyes. "But I can't wait to try out all this equipment! I'm curious, do you have any magical wards or anything on this place, y'know, to keep out undesirables, vampires and other icky things? I mean, I suppose *some* vampires are quite harmless now with chips in their brains, but not all vamps are like that. You know how magic shops are magnets for trouble. I mean, just about *every* baddy out there wants to ransack a magic shop and kill the owner, no offence." she arches a brow at the mention of artefacts. "Ooh! I hope I'm gonna like these. Do they have pointy ends? Can I hit things with them?"

Rupert Giles has posed:
Giles snorts quietly. Yes, Buffy, he's well aware you're not the reading type. At her question, he waves a hand at the white-painted runes in various places on the brick. "I've done what I can, of course," he says, glancing from one rune to the next. "We'll see how effective they are. I imagine I'll be -slightly- more successful than the shop's last owner in fending off the things that go 'bump' in the night..." At least, he doesn't think he'll die immediately. They've been through worse, after all. "It's a work in progress." As for the artifacts, Giles shoos her away back towards the door they came in from. "They do have pointy ends, and they'll likely try to hit you with them. Or perhaps strangle you. They're not for you to use, they're for others to use against you." And for you to discover how to counter, so that you're safer. The Watcher continues herding the Slayer out towards the main public area of the store. "There'll-- ah-- be plenty of time for this later, after everything's finished. Bring everyone 'round later, if you like... with another day or two, I'll have it all settled."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smirks, "Really? Well, gee that's a comforting thought. I hope these..Pointy things, wont be *too* painful though. I mean, not that I can't take on anything you throw at me of course!" she grins and nods, backing out of the back room and back to the main part of the shop. "Well, this should be..Interesting. I havent' seen Xander yet, and I only saw Wil and Oz briefly. Oh yeah, I guess there's Spike who is determined to help us out now that he's uh, neutered. Still not sure if he's 100% trustworthy but he would be an asset."

Rupert Giles has posed:
There's a brief, fleeting expression that crosses the Watcher's face when Buffy mentions Spike. It's almost like he swallowed a bug, but the bug was tap-dancing while it went down. Giles gives his head a quick shake and schools his expression into something more stuffily normal, as they return to the front of the shop. "No rush. It may take me some elbow grease to get this place up to code, so to speak. But as of now, let everyone know they're welcome any time." Giles himself is clearly going to be stuck here for the near future, rather than out and about: he'll be easy to find, at least while he's turning the Magic Box into something worth being inside. "As for you, even Slayers need their rest, especially after a long trip." Watchers do too, and the slight circles under his eyes attest to it: he's still jetlagged. "Go on, Buffy," Giles says, more gently, and with a very small smile to soften the dismissal. "When you return, I shall have a few surprises in store."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a brief brow as she catching the fleeting expression on Giles' face. She knows what that's about. She knows he never liked Spike. Most of the scoobies didn't like him. Heck, he was a long time enemy of theirs so no surprise there. "I know I know, Spike is a vampire without a soul. He could be a liability. But, as long as he has that chip in his head, I think he can actually be useful to us. At least, it makes it easier when I have to go on patrol, having someone to watch my back." Yeah, she's going way to easy on Spike, and thinking too much on this. More than she should. She clears her throat. "But anyways, this is cool. But you're right, I'm pretty jetlagged myself too. Only got back a few days myself and I really need to get in some rest before I get back into the swing of things." she steps towards the exit and waves, "See you later, Giles!"

Rupert Giles has posed:
Oh, Buffy. You don't know -at all-. The strange expression returns in part to the Watcher's face, though much more subtly than before, while he listens to Buffy speak. And that expression turns slightly more readable at the mention of Spike watching her back on patrol... that is a job he'd rather assign to -literally- anyone else, including himself, but the bare fact of the matter is that none of the Scoobies can keep up with the Slayer when she hits her stride... but a chip-controlled vampire certainly can. It isn't a pleasant thought. Giles grunts with ill humor, then softens as Buffy bids her farewells. "Have a good night, Buffy," he says, as she heads out the door. Once she's gone, he sighs deeply and turns, taking another weary but satisfied look at his surroundings. Yes, this is good. The Magic Box will be worth the effort. ....And if he can find some specific wards to keep overly-friendly chipped vampires at bay, well... that's just icing on the cake, isn't it?