Sunnydale High. Just peachy.
Theo couldn't think of anything worse than being stuck in a place of constant sun. The mere reminder sent her into a dizzy spell.
Oh how she wished she had not accidentally pissed off the Council with her nuances of how they need to loosen their suspenders in this day and age. Trust her to end up in America, of all places.
Wesley was probably the one who thought of such an idea, him being so up tight about her Australian accent and informal manners. Just ship her off to the Hellmouth, a splendid idea if I do say so myself.
And to think it couldn't get any worse, she finds out she is to be a student. A student!
Sure she was young, ahead of her years, but she had already completed college by sixteen, the thought of entering a high school, again, for no reason other than to "keep an eye out on things," was an absolute load of rubbish.
She was going to punch Wesley next she saw him. Right between the eyes.
Entering the cesspit one would call a school, she found herself already with a headache brewing. Great.
Oh how she had taken for granted being of an age when entering high school she need not of been concerned about the horny, testosterone fueled boys. But alas, she now walks down the prison like corridors attempting to locate her locker and half the male species have done nothing but look at her tits. I mean for Christs sake I am wearing a turtle neck, she internally grumbled.
Finally reaching her locker she thought she had managed to avoid all conversation with any teenage delinquents, although life wasn't that sweet. Maybe this is why its called the Hellmouth.
'Hey you must be new!'
Theo turned her head slightly to see he had propped himself up against the neighboring locker.
'And what makes you say that?'
She grumbled, turning in her code only to have her locker refuse to open.
Of course, trust Americans to not have a proper functioning locker, its not like I am supposed to use it to keep imbeciles from stealing my shit.
'I've just never seen you here before.'
She felt bad for the poor thing Sure, he might of been in a way nice, but she wasn't here to befriend children.
The boy began to ask whether she needed assistance, although found himself promptly cut off by her slamming her fist onto the door and having it swing open in a painful, depleted creak.
'Soooo... um, I'm Xander?' he asked more as a timid question rather than an introduction of ones self.
Finally turning to face him properly, whilst shoving inconspicuous brown tattered books into her locker which did not have the school curriculum on them.
She asked, 'Any idea where the library is, Xander?'
✶
After the weird Xander kid somehow struggled to remember where his schools library was—said he hasn't checked out a book in the whole time of being at Sunnydale High—Theo crawled her way through the halls of loitering students who were already all late to first period. Theo assumed this was where she could find the Watcher.
Which is how she found herself stretched across a table top reading one of the many tattered brown leather bound books that the Watcher had piled up on the mahogany desk. Quite boring if you asked her, too cliche and half the facts had been disproven or were only halfway true. This Watcher really required more updated resources.
'Yes, well, I'm talking about trouble.'
Theo was dragged from her reading by an ear-sore of an accent in her current exile in America, oh to hear a familiar and welcoming accent sent an overwhelming joy rippling through her. Although she wouldn't let him know that of course, she had to act objectively.
Walking in they hadn't even noticed her presence yet, and with the book she was sure that the Watcher had been previously reading, sitting on her lap, she was a little disappointed in his unobservant nature.
'A violent and disturbing prophecy is about to be fulfilled!'
'The order of Aurelius,' he continued.
Rupert Giles stood unaware to the figure who lay across his table, but rather infuriated he could not seem to engage the two girls.
The two students attention fully focused on the mysterious girl currently seated on his table. The thick aged paperback laying precariously on her lap.
Giles slowly turning his head around expecting a demon or god forbid the order of Aurelius themselves to be standing behind was both relieved but surprised as to why a student other than Buffy, Willow and Xander was in his library.
'You..who- a-a-are,' he stumbled out in attempt to form a coherent sentence, clearly baffled.
Theo thought she would just save him the pain and explain herself for him, slamming the enormous book slightly tearing the centuries old binding. Whoopsies.
'I have been exiled by your pompous council to here of all places to watch over you all, I assumed they were going to telephone you,' her tone saturated with distaste.
'But, he's the Watcher?' One of the blonde interrupted, looking at Giles questionably, 'aren't you Giles?'
Theo —presuming the girl was the Slayer— nodded.
'You're correct, but, since this is a Hellmouth and The Council have their knickers in a twist, I have unfortunately been sent—against my will might I add—to aid you in anyway you deem necessary,' Theo cringed at the words that the council had made her rehearse, 'also The Council just really doesn't like your Watcher.'
He frowned at her, not appreciating that she knew of who he was and he didn't have a clue as to her and whether or not this was all a hoax.
'What is your name?' he queried.
'Theodosia Langston.'
His frown only deepend before he rather hastily walked into his office, shutting the door and picking up the phone. The muffled conversation could still be heard,
'What do you mean you sent someone to watch me? Am I not a Watcher, is that not my job? Oh an exile, well that makes me feel all the more better, dump her on me why don't you!'
Theo couldn't help but smirk as he slammed the phone, she had cursed variations of the same thing at The Council as she was dragged out and thrown on a plane to America.
'I'm Buffy by the way,' the Slayer introduced herself with a smile, 'and this is Willow.'
Willow gave a little wave.
Exiting his office rather flustered he muttered in annoyance, 'What even is that accent anyways?'
'Australian.'
'Oh, of course it bloody is,' he muttered to himself, kicking the table.
Buffy, awkwardly interrupting Giles and bringing the conversation back to the topic of Aurelius,
'So... the Order of Aurelius huh?'
Giles, wiping his forehead and taking his coat off muttered,
'Right, sorry.'
Making his way toward Theo he plucked the book from her lap, giving her a stern look, 'the writings of Aurelius himself prophesied that that the brethren of his order would come to the Master and bring him the Anointed.'
'Who's that?' the Willow chimed in.
'Well, I-I don't know exactly, a-a-a-a warrior,' he replied.
'He will rise from the ashes of the Five on the evening of the thousandth day after the Advent of Septus,' Theo chimed in a dull tone, quoting the books ever so dull passage.
Giles gave a slight nod in agreement, his eyes overly analysing her.
The girls turned to Theo, the Slayer responding rather positively, 'Well, we'll be ready whenever it is, and now that we have Theodosia, it could be even be tonight and we would be prepared!'
'Just Theo, please.'
Glancing at Theo, Giles turned back to Buffy,
'Which is tonight.'
'Tonight, okay . . .' the Slayer answers, before a realization washes over her, 'Not okay! It can't be tonight!'
'My calculations are precise,' Giles responds, clearly clueless to the conflict that Buffy is in.
'Nuh! They're bad calculations! Bad!'
Theo sat bemused at what was taking place before her, maybe The Council were right and this Watcher did need some assisstance. He clearly never has had to deal with a teenage girl before.
'Buffy has a real important date,' her friend interjects, as though that's going to help, Theo almost face palmed.
'Ohhhh-wen!' the Slayer trailed off in a love-struck teen kind of way.
'Alright, I-I'll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take dinner and a show,' Giles droned, sarcasm dripping from every word.
'Okay, at this point you are abusing sarcasm.'
At this point Theo almost wondered why she was complaining about having to come here. Key word there, almost.
✶
'Perhaps I miscalculated'
Sitting down against the cold stone of one of the graveyard statues next to Giles, Theo pulled out a thermos.
'What's this?'he questioned with dis-trust.
'Tea Rupert, Tea.'
Pouring him a cup he gave her a small smile of appreciation and a gentle nod, she took this gladly. All she had received from him since arriving was icy analytical stares as though he were looking through her very soul.
'I'm thinking yes,' Buffy dead panned, sucking the last of her shake dry.
Theo responds sarcastically, 'Well, you know what they say, ninety percent of the Vampire slaying game is, well, waiting.'
Buffy looked over at the two, sipping on tea, with disdain.
'You couldn't of told me that ninety percent ago?'
Theo gave Giles a look, smirking. Standing up, his back stiff from the uncomfortable sitting place, he stretched with a groan.
'Well, we, we've have certainly waited here long enough.'
Buffy let out a sigh, 'Besides, there aren't any fresh graves, who's gonna rise?'
Her mind completely full of thoughts elsewhere.
'Apparently no one tonight' Giles responds, finishing his tea.
Still sitting at the base of the statue Theo watches as Buffy jumps from her position on the statue, eagerly asking to bail.
'I assume I don't have to warn you about the hazards of becoming personally involved with someone who's unaware of your unique condition,' Giles called out to her. Theo, couldn't help but snort in her tea.
'Yeah, yeah, I read the back of the box,' she quipped back.
'If your identity as a Slayer is revealed it could put you and all those around you in grave danger,' his tone suddenly soft but stern and overly serious.
'Well, in that case I won't wear my button that says, "I'm a Slayer. Ask me how!"' she sasses back, before saying goodnight more gently and walking away.
Giles slowly made his way back to Theo, sitting himself back beside her.
'Unique condition, really?' Theo smirks.
Giles turns to her, his frown back and his eyes stern, taking the thermos and pouring himself more tea.
'I was sure it was tonight,' Giles muttered to her in defeat.
She offered him an empathetic smile, smacking his shoulder lightly,
'Don't be so harsh on yourself Rupert, I mean what sort of time is "the evening of the thousandth day after the Advent of Septus",' she scoffs, 'Vampires.'
✶
A.N:
Sorry if this is terrible
It will get better.
Hopefully
- L