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madimpossibledreamerOkay, I'm gonna go with Untitled Episode 13.5 is mostly just useful for music video makers. Which, y'know, I appreciate, despite the fact that I don't much, but also, why.
Also, be aware, this chapter has yet to be beta'd. That's what happens when you write it hours before posting. My bad.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Wolfram & Hart gets involved.
Word Count: 1132
Rating: Gen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS.
“So, you think it was one of the targets on the list that did this?” Antonia asks her new friend. The lady might be a bit subdued for the honest amazing work that they’re doing now, but that’s all right, she’ll cheer her up soon enough.
Whoever’s doing this now, they’re a bad person, obviously, because putting an entire city in danger? That’s the kind of bullying that has to be stopped.
Whitney doesn’t feel like she can say anything, really, so she doesn’t. She’s seen pages of a list stolen from a group at odds with Wolfram & Hart, and what she’s seen looks like Courtney Love’s Stand London Calling, but it’s hard to be sure. Love herself had been approached for recruitment, but showed no interest, and as she was, generally, a shut-in artist with a dangerous power, Whitney didn’t remember any talk of what to do with her.
“Whoever it is, we’ll find them and stop them,” Antonia promises, grinning at the thought of the violence to come, and it’s only the realization that arguing would put her brother’s soul in danger that prevents Whitney from replying. The partnership might be an odd one, but she knows it’s a test, to determine her loyalty. She can’t dampen Antonia’s enthusiasm or stop her bloodlust to save lives.
Though, judging by the scene around them, this is certainly one instance in which they might be saving lives by stopping this Stand User. The only problem is if Wolfram & Hart would prefer such a dangerous character be pressed into service, though even in this, the demonic law firm is lucky.
Contracts are null and void if signed unwillingly, so situations such as this are avoided altogether. She’s looked into this for her own reasons and found disappointment each time. Wolfram & Hart can decide to cancel a contract themselves, should they feel like it, though that’s relatively rare and it’s not like she’ll be that lucky. “There’s another way to get out of the contract, not that it’ll be available to someone like you,” the new favorite Wesley had told her once in the cafeteria with a sneer. “If you do a great service to the Powers that Be, you can be pulled out of your contract, but only one person has ever managed that.” According to rumors told around the water cooler, that would be the infamous Angel, but apparently that had involved a massacre of many of the Senior Partners, work alongside The Slayer, and the prevention of multiple apocalypses, something that’s indeed likely out of her own reach for several reasons, not limited to the fact that Wolfram & Hart owns her more thoroughly than any human ever owned a slave and the fact that while her Stand is useful, it’s not likely she’d be able to use it against the particular types of demons employed by the company. It’s rather unlikely they’ll get Love to agree to anything, either, meaning it’s not a concern either she or the company will have to worry about.
Still, there are irregularities about what’s happening here. Many buildings are missing their gargoyles, and more still come to life as per the Stand’s power works its magic, but if it was meant to be deadly, Courtney would have been able to kill off most of the city’s population by this point. She’s not sure what the sculptor’s plan must be—drawing targets out? Causing fear? Whatever it is, yes, it has to be dealt with, because otherwise the rules of engagement will be forever changed, if they haven’t been already. The war they fight is a secret war, kept out of sight of the populace, but this—it’s big, it’s noticeable, it’s hard to just merely explain away. Wolfram & Hart’s PR division will have its work cut out for them, and she doesn’t envy them their headaches.
Of course, they haven’t been told exactly why they’ve been sent, just something about Antonia not having completed her test, yet, and a teleport from one of their witches to London. There’s more that’s not being shared, but it’s not like they’ll be told any of that.
“Why is the User just trying to scare people?” They’ve seen quite a lot of trashed cars and buildings and roads, many terrified citizens, but bodies have, so far, been relatively rare.
“It’s a bully thing,” Antonia states dismissively. “They want to you to fear them before they actually hurt you.” She doesn’t seem that interested. “It’s only a matter of time. We’ll start finding bodies soon enough, make no mistake.” She turns her head, distracted, and then nods in a direction. “See?”
She doesn’t really have to sound smug about it.
Whitney turns her head to see a few bodies lying on the street—a few bodies, and one Terracotta soldier that looks like it’s been stolen from Emperor Qin’s tomb. Or maybe just the British museum. The terracotta soldier lies on its back as if it’d just been tipped over and left where it was placed. She runs forward to kneel beside the bodies and sees that they all have something brown and wet like dirt in splotches on their bodies. Like mud, but—
“Don’t touch that!” she snaps at her partner, who has started to reach out toward one of the bodies. “We don’t know what the Stand does. For all we know, it eats you alive in thirty seconds.”
“We know what the Stand does. It brings statues to life,” Antonia scoffs, but at least she’s listening and doesn’t touch the mud, which is good.
“Yes, but sometimes Stands have secondary effects. And sometimes, case in point, mon ami, Stand Users do not work alone.” At that, Antonia looks sufficiently embarrassed and thoughtful, which was sort of the point.
“I’m glad you’re here to explain these things to me,” Ellis states with a grateful smile, and at this, Whitney can’t help but smile grimly back.
Practically all of this sucks. She certainly doesn't want to be working for Wolfram & Hart, and the situation with her brother's soul is also a terrible one, but on the other hand, Antonia is just so reckless. And also potentially has psychopathic tendencies, but still. Without her, Ellis would probably just end up finding herself dead, one of these days, simply because she didn't think it through. Honestly, in the end that might be a better circumstance for everyone involved, but still, she can't quite bring herself to wish death upon her naive partner.
Also, be aware, this chapter has yet to be beta'd. That's what happens when you write it hours before posting. My bad.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Wolfram & Hart gets involved.
Word Count: 1132
Rating: Gen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS.
Most of London, by this point, is panicking. A perfectly ordinary day has become a nightmare, a waking dream, only there’s no waking up from this. Not when it can’t be escaped. Some, of course, will never wake up. They’ve seen the bodies.
“So, you think it was one of the targets on the list that did this?” Antonia asks her new friend. The lady might be a bit subdued for the honest amazing work that they’re doing now, but that’s all right, she’ll cheer her up soon enough.
Whoever’s doing this now, they’re a bad person, obviously, because putting an entire city in danger? That’s the kind of bullying that has to be stopped.
Whitney doesn’t feel like she can say anything, really, so she doesn’t. She’s seen pages of a list stolen from a group at odds with Wolfram & Hart, and what she’s seen looks like Courtney Love’s Stand London Calling, but it’s hard to be sure. Love herself had been approached for recruitment, but showed no interest, and as she was, generally, a shut-in artist with a dangerous power, Whitney didn’t remember any talk of what to do with her.
“Whoever it is, we’ll find them and stop them,” Antonia promises, grinning at the thought of the violence to come, and it’s only the realization that arguing would put her brother’s soul in danger that prevents Whitney from replying. The partnership might be an odd one, but she knows it’s a test, to determine her loyalty. She can’t dampen Antonia’s enthusiasm or stop her bloodlust to save lives.
Though, judging by the scene around them, this is certainly one instance in which they might be saving lives by stopping this Stand User. The only problem is if Wolfram & Hart would prefer such a dangerous character be pressed into service, though even in this, the demonic law firm is lucky.
Contracts are null and void if signed unwillingly, so situations such as this are avoided altogether. She’s looked into this for her own reasons and found disappointment each time. Wolfram & Hart can decide to cancel a contract themselves, should they feel like it, though that’s relatively rare and it’s not like she’ll be that lucky. “There’s another way to get out of the contract, not that it’ll be available to someone like you,” the new favorite Wesley had told her once in the cafeteria with a sneer. “If you do a great service to the Powers that Be, you can be pulled out of your contract, but only one person has ever managed that.” According to rumors told around the water cooler, that would be the infamous Angel, but apparently that had involved a massacre of many of the Senior Partners, work alongside The Slayer, and the prevention of multiple apocalypses, something that’s indeed likely out of her own reach for several reasons, not limited to the fact that Wolfram & Hart owns her more thoroughly than any human ever owned a slave and the fact that while her Stand is useful, it’s not likely she’d be able to use it against the particular types of demons employed by the company. It’s rather unlikely they’ll get Love to agree to anything, either, meaning it’s not a concern either she or the company will have to worry about.
Still, there are irregularities about what’s happening here. Many buildings are missing their gargoyles, and more still come to life as per the Stand’s power works its magic, but if it was meant to be deadly, Courtney would have been able to kill off most of the city’s population by this point. She’s not sure what the sculptor’s plan must be—drawing targets out? Causing fear? Whatever it is, yes, it has to be dealt with, because otherwise the rules of engagement will be forever changed, if they haven’t been already. The war they fight is a secret war, kept out of sight of the populace, but this—it’s big, it’s noticeable, it’s hard to just merely explain away. Wolfram & Hart’s PR division will have its work cut out for them, and she doesn’t envy them their headaches.
Of course, they haven’t been told exactly why they’ve been sent, just something about Antonia not having completed her test, yet, and a teleport from one of their witches to London. There’s more that’s not being shared, but it’s not like they’ll be told any of that.
“Why is the User just trying to scare people?” They’ve seen quite a lot of trashed cars and buildings and roads, many terrified citizens, but bodies have, so far, been relatively rare.
“It’s a bully thing,” Antonia states dismissively. “They want to you to fear them before they actually hurt you.” She doesn’t seem that interested. “It’s only a matter of time. We’ll start finding bodies soon enough, make no mistake.” She turns her head, distracted, and then nods in a direction. “See?”
She doesn’t really have to sound smug about it.
Whitney turns her head to see a few bodies lying on the street—a few bodies, and one Terracotta soldier that looks like it’s been stolen from Emperor Qin’s tomb. Or maybe just the British museum. The terracotta soldier lies on its back as if it’d just been tipped over and left where it was placed. She runs forward to kneel beside the bodies and sees that they all have something brown and wet like dirt in splotches on their bodies. Like mud, but—
“Don’t touch that!” she snaps at her partner, who has started to reach out toward one of the bodies. “We don’t know what the Stand does. For all we know, it eats you alive in thirty seconds.”
“We know what the Stand does. It brings statues to life,” Antonia scoffs, but at least she’s listening and doesn’t touch the mud, which is good.
“Yes, but sometimes Stands have secondary effects. And sometimes, case in point, mon ami, Stand Users do not work alone.” At that, Antonia looks sufficiently embarrassed and thoughtful, which was sort of the point.
“I’m glad you’re here to explain these things to me,” Ellis states with a grateful smile, and at this, Whitney can’t help but smile grimly back.
Practically all of this sucks. She certainly doesn't want to be working for Wolfram & Hart, and the situation with her brother's soul is also a terrible one, but on the other hand, Antonia is just so reckless. And also potentially has psychopathic tendencies, but still. Without her, Ellis would probably just end up finding herself dead, one of these days, simply because she didn't think it through. Honestly, in the end that might be a better circumstance for everyone involved, but still, she can't quite bring herself to wish death upon her naive partner.
