33
"Sorry I interrupted," Buffy said with a small frown. "It sounded like you two were having a argument so I went down to break it up."
"We were having a argument," I answered as I flung a fireball at the last vampire that tried to run away from us, causing him to turn to dust mid step. It was only late that night during patrol that we really got time to talk again. "She misunderstood things when she saw me leaving your room."
"It didn't look like a argument," She said as she sat down on the closest gravestone.
I shook my head. "Dawn and I are... complicated," I said as I crossed my arms, leaning my back against the nearby mausoleum.
"She never told me what went wrong between you two. Feel like talking about it?" Buffy said as she watched me.
Sighing I shook my head. "Not particularly. We had differences of opinion on some matters," I answered after a moment.
Buffy frowned as she stood up. "You said that before and that's about as much as I could get from Dawn as well. What exactly do that mean?" she asked as she walked up to me.
I was quiet for a long moment. Should I tell her the truth? Or nothing at all? I wouldn't lie to her.
"A evil... warrior wizard for the lack of better term, called the Lich King woke up in a place of Northrend," I started as we continued our patrol. "That was in Azeroth, the world Dawn ended up in. His goal was to kill everything and raise them as undead under his rule."
Buffy nodded. "You went to stop him," She said as she walked next to me.
I sighed. "That's the thing, Buffy. I didn't. This was only months after the campaign to take Outland from demonic forces. I defeated that army with the help of our Horde and Alliance allies. I did not want to fight... Only reason I helped against that army was that Dawn was insisting to putting herself in the firing line to help Cloudsong, her teacher."
"You... wouldn't help against the army of giant demons? Or the army of undead monsters?" she asked with wide eyes, staring at me. "Even though you could?"
"And what would you have me do, Buffy? I travel a lot... see different worlds. Many, almost all are in some kind of war against some kind of force. Sometimes it is human against human and sometimes it is human against other. Or other against other. If I interfered in all of them, I would never do anything but fight. The Alliance and the Horde could together defeat both threats," I said, looking out over the graveyard. "I might have lowered the amount of deaths that would have happened, but they would have won on their own."
"You would have stood by when they fought and died?" She asked. Buffy sounded like it bothered her.
No wonder. It bothered me as well. It was hard enough to stay out of the local matters even without the Lich King's rise. After my demonstration as to why it is generally a bad idea to threaten somebody a Planeswalker likes, both the Horde and Alliance... well, I was treated like a nuke.
Both wanted me to take their side in matters and were terrified I would take the other side. I refused to do either. Luckily, that same fear kept anyone from doing something stupid as well... at least long enough for Dawn to drag me out of the middle of it to follow her and Cloudsong to Northrend.
I think that the only thing that kept them from trying to use her to get to me was the fact that I had a talk with both of their representatives about what the consequences would be to both sides if anything happened to her.
I sighed. "Interfering might cause even more damage in the long run. Yes, I could have prevented deaths in the short term... but what about when I leave? Any knowledge they would have gained, all advancements and accomplishments they would have gained by handling their own defense would have been gone. What about when the next threat came along? When I'm not there to help defend them?" I answered and turned to look at her. "Don't look at me like that, Buffy. Could you defend everyone in town against every demon and vampire attack?"
She looked away and was quiet for a moment before she answered. "I can't be everywhere at once."
"Neither can I. Nor would I try to be... I don't want them to rely on me. I want everyone to think for themselves, to learn to handle their own problems. I will help if I am asked... but I would not fight their war for them," I said as I sat down on the closest gravestone.
"Dawn didn't agree," Buffy said as she sat down next to me.
I shook my head. "No. No she didn't... she wanted me to fly over there and vaporize the Lich King. In the end we ended up fighting anyway when she followed Cloudsong to Northrend and I came with her. We had a lot of arguments about this... and similar matters. We didn't last."
Buffy looked down and leaned down to pull up some grass, turning them over in her hands. "I think she still loves you, you know," she finally said.
I didn't answer. Instead I stood up and walked over to a approaching pack of three vampires. To quote Illyria... I wish to do more violence.
Hopefully that one should stay in her hole in the ground with all the butterflies that is in effect in this place.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Do you have everything?" Willow asked.
I nodded and pulled my backpack on. "Yeah, I think so. I left some stuff in the trunk upstairs that I don't want to drag around."
Dawn left a couple of days ago for SF and now it's my turn to head out. Time to get back to work trying to teach the students to stay alive.
"You are coming back this summer, right?" Buffy asked as she leaned against the doorframe to the living room.
I nodded. "That's the plan. See you guys then?" I said with a small smile, giving them each a hug.
"Be careful, ok?" Buffy said as she stepped back again.
I gave her a look at that. "Buffy... You live on the mouth of hell. I'm a school teacher. I'm should be the one telling you that."
She gave me a flat look and Willow grinned briefly. "Buffy do have a point. From what we have both seen ourselves and heard you say... You attract trouble. Be careful."
Grinning I shook my head. "Don't worry. I will be fine," before I turned and Walked out.
AN// Many thanks to Rechte for betaing this part.
"We were having a argument," I answered as I flung a fireball at the last vampire that tried to run away from us, causing him to turn to dust mid step. It was only late that night during patrol that we really got time to talk again. "She misunderstood things when she saw me leaving your room."
"It didn't look like a argument," She said as she sat down on the closest gravestone.
I shook my head. "Dawn and I are... complicated," I said as I crossed my arms, leaning my back against the nearby mausoleum.
"She never told me what went wrong between you two. Feel like talking about it?" Buffy said as she watched me.
Sighing I shook my head. "Not particularly. We had differences of opinion on some matters," I answered after a moment.
Buffy frowned as she stood up. "You said that before and that's about as much as I could get from Dawn as well. What exactly do that mean?" she asked as she walked up to me.
I was quiet for a long moment. Should I tell her the truth? Or nothing at all? I wouldn't lie to her.
"A evil... warrior wizard for the lack of better term, called the Lich King woke up in a place of Northrend," I started as we continued our patrol. "That was in Azeroth, the world Dawn ended up in. His goal was to kill everything and raise them as undead under his rule."
Buffy nodded. "You went to stop him," She said as she walked next to me.
I sighed. "That's the thing, Buffy. I didn't. This was only months after the campaign to take Outland from demonic forces. I defeated that army with the help of our Horde and Alliance allies. I did not want to fight... Only reason I helped against that army was that Dawn was insisting to putting herself in the firing line to help Cloudsong, her teacher."
"You... wouldn't help against the army of giant demons? Or the army of undead monsters?" she asked with wide eyes, staring at me. "Even though you could?"
"And what would you have me do, Buffy? I travel a lot... see different worlds. Many, almost all are in some kind of war against some kind of force. Sometimes it is human against human and sometimes it is human against other. Or other against other. If I interfered in all of them, I would never do anything but fight. The Alliance and the Horde could together defeat both threats," I said, looking out over the graveyard. "I might have lowered the amount of deaths that would have happened, but they would have won on their own."
"You would have stood by when they fought and died?" She asked. Buffy sounded like it bothered her.
No wonder. It bothered me as well. It was hard enough to stay out of the local matters even without the Lich King's rise. After my demonstration as to why it is generally a bad idea to threaten somebody a Planeswalker likes, both the Horde and Alliance... well, I was treated like a nuke.
Both wanted me to take their side in matters and were terrified I would take the other side. I refused to do either. Luckily, that same fear kept anyone from doing something stupid as well... at least long enough for Dawn to drag me out of the middle of it to follow her and Cloudsong to Northrend.
I think that the only thing that kept them from trying to use her to get to me was the fact that I had a talk with both of their representatives about what the consequences would be to both sides if anything happened to her.
I sighed. "Interfering might cause even more damage in the long run. Yes, I could have prevented deaths in the short term... but what about when I leave? Any knowledge they would have gained, all advancements and accomplishments they would have gained by handling their own defense would have been gone. What about when the next threat came along? When I'm not there to help defend them?" I answered and turned to look at her. "Don't look at me like that, Buffy. Could you defend everyone in town against every demon and vampire attack?"
She looked away and was quiet for a moment before she answered. "I can't be everywhere at once."
"Neither can I. Nor would I try to be... I don't want them to rely on me. I want everyone to think for themselves, to learn to handle their own problems. I will help if I am asked... but I would not fight their war for them," I said as I sat down on the closest gravestone.
"Dawn didn't agree," Buffy said as she sat down next to me.
I shook my head. "No. No she didn't... she wanted me to fly over there and vaporize the Lich King. In the end we ended up fighting anyway when she followed Cloudsong to Northrend and I came with her. We had a lot of arguments about this... and similar matters. We didn't last."
Buffy looked down and leaned down to pull up some grass, turning them over in her hands. "I think she still loves you, you know," she finally said.
I didn't answer. Instead I stood up and walked over to a approaching pack of three vampires. To quote Illyria... I wish to do more violence.
Hopefully that one should stay in her hole in the ground with all the butterflies that is in effect in this place.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Do you have everything?" Willow asked.
I nodded and pulled my backpack on. "Yeah, I think so. I left some stuff in the trunk upstairs that I don't want to drag around."
Dawn left a couple of days ago for SF and now it's my turn to head out. Time to get back to work trying to teach the students to stay alive.
"You are coming back this summer, right?" Buffy asked as she leaned against the doorframe to the living room.
I nodded. "That's the plan. See you guys then?" I said with a small smile, giving them each a hug.
"Be careful, ok?" Buffy said as she stepped back again.
I gave her a look at that. "Buffy... You live on the mouth of hell. I'm a school teacher. I'm should be the one telling you that."
She gave me a flat look and Willow grinned briefly. "Buffy do have a point. From what we have both seen ourselves and heard you say... You attract trouble. Be careful."
Grinning I shook my head. "Don't worry. I will be fine," before I turned and Walked out.
AN// Many thanks to Rechte for betaing this part.
