Magic Box, Tuesday

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

Giles took the HELP WANTED sign back out of the window. He was pleased it hadn't taken long to get not one but two new employees. And he was sure he'd get used to one of them being a frog eventually.

Giles made a note to mention that to Willow before she stopped by and accidentally ran into Robin, assuming she still had frog fear.

The Magic Box was open.

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[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

After arts and crafts, Vi was wandering through Fandom, trying to make good on her promise to Jaina to explore.

Something about the store name magic Box made her spine tingle. Not quite sure what it was, she pushed the door open and went in.

And grinned hugely at the man behind the counter.

"GILES?" she greeted. "Dawn told me you were around but it wasn't exactly the you I know and I probably just totally spoiled your future and I'm sorry and hi."

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"Hello," Giles said politely. People knowing him that he didn't know were a little less shocking than talking frogs. "I take it from that introduction that you're a friend of Dawn's?"

[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

"Uh-huh. And I spent some time in Sunnydale," Vi said, making herself be vague. "Then ... some stuff happened, and now I'm here. How did you get here?"

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"I came here after Dawn's sister died," Giles said, his voice going softer when he mentioned Buffy.

[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

Vi winced. Even though she knew Buffy got better, she also knew how hard it was to lose a Watcher, and could imagine it went both ways. "I'm really sorry about that," she said.

She was not going to indulge her morbid curiosity and ask exactly HOW Buffy died. Nope. Time to change the subject instead. "So does the stuff you sell here work?" she asked, fingering a shiny purple crystal.

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"If you know what you're doing," Giles said, looking at the girl with interest. "Are you into magic?"

[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

"I like the idea of it, but I've never actually done it," Vi admitted. "I'm .. I guess more of a fighty type."

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Giles asked, looking at her more closely.

[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

"There are ..." somehow it made Vi nervous to tell Giles this, like he'd think she was lying. "There are a lot more slayers where I'm from," she finished. "We, I just got my powers a few weeks ago."

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

That would explain the vague sense of familiarity Giles had when looking at the girl -- she carried herself like a Slayer. "More than one Slayer isn't unprecedented," he offered. "How many are there where you're from?"

[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

Vi squinted into space, counting to herself. "Um, a couple dozen, I guess?" she wildly underestimated. "Maybe a hundred. There was this spell."

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

Giles blinked. He'd got used to there being two Slayers, but a hundred... "Buffy would have loved that," he said softly with a bittersweet smile.

[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

Um. Yeah, that was a safe guess, given it was her idea and all. But if Dawn hadn't brought it up, Vi wasn't going to.

"It was ... well, Sunnydale, so there was an apocalypse, but being Slayers together was pretty awesome," Vi said. "It practically made the whole thing worth it."

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

Giles smiled a little at that. The idea of Slayers fighting together was one that did his heart good. "What's your name?" he asked, realising the girl in front of him hadn't introduced herself.

[cutestripeyhat.livejournal.com]

"Sorry, that was rude of me not to introduce myself," Vi apologized. "I'm Vi. Hewson. And I'm from San Antonio."