Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 45

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: The Scoobies try to bring their new allies up to speed and come to a few realizations...
Word Count: 1089
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS.

 

            Giles stands.  “This started, from our perspective, from a vision.  Admittedly, we acted on it far too soon, too sure in knowledge that was really anything but sure.  It was one about Xander, and based on that, his actions, and a few other documents, we concluded that he’d been replaced by an imposter.”  He takes off his glasses and polishes them.  “Rather idiotic of us, in retrospect, but given that Wolfram & Hart is involved, I checked for spells and found one imprinted in a chalice —that nasty distrust-inducing one.  Yes, Buffy, rather like the one that the First used, albeit less powerful.  Still, given our rather recent, relatively speaking, exposure, we’re probably more vulnerable than others would be.”
            “Could Simone have had a hand in that?” one of the Slayers, Rois, Buffy thinks, asks.
            The Head Watcher frowns and opens his mouth to speak, but Ms. Harkness interrupts.  “We haven’t found any evidence that Doffler has any magical talent whatsoever, but a few of the Council witches joined her when she left, and it’s entirely possible they’re working for whoever promises them power.”
            “Doing it from the inside would be the most effective, it’s true,” Giles admits, sighing.  “And given our recent exposure, we probably should’ve been more on guard against such than we were.”
            “Why didn’t that affect me?” Buffy asks, and Giles blinks.
            “W-Well, it’s hard to tell how exactly a spell will affect someone,” Willow speaks up, and everyone in the room goes quiet.  It’s rare, these days, that Willow adds her expert voice when it comes to magic, despite the fact that she really is, well, an expert.  “You didn’t really trust us, and given that it acts on whatever’s already there…it just makes you worse; it doesn’t add anything new, precisely.”  She looks apologetic, but continues, forging past whatever is making her uncomfortable.  “You didn’t step in during the trial.”
            Buffy opens her mouth, not entirely sure what she’s going to say.
            “I know, I know, you were going to.  Or at least, that’s what you think.  But it kind of…shoved us back into old, bad habits, and whenever you don’t think you can trust anyone, you tend to go all ‘I am a realistic kind of spy and must do everything myself’.  I can’t be sure, but I think you were going to go after him, or maybe try a big rescue like that other guy did, but you didn’t try talking to us ‘cause when you’re at your worst, you tend to think that’s useless.”
            The Head Slayer makes a face.  “Thanks much, Wil.”
            Her best friend doesn’t notice.  Her face is horrified.  “Ugh, I just had a really not so good thought.”
            “Why don’t you share with the class, Red?” Faith asks, looking intrigued.
            “W-well.  The reason that Xander went outside was ‘cause he was getting information from the Dead Wesley, right?  It was stuff he didn’t want us overhearing, and Wesley probably recommended it.”  She takes a deep breath.  “That means whatever oogy Wolfram and Hart elements knew where he was gonna be.  And—well, I mean, I’m one of the last people that should be saying ‘nobody’s working ahead’, cause hey, living proof it happens, but a spell like that?  Big mojo, really advanced for where most of the ones that weren’t in the field were in the curriculum.”  She notices the looks and crosses her arms defensively.  “Hey, just ‘cause I generally don’t teach it, doesn’t mean I don’t look it over now and then!  I wanna be someone besides ‘recovering addict’, thanks.”
            “Wolfram & Hart have quite a number of dark warlocks and other less human spellcasters on staff, more than capable of a nasty spell or two,” Giles states thoughtfully, before shaking his head decisively.  “And, of course, if they’d stationed someone to plant something on Xander, they could easily have smuggled a foci or two, just to make sure the spell continued to work for long enough for their nefarious plans, whatever they were, to come to fruition.  Unfortunately, with the headquarters unrecoverable, there’s no real way to tell for sure.”
            “I could go,” dark, soft-spoken Satchiko, one of the oldest Japanese Slayers, speaks up.  “With a team, of course.  But clues are important, yes?”  She shakes her head at any possible arguments that might arise.  “I am quiet.  Good at stealth.  There are others who are the same.  The biggest problem is knowing where these ‘Slaypires’ might be.  If they find us, we are likely dead, but it is silly to live in fear of death.  It’s a possibility always, so why should we not do so helping out?”
            That earns a smile from Willow, and a shy smile back.
            Buffy has a thought.  “Hang on, Willow.  You said you’re connected to every Slayer on Earth, right?  So, does that include the Slaypires?”
            Willow looks startled.  “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say the spell they used was ‘Make Dumb’.  Not that I’ve been thinking about the witchiness lately, but still.”
            “The brain is very interconnected, so mind-altering spells rarely affect just their target, though they are far more specific than other means, such as herbal concoctions…” Giles starts in his best lecture voice.  Willow ignores him saying something about the crusades, looking a bit guilty, and closes her eyes.
            She opens her eyes.  “You know, you think it’d be easier to find everybody individually, now that…” she trails off, and squeaks, “…Not that that’s a good thing!”
            Buffy smiles at her.  “So, what’s the what?”
            “Well, it’s hard to be sure, ‘cause the magic is a little confused about the whole Slaypire thing, but I don’t think there are many left in England, and none around the whole HQ.  Most of them are off the coast of Italy, it looks like.”
            “So, I wasted my time?  Shame!” Faith rolls her eyes when Willow looks panicked.  “It’s called teasin’, Red.  I didn’t waste my time at all, but like a good girl I’m gonna wait my turn.”
            “Italy?”  Jotaro speaks up from behind Buffy.  She didn’t even hear him come in the room, and it takes a lot to sneak past a Slayer.  How’d he manage that, given how tall he is and everything?  I bet lunch he’s not a lightweight.  And food isn’t a joke in a makeshift Slayer camp.  The way he’s smiling does not bode well.  “Well, well, that was a stupid move on their part.”
            Willow scrunches up her nose looking adorably confused.  “Why?  What’s in Italy?”