Tales of Gumption

[madimpossibledreamer]

note: this strategy probably doesn't work in real life

Main Points:
Buffy/Yakuza AU, follow-up to Finding Their Feet (because really, the order after the introduction doesn't matter as much)
Chapter Summary: Their next recruit hires herself.
Word Count: 600
Rating: Teen

 

        Xander takes running Sanctuary seriously.  He tries to be down before everyone else, barring training or missions, making sure everything is neat and tidy.  It’s wearing a suit, probably, that does this to him, a relic of Majima’s time in Sotenbori, where one misstep could lead to a beating, if he’s lucky.  Sometimes, though.  Sometimes, time runs like molasses, and the effort to stand seems insurmountable. 
        So he’s late and kind of out of it, and walks right past the blonde receptionist twice before he remembers that the lady doesn’t actually work here, and turns his head slowly to look.
        Harmony starts laughing the second he does, making him pout slightly even as he itches to find his knives.  It might seem inadequate against a vampire, but he’s managed before.
        “I was wondering how long it’d take you to notice, Boss,” the vampire states after a moment, amused, and it also takes him a moment to process the fact that she’s calling him Boss.  Like she did actually work here.  He’d complain about the lack of a memo, but honestly, there probably was one and he missed it.
        He absolutely refuses to rise to the bait, though.  He takes a moment and thinks it over.  It could be Cordy, meddling again.  Even if it wasn’t, she knew Aura, so maybe she just asked her instead?  Technically Aura does do a lot of the personnel and keeps the books.  “It’s a Cordette conspiracy, huh?” he asks flatly, leaning carefully against the counter, and it’s her turn to pout.
        “You’re no fun,” she states, and he meets her look with a hyena’s grin.
        “Nope.  Not an ounce of it, darlin’.  I assume the contract with Wolfram & Hart ain’t standin’ anymore.”  Sometimes it’s useful, drawin’ on the skills of the Lord of the Night.
        “Yep.  I mean, I wasn’t the only one, but I was the first,” she announced proudly.  “And I had help.  The Gaijin Ashigaru, they called themselves?  We found a loophole so we could break the contract.”
        His grin turns proud.  He’s not responsible for them, at all, but he’s proud anyway.  “Good for them.”
        She nods, as if it’d been some kind of test.  “Oh, and Angel was working with me for a bit.”
        He had lost the guy for a while.  Hadn’t even had an address to haunt him.  That would definitely explain things. “Was he now?”
        “Then he made the branch go out of operation.  Which is why we were all out of a job, and needed help breaking the contract.”  He’d forgotten how talkative she was.  He wasn’t usually one to clam up, but maybe it’s just better to let her go at it.
        “That sounds more like him.”  He almost sounds like Kiryu-chan, ironically.
        “So he recommended working here, and I can see why.”  Not actually a Cordette.  Shocking.  Well, unless Cordy claimed herself as leader, which he could completely see happening.  “I have experience in working at a front desk, so I figured I can start here, but I’m definitely pretty enough to work as a hostess, and it’s an excuse to get some cute dresses and accessories.  We can charge an extra fee for any customers who want a little bite alongside.”
        He’s getting some unfortunate déjà vu vibes, but he’ll deal.

 

        She considers getting a tattoo, but ultimately decides she only wants to work for the cabaret, so doesn’t go elaborate, just a red spider lily and a lotus, the intertwining vampiric life and death.  She’d had enough fighting trying to be a Big Bad, and it’s a fair enough choice.