Successor (BTVS)

[X][Warren] Buffy and Willow will meet with Warren to explain the situation and get her some escape tricks.
[X][Class] Buffy takes a different class (stunt what it is.)
-[X] Economics

"I'm really nervous. Like, it's that feeling when you're picking out an outfit, but someone else wore the same thing as you yesterday, so you want to wear something really different to avoid it happening again, but what if they do too! What happens then, Buffy?"

Harmony was curled up around Buffy's back and talking pretty much right into her ear as they rode out to the Kendalls' place, one of the many largish estates that lingered on the edges of Sunnydale. Buffy could tell that she wasn't really fake-breathing except to talk, and with Harmony that was just more confirmation she was super nervous. She would just have to do her best to focus on helping her through this difficult time, (and not on the kind of troubling realization that the same not-breathing was a turn-on.)

"It's going to be fine Harm. It's not like things between you and your dad have changed. When you tell him he's going to realize that. He's even said how proud of you he was lately." Harmony's hearing was a lot better than hers, so Buffy hoped she'd easily make out her words even over the rush of wind on the highway. Between the election and the Initiative in the last week, there hadn't been much time for fun nighttime rides yet.

"But, the Kendalls are an old family, Buffy! There are portraits of my great grandparents on the walls! He never got mad about dumb stuff in high school, because none of it mattered. This is different!" Harmony stopped, realized she needed more air to keep talking, and then continued in a lower voice, "I mean, no grandkids? That's a huge pill for him to swallow."

It did make sense that old families didn't get old by not caring about maybe ending. "That's not under your control at all though! He can't blame you for being what you are. Plus your stepmom isn't even thirty, right? They've got plenty of time." It was a little weird that Harmony's dad had gotten together with someone so young, but Buffy could hardly throw stones on that account.

"I'm not so sure," Harmony said. "He's been married to Tracy for almost two years. If they wanted kids wouldn't they have them already?"

"Well, that's why it's good you're telling him. Now he can make with the family planning in plenty of time."

"We're telling him," Harmony corrected. "I can't do it on my own. I mean, this is a big you thing too, obviously. I need you Buffy!"

"Absolutely," Buffy said, "I'm with you all the way."

Buffy felt perfectly safe on the road and wasn't exactly keeping to the speed limit, so they got to their destination before too much longer, Harmony worrying in her ear the whole way. It was pretty cute, but Buffy tried not to let her amusement show. Her girlfriend had obviously gotten herself really worked up about this, and telling parents about secrets like this one was seriously stressful stuff.

As was the style in Sunnydale, the Kendalls had a tall iron fence surrounding their property and a gate closing off their driveway. There wasn't much it would actually keep out, but the uninformed thought Sunnydale's crime problems were mundane, so it made sense. Harmony worked a buzzer outside and they were let in after a few quick words. The big manor and the expansive grounds inside seemed extravagant to her sensibilities, but she knew from the property records she'd gone over with Ian that it wasn't all as expensive as it looked. Sunnydale's property values were on their way up, but it was still Sunnydale.

A maid opened the door as they walked up, looking anxious and flustered. Even though it was Harmony's house, Buffy had all her attention. "Mayor Summers! I didn't know we'd be hosting you tonight! I can show you to the drawing room, and then go get the Mr. And Mrs. for you. Or I could just bring them here. Either of them, or whatever you'd-"

"It's fine," Buffy stopped her from working herself up any further. "Totally cool. This isn't like, a formal thing. We just wanted to talk to Mr. Kendall about something."

"It's my fault!" Harmony said. "I didn't warn daddy you were coming tonight, he probably thought it was just going to be me." Harmony had decided to tell him on the spur of the moment tonight, and she'd been more scatterbrained than usual with worry. It was probably for the best they were getting it over with fast.

"It doesn't need to be in a special room or anything, just whatever works," Buffy said.

"He's in his study now," she said. "I'll lead you right there!" Buffy almost reminded her that Harmony would know the way, but decided to keep her mouth shut. She didn't want to cause the poor woman any more distress.

She slipped in ahead of them once they got there, and then came right out again, nodding and gesturing them in.

"Mayor Summers, what a pleasant surprise! Harmony didn't tell me you'd be coming over with her tonight." Jason Kendall's study was crammed with filing cabinets and paperwork, and he even had a computer humming away at his desk. Buffy figured he must get a lot done at home. "I don't suppose you came over to talk financials? I've got everything I need here, I work out of the house half the time these days."

Buffy glanced over at Harmony, wondering if she'd speak up, but she was frozen like a vampire deer in the headlights. She'd have to kick this off. "Sorry this was unannounced. And that's really nice, but no moving of the money today."

Mr. Kendall had noticed Harmony's nervousness now too, and got a little more subdued, "I hope it isn't bad news, then. Has Harmony been doing … well?"

"She's been great!" Buffy answered quickly. "Total Grade-A job performance."

"Oh," he relaxed again. "That's good. But then, what's this about? Not that it has to be about anything. You're welcome here, of course." He took in the cramped surroundings as Buffy and Harmony exchanged another glance with each other. "In fact, if this isn't business, how about we move somewhere nicer. I can have Cassie bring out some drinks to the drawing room."

Buffy agreed quickly, hoping the pause would give Harmony some more time to gather her courage. She could be here to support her, but it was really something she had to tell her dad herself.

As they tromped through yet more hallways, it really sunk in how big the place was. It was one thing to see a place on a map, or from the outside, but it was another to be wandering around inside it and realizing that all the space was filled with actual rooms. What did they even do with them all? It wasn't like Harmony had any siblings.

Buffy hadn't been too sure what a 'drawing room' was, but apparently it was like a living room on PEDs. There was lots of leather furniture and huge, south facing windows; it was probably for the best that Harmony had moved out, because she'd need to avoid this place like the plague during the day.

Even though the decision to move had seemed spur of the moment, Harmony's stepmom was already there, sitting down with a plastered-on smile and there were a variety of drinks arrayed on a central table. Maybe it would've been better to do this in the study after all, but it was too late now. Tracy Kendall would've probably found out eventually anyway.

"Hi, we met at the country club, right?" Buffy said.

Tracy's eyes had flicked to her husband for a split second before saying, "Your speech was very inspirational." She didn't exactly look nervous, but maybe a little shook up? This whole impromptu thing had probably messed up the Kendalls' nightly routine.

"Thanks?" Buffy had thought it was OK at the time, but having someone think it was special was a little weird.

Buffy wasn't sure if she was supposed to take the wine at first; she didn't want to be insulting, but she was technically underage. Then Harmony preempted her by downing a glass of it, which neatly decided things. Maybe that'd loosen her up enough to start? It didn't look like it, so Buffy decided she'd need to give things one more little push.

Buffy went for it, "Harmony has something she needs to tell you." Maybe it was less of a little push and more of a big one.

"I, umm..." Harmony attempted.

Her dad was looking a little worried now. "Harmony, you know whatever it is, I'll still love you right? Even if it's something I might not completely agree with." His mouth twisted for a moment, as if in regret, "Not that I, or we, wouldn't agree with something just because it wasn't traditional. You've been very supportive of progressive causes, haven't you, Tracy?"

"Extremely supportive," she agreed hastily. "We were going to donate to that group, weren't we? The one with the acronym?"

"I'm a vampire!" Harmony shouted out with her eyes closed. She wasn't in game face.

"What?" her dad said.

"I didn't know they called it that," Tracy said.

"Harmony, you might want to demonstrate?" Buffy said.

Tracy got a shocked look on her face that made Buffy sure she'd guessed the wrong secret for this particular reveal, but luckily Harmony provided a quick distraction.

"Oh, right." Then she vamped out, and there was the predictable shocked screaming.


"I think it went pretty well, overall," Harmony said, talking in Buffy's ear again.

"Your stepmom fainted and your dad wanted to bring you to Ronald Reagan Medical Center." Buffy's reply was a little loud, to be heard over the screaming wind. At this time of night, the highway was utterly abandoned, and she was taking full advantage.

"Yeah but, big plus, but once he realized my job was actually something useful, he was super impressed." Buffy wasn't quite sure that was her takeaway from the conversation, but maybe all the reveals she'd had to do in the past week were wearing her down. If it made Harmony happy that was something, at least.

"So are we going to tell them about the other thing soon? I mean, you know, the us thing." Buffy thought her stepmom might've already suspected, but the whole vampire thing might've made her forget about it.

"Soon," Harmony squeezed her from behind and nuzzled her neck a little. Buffy felt the chill race down her side, and she was probably lucky she had such good control of the motorcycle. "If that's still what you want? You wanted to let all your friends know first, right?"

"Yeah, definitely, I just want to find the perfect time," Buffy said. It was going to be right after the election, but then there'd been a technicolor vision and a secret government organization. "You know, more perfect than all the times we've had available so far."

"Absolutely," Harmony agreed.

And now she had the whole mega-awkward Warren thing that she needed to do for Willow too. "And you're really OK with me doing this Warren meeting thing? Willow was making it sound kind of-"

"It's fine," Harmony said. "Better than fine even. I mean, that's how you're supposed to get stuff from boys. There was even one time I didn't have to put out to get a guy to do my homework,"

"Harmony, I'm not going to put out! Strictly single-genderfriend slayer here."

"I know, I know, that's not what I meant. But like, this Warren guy? He's super into you and he's pretty much a joke, you'll barely have to make eyelashes at him and he'll be falling all over to give Willow his toys."

Buffy wasn't really sure she liked the sound of that.

"So check this out; it's the Mycoaerosolizer!" Warren aimed the little squirt gun at the test dummy, and when he pulled the trigger a cloud of thin steam shot out in a cone, coating the mannequin with drops of water. It seemed unaffected by this attack though; it wasn't melting or anything, just wet.

"It's a very nice water gun," Buffy said, cracking a little smile. She wasn't sure exactly what it did yet, but his obvious excitement was pretty amusing. She'd forgotten how fun Warren could make slay-adjacent stuff.

"Well, it was just loaded with a blank cartridge that time, but the live ammunition carries the fungal compound that the Little Men were using in their traps here; if someone breathes it in they go totally loopy." Warren emphasized his description by spinning his finger around by his temple.

He'd been pretty eager to demonstrate his devices when Buffy had shown up with Willow this morning, leading them down into the basement. While the upper floors were in active use by his workers producing more mundane things, the downstairs was more of a personal lab, littered with all kinds of strange projects. Buffy had noted the overpowered exercise equipment sitting in a corner forlornly; she hadn't come by to use it since she'd started secretly dating Harmony.

"As bad as Buffy was?" Willow asked. "Because, let me tell you, I've heard the first-hand reports. It was pretty loopy. I even might call it loop-de-loopy."

"It usually wouldn't be as big a dose, so it wouldn't last as long," Warren said. "But it kicks in fast, and it's really hard to avoid breathing it in if you're in range."

"That's still a pretty big deal," Buffy said.

"There are some other problems too," Warren admitted. "Cultivating the mushrooms they used has been pretty tricky, so I don't have that many doses available. It's also pretty hit and miss with demons, some of their physiologies are too different. Some of them don't even have physiologies at all."

"But we already know it works on slayers," Buffy said. "And it'd definitely work on Maggie's extra-tall soldier boys. So it'd be perfect to get you out of a jam, Will."

"And I thought actual demons and monsters running around was cool. We've even got a mysterious paramilitary organization now!" Warren said, shaking his head. "I am a little sad to part with the prototype, but I guess I don't have them looking to kidnap me. They aren't looking to kidnap me, are they?"

"You're not the one that blew the circuits out of their elevator," Willow said, carefully taking the spray gun from his hands and inspecting it. "But still, thanks so much. This could literally be a lifesaver." Willow gave Buffy a significant glance.

"Yep," Buffy said awkwardly, feeling guilty again. "Very big with the thanks. Your city honors the sacrifice, even."

Warren didn't notice how stilted she was being, and his puppy eyes just got even more endearing. It probably had something to do with the sort-of-tight top Harmony had helped her pick out for this, and that just made her feel worse. She'd dated him once, ditched him for a month, and hadn't even told him that he'd come in second place. And now here she was, hitting him up for his hard-built gadgets.

"Don't hand out the Nobel yet, we've just gotten started," Warren said. "For my next trick, I can make it disappear." He walked up to the test dummy and poked at one of the shiny metal bracelets it was wearing. A moment later there was a loud pop and it was gone.

"Oooh, this doesn't seem like the translucency thing you showed everyone earlier," Willow said. She walked up and waved her hand through where it had been, encountering nothing.

"To get that working really well I'd need an amazing gemstone, and there are stability concerns too," Warren said. "That was the Closed Temporal Dislocator instead!"

"Zapping people out of existence, a pretty big upgrade from hitting them with mushroom drugs," Buffy said.

"It's not practical for enemies, unfortunately," Warren said. "You need to be wearing a full set of electromagnets to properly anchor the portal and get it to fold around right, without them it'd just fizzle."

"It's a portal device?" Willow said. "That's really advanced if you do it with magic. Where did it go?"

"Not just where," Warren said, "But -" The loud popping sound happened again, this time from across the room, where the dummy had reappeared.

"When." Willow finished. "You displaced it in time? And you timed the reveal! Is it controllable?"

"Of course," Warren said, then he broke out in a grin. "Nah, I'm just screwing with you, it's pretty random. Mostly it takes between 30 and 300 seconds and doesn't usually move more than ten meters or so. It exploits the weakened dimensional barriers around Sunnydale to do it, but the relativistic eddies are totally chaotic. Still could be a nice trick to confuse someone after you."

"Or if you have help coming," Buffy said.

"Yeah, I guess it's pretty ideal for Willow's situation too, huh," Warren said, a little disappointedly. "Well, I mean, that's fine. I'm not on the front lines."

"But you can make another one, right?" Buffy asked.

The look on his face told her the answer before he said it. "Not exactly. Well, not yet. The core component that interacts with the barriers is from something half-finished that Moloch left over. I was able to figure out what it did, but I haven't been able to replicate it yet."

And here she was, encouraging him to give it away to Willow. Obviously, she needed it more, but that didn't make it feel right, under false pretenses like this. What was she going to do when he asked her out next? Plead a giant workload, or maybe invent some new excuse?

Suddenly, she was tempted to just blow the whole thing up now. Willow was her best friend, she deserved to know who she was dating. And Warren, well, she still didn't know him super well, but he seemed like a good guy and she'd been stringing him along. It wasn't cool.

But this was nothing like the perfect moment for the reveal she'd talked to Harmony about. Harmony wasn't even here, she didn't have any idea Buffy was going to blow the big secret. Buffy hadn't had any idea herself five minutes ago. Should she really just jump off the cliff?

Vote: Should Buffy spill to Willow and Warren that she's been dating Harmony for a month?

[] No, it's a terrible idea. She should stick to the plan and do it under more controlled circumstances, with Harmony there. If that happened to make it easier to get escape gear for Willow, well, Warren would probably just get himself hurt trying to be a superhero anyway.

[] It's been secret for long enough already, and Buffy's just digging a deeper hole by keeping the lid on it. Spill the secret now, and if worst comes to worst, do damage control later.

I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that I've created a Successor Discord here. My intent is that it becomes a location to discuss both the Quest in specific and the Buffy fandom in general; everybody is welcome to come poke their heads in.