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misseDisclaimer: Do not own or claim rights to Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Note: So, after finishing 'Windfall', I realised I had neglected a reasonably important plot point, but couldn't figure out where to slip the explanation into the story. So, here it is. With a slightly, and admittedly gratuitous, smutty conversation.
Faith snagged Gwen by the arm, and dragged her down the street.
“What the hell are you doing, Faith,” the blonde grumbled.
“I've got a special fun store for you to look at,” the brunette grinned.
“Uh, Faith, as much as I appreciate the fun toys you showed me at the sex shop, I don't need to go back there just yet, okay?”
Faith stopped and stared at her friend for a minute. “Uh.”
Gwen tilted her head. “It's not a sex shop?”
“No. Uh.”
“Okay, Faith, that's enough. No more thinking of Xander and me playing with said toys.”
The other woman scowled. “Red and Little D get the vicarious smoochies. I want the other stuff.”
“Two words, Faith: Hell; No. So, mind out of the gutter, if you don't mind. Better yet, get your own man.”
“Any way,” Faith said, to get the conversation back on track, “it's a special fun store, but not that kind of special fun store. It's a bit more, say, PG.”
Gwen grinned. “Sharp and shiny?”
“Muy sharp and shiny,” Faith agreed, smiling broadly.
“Cool! Show!”
“I swear, you're like a kid in a candy shop.”
“Yeah, 'cause you're so not,” Gwen retorted.
The two women entered the store specialising in authentic swords and other weaponry, with huge smiles on their faces. The owner, having already met Faith, immediately went to meet them, matching smile on his face.
Abruptly, Gwen stopped and turned to stare at a teenage girl. The girl stared back, tense. Faith stopped, and looked at the two. “Gwennie? There a problem?”
“You don't feel her?” she murmured.
Faith shook her head. “Feel what? What should I be feeling?”
“She's one of us,” Gwen insisted.
After a moment's thought, Faith went up to the girl, trying to project a calming presence. “Hey there,” she said as she approached. “My name's Faith. What's yours?”
“Kelly,” she replied, switching her gaze from Faith to Gwen, and back.
“You like this place? Lots of nice sharp and shiny stuff. My friend and me? We love the sharp and shiny. How about you?” There was something odd about this girl. Something... And suddenly Faith was close enough to notice it. That slight trill up her spine that Gwen had inured her to.
“Yeah. Sharp and shiny. It's nice. What are you?”
“Same thing as you, I think. Human. Plus.” Suddenly, Faith's hand darted out to grab the girl by the arm. The girl tried to pull out of reach, but her untrained speed was no match for Faith's near decade of training and experience. “It's okay,” she assured. “I don't want to hurt you. But we do need to talk. Let's buy you coffee and something to eat. You probably need it. We need more food than most folk.”
The girl relaxed. “Okay. I think I want to know.”
Gwen kept her eyes on the girl as Faith walked her out of the store, and then moved around to the girl's other side, keeping an eye out. Faith guided the trio to a decent coffee shop, and settled them at a table while Gwen placed the orders, thoroughly checking out the shop.
“Everything okay, G?”
“This is unusual. I am not sure I am fully comfortable with the possibilities.”
Faith nodded. Under pressure, Gwen acted in one of two ways. When attacked or enraged, she swore. The worse the temper, the worse the language. When confronted by something confusing, she tended to a more formal language, as if precision in language could define whatever it was that puzzled her.
“What do you got?”
She looked at the girl again. “This girl – Kelly? – I could feel here almost as soon as I entered the shop. She was so bright, like a flare in a dull background. She outshone you. And yet you could not sense her at all. At least, until you were very close to her. How does she feel to you?”
“It wasn't until I was really close that I noticed her. I think I just got so used to the way you feel that I didn't even think of it. But she feels just like you do.”
Gwen turned to the girl. “How do we feel to you? Can you describe it?”
Kelly nodded. Turning to Faith, she said, “You feel strong. Um, like fire. Wild. And loud. You feel loud.” She frowned, not entirely sure she understood what she had just said. “But you,” she went on, turning to Gwen, “you're different. Um, like clean. Like just a bright, white light, and there's no noise or smell to you. Which is just weird that I'm even thinking like that. But I am.”
Faith considered that. “So do I have a smell? If Gwen has no smell, do I have a smell?”
Kelly closed her eyes and thought. “You smell... Wild. And sweet? Um. No, not sweet. Mouthwatering. Yeah. Strong. You smell strong, but not like someone overdoes the perfume, and they smell, you know, strong. It's like... Flowers smell pretty, chocolate smells yummy, and you smell strong.” She bit her lip. “Do you get what I mean?”
“Yeah. Like strength is something that you can smell.”
Kelly smiled. “Yeah.”
Faith nodded. “So you been breaking doors, stuff like that, lately?”
The girl shifted nervously. “Yeah. For the last week or so.”
“Dreams?” Gwen asked.
“Uh huh. Oh,” she sat upright and looked at Faith. “You were in one of them!” she added excitedly.
Faith nodded, grimacing. “Okay. So. You got some place to be, Kel?”
Kelly shrugged. “I gotta be home in time for dinner. But that's not for, like, hours yet.”
“Good. You got people to meet.”
~~~~~
History of the International Guardians Council, 2005 – 2006, Dawn Summers, PhD
The Silent Warriors
With the discovery of the slayers Gwenhwyfar (Gwen) Harris (nee Dillon) and Kelly Agostino began a new era for the slayers, the era of the Silent Warriors. Though the origin of the Silent Warriors is in doubt, what is clear is that the Council had now been gifted with a group of warriors that were, in many ways, invisible to the demonic world. While the Slayer historically drew demons and others to her by some attractant in her aura or presence, the Silent Warriors had no such attractant, and were virtually undetectable even to sister slayers. Only a Silent Warrior could sense another Silent Warrior.
… It has been suggested that there may have been other Silent Warriors through history, but the current understanding of the Slayer Timeline does not provide any suitable evidence for this. The only way to accommodate Silent Warriors is for these slayers to have each died within days of their calling, which is statistically unlikely.
… It is now suggested that the genetic characteristics that provide for the Silent Warrior either denied the activation of the Slayer capabilities, or were in themselves suppressed until the Empowerment spell performed by Willow Rosenberg in the Battle of Springfield.
Though very much a minority within the slayer community, it has been shown that the Silent Warriors breed much truer than the genetypical slayer. Each daughter born of a Silent Warrior has since gone on to become a Silent Warrior, herself, during puberty, though it should be noted that activation of a Silent Warrior tends to occur several years later than usual for a slayer. Also, Potential Silent Warriors are as 'silent' as their activated sisters, which led to much confusion in the early years. It is now assumed that all Silent Warriors will produce daughter Silent Warriors. In contrast, it is assumed that daughters of genetypical slayers will not become slayers unless they are noticeably a Potential.
… It is suspected that, in time, the Silent Warriors may become the dominant variant, as they tend to have greater lifespans due almost directly to their 'invisibility' to their enemies. Though as valiant as their currently dominant genetypical sisters, they have the advantage in that they cannot be actively hunted by their enemies.
It may be that the Silent Warriors become Humanity's guardians as we multiply beyond the boundaries of this Earth, our Home.
Note: So, after finishing 'Windfall', I realised I had neglected a reasonably important plot point, but couldn't figure out where to slip the explanation into the story. So, here it is. With a slightly, and admittedly gratuitous, smutty conversation.
Faith snagged Gwen by the arm, and dragged her down the street.
“What the hell are you doing, Faith,” the blonde grumbled.
“I've got a special fun store for you to look at,” the brunette grinned.
“Uh, Faith, as much as I appreciate the fun toys you showed me at the sex shop, I don't need to go back there just yet, okay?”
Faith stopped and stared at her friend for a minute. “Uh.”
Gwen tilted her head. “It's not a sex shop?”
“No. Uh.”
“Okay, Faith, that's enough. No more thinking of Xander and me playing with said toys.”
The other woman scowled. “Red and Little D get the vicarious smoochies. I want the other stuff.”
“Two words, Faith: Hell; No. So, mind out of the gutter, if you don't mind. Better yet, get your own man.”
“Any way,” Faith said, to get the conversation back on track, “it's a special fun store, but not that kind of special fun store. It's a bit more, say, PG.”
Gwen grinned. “Sharp and shiny?”
“Muy sharp and shiny,” Faith agreed, smiling broadly.
“Cool! Show!”
“I swear, you're like a kid in a candy shop.”
“Yeah, 'cause you're so not,” Gwen retorted.
The two women entered the store specialising in authentic swords and other weaponry, with huge smiles on their faces. The owner, having already met Faith, immediately went to meet them, matching smile on his face.
Abruptly, Gwen stopped and turned to stare at a teenage girl. The girl stared back, tense. Faith stopped, and looked at the two. “Gwennie? There a problem?”
“You don't feel her?” she murmured.
Faith shook her head. “Feel what? What should I be feeling?”
“She's one of us,” Gwen insisted.
After a moment's thought, Faith went up to the girl, trying to project a calming presence. “Hey there,” she said as she approached. “My name's Faith. What's yours?”
“Kelly,” she replied, switching her gaze from Faith to Gwen, and back.
“You like this place? Lots of nice sharp and shiny stuff. My friend and me? We love the sharp and shiny. How about you?” There was something odd about this girl. Something... And suddenly Faith was close enough to notice it. That slight trill up her spine that Gwen had inured her to.
“Yeah. Sharp and shiny. It's nice. What are you?”
“Same thing as you, I think. Human. Plus.” Suddenly, Faith's hand darted out to grab the girl by the arm. The girl tried to pull out of reach, but her untrained speed was no match for Faith's near decade of training and experience. “It's okay,” she assured. “I don't want to hurt you. But we do need to talk. Let's buy you coffee and something to eat. You probably need it. We need more food than most folk.”
The girl relaxed. “Okay. I think I want to know.”
Gwen kept her eyes on the girl as Faith walked her out of the store, and then moved around to the girl's other side, keeping an eye out. Faith guided the trio to a decent coffee shop, and settled them at a table while Gwen placed the orders, thoroughly checking out the shop.
“Everything okay, G?”
“This is unusual. I am not sure I am fully comfortable with the possibilities.”
Faith nodded. Under pressure, Gwen acted in one of two ways. When attacked or enraged, she swore. The worse the temper, the worse the language. When confronted by something confusing, she tended to a more formal language, as if precision in language could define whatever it was that puzzled her.
“What do you got?”
She looked at the girl again. “This girl – Kelly? – I could feel here almost as soon as I entered the shop. She was so bright, like a flare in a dull background. She outshone you. And yet you could not sense her at all. At least, until you were very close to her. How does she feel to you?”
“It wasn't until I was really close that I noticed her. I think I just got so used to the way you feel that I didn't even think of it. But she feels just like you do.”
Gwen turned to the girl. “How do we feel to you? Can you describe it?”
Kelly nodded. Turning to Faith, she said, “You feel strong. Um, like fire. Wild. And loud. You feel loud.” She frowned, not entirely sure she understood what she had just said. “But you,” she went on, turning to Gwen, “you're different. Um, like clean. Like just a bright, white light, and there's no noise or smell to you. Which is just weird that I'm even thinking like that. But I am.”
Faith considered that. “So do I have a smell? If Gwen has no smell, do I have a smell?”
Kelly closed her eyes and thought. “You smell... Wild. And sweet? Um. No, not sweet. Mouthwatering. Yeah. Strong. You smell strong, but not like someone overdoes the perfume, and they smell, you know, strong. It's like... Flowers smell pretty, chocolate smells yummy, and you smell strong.” She bit her lip. “Do you get what I mean?”
“Yeah. Like strength is something that you can smell.”
Kelly smiled. “Yeah.”
Faith nodded. “So you been breaking doors, stuff like that, lately?”
The girl shifted nervously. “Yeah. For the last week or so.”
“Dreams?” Gwen asked.
“Uh huh. Oh,” she sat upright and looked at Faith. “You were in one of them!” she added excitedly.
Faith nodded, grimacing. “Okay. So. You got some place to be, Kel?”
Kelly shrugged. “I gotta be home in time for dinner. But that's not for, like, hours yet.”
“Good. You got people to meet.”
History of the International Guardians Council, 2005 – 2006, Dawn Summers, PhD
The Silent Warriors
With the discovery of the slayers Gwenhwyfar (Gwen) Harris (nee Dillon) and Kelly Agostino began a new era for the slayers, the era of the Silent Warriors. Though the origin of the Silent Warriors is in doubt, what is clear is that the Council had now been gifted with a group of warriors that were, in many ways, invisible to the demonic world. While the Slayer historically drew demons and others to her by some attractant in her aura or presence, the Silent Warriors had no such attractant, and were virtually undetectable even to sister slayers. Only a Silent Warrior could sense another Silent Warrior.
… It has been suggested that there may have been other Silent Warriors through history, but the current understanding of the Slayer Timeline does not provide any suitable evidence for this. The only way to accommodate Silent Warriors is for these slayers to have each died within days of their calling, which is statistically unlikely.
… It is now suggested that the genetic characteristics that provide for the Silent Warrior either denied the activation of the Slayer capabilities, or were in themselves suppressed until the Empowerment spell performed by Willow Rosenberg in the Battle of Springfield.
Though very much a minority within the slayer community, it has been shown that the Silent Warriors breed much truer than the genetypical slayer. Each daughter born of a Silent Warrior has since gone on to become a Silent Warrior, herself, during puberty, though it should be noted that activation of a Silent Warrior tends to occur several years later than usual for a slayer. Also, Potential Silent Warriors are as 'silent' as their activated sisters, which led to much confusion in the early years. It is now assumed that all Silent Warriors will produce daughter Silent Warriors. In contrast, it is assumed that daughters of genetypical slayers will not become slayers unless they are noticeably a Potential.
… It is suspected that, in time, the Silent Warriors may become the dominant variant, as they tend to have greater lifespans due almost directly to their 'invisibility' to their enemies. Though as valiant as their currently dominant genetypical sisters, they have the advantage in that they cannot be actively hunted by their enemies.
It may be that the Silent Warriors become Humanity's guardians as we multiply beyond the boundaries of this Earth, our Home.