For Lack of a Magic Bullet
Oct. 31st, 2023 05:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerHappy Halloween!
Main Points:
Buffy/Devil May Cry/Resident Evil/Background NCIS Crossover (Hold My Heart)
Chapter Summary: Because after all this time Leon's still searching for the better way, and he's not the only one.
Word Count: 790
Rating: Teen
“It’s not about my white-haired beauty this time.” He’s trying to sound casual, but the thought had not left his mind once it occurred to him. Claire had the thought not long after him, and he’d played it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but he needs to know. “You’re the expert on magic, as far as I know. So tell me. Can magic save someone who’s been turned into a zombie?”
Raccoon City still haunts him. A trite way to put it, he knows, but it’s all he’s got. He’d had a pet project on the side, trying to learn the names and faces of all the people who hadn’t made it out. Maybe a little obsessive, but he wants to know, and that includes knowing and doing what he can to allow himself to save more people later down the line.
From the look in her eyes, she knows exactly why he’s asking. Fortunately, it’s not pity.
“Short answer, no, not as far as I know. Long answer, yes, but there’s an equivalent exchange aspect. The corruption has to go somewhere, or it throws off the balance of the universe. You can’t just magic away consequences. I tried that, when I was younger, and it didn’t work. I have a feature-length answer, but I’m not sure you’ll follow all the mumbo-jumbo. That’s not to say we’re entirely without options. There are magical precautions you can take—like getting a malaria shot, maybe even an after-the-fact rabies shot—but that means you’d a) have to know where an outbreak is going to take place and b) persuade people that alternative medicine isn’t a total crock and yeah you absolutely need to start taking it now to prepare for an event that we totally know is coming c) without sounding like one of those guys with a sign shouting about doomsday. Sure, they’d listen after the first couple events, but suddenly there’d be rioting in the streets and I don’t know about the rest of you but we already have our hands full dealing with revamping our own internal logistics. I’d have offered you some tips and teas already if you didn’t have some natural immunity in the first place. Barring that, if we extracted, say, Xander’s blood and put it in people, it could work as an all-purpose vaccine, but it’d have other bad effects.”
Leon shivers. As options go, really, that sucks. “It’d just spark another arm’s race. Or heat it up, since they’re messing with demons already.” That’s even without considering that it’s the equivalent of handing a loaded gun to everyone. Without some sort of infrastructure in place to teach people to handle their newfound powers and enforcement to deal with abuse, it’s not much of an improvement, and she knows that—but she’d bothered to think about it anyway.
The heartbreak in her eyes mirrors his own, even if she continues utterly professionally. It’s this that reinforces his love for Xander, his decision to ally himself with the ISWC. They’re goofy and more than a little strange but they’re good people. “Basically. Sorry. I wish I had better news.”
He can’t leave it on that note, though. “Hey, we do what we can, right? If we didn’t step in, it’d be a net loss.” It’d be easy to focus too much on all the failures, and he’s not always too good at following his own therapist’s advice (or Xander’s adorable motivational words), but he can, at least, try.
Her smile in return is brilliant. “Even better, with your help, Leon.” She pauses. “Do you want me to call Xander? He’ll be free soon.”
It’s really tempting, and he’s pretty sure she can see the longing in his eyes as he hesitates, but he shakes his head. He’d get distracted, because Xander was distracting, and while all he’s doing is paperwork from the last mission, it does mean Hunnigan would have to do more than her fair share, and he’s trying to be responsible. “Sadly, I don’t have a lot of time, just wanted to ask in person. Just, uh, let him know there’s a present waiting for him when he gets back.”
From the look she gives him, he’s pretty sure she thinks it’s considerably more raunchy than an old Babylon 5 t-shirt and a few old comics he’d happened to pick up for cheap at a garage sale he’d randomly stopped by, but whatever, he’s fairly certain Xander will appreciate this more, anyway. Tears might be shed. Agent Kennedy is taking this whole ‘romance Xander’ mission seriously.
Main Points:
Buffy/Devil May Cry/Resident Evil/Background NCIS Crossover (Hold My Heart)
Chapter Summary: Because after all this time Leon's still searching for the better way, and he's not the only one.
Word Count: 790
Rating: Teen
“What can I help you with Xander-wise this time, Mister Agent?” Miss Rosenberg asks without even looking up. That’s a trick Hunnigan could stand to learn.
“It’s not about my white-haired beauty this time.” He’s trying to sound casual, but the thought had not left his mind once it occurred to him. Claire had the thought not long after him, and he’d played it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but he needs to know. “You’re the expert on magic, as far as I know. So tell me. Can magic save someone who’s been turned into a zombie?”
Raccoon City still haunts him. A trite way to put it, he knows, but it’s all he’s got. He’d had a pet project on the side, trying to learn the names and faces of all the people who hadn’t made it out. Maybe a little obsessive, but he wants to know, and that includes knowing and doing what he can to allow himself to save more people later down the line.
From the look in her eyes, she knows exactly why he’s asking. Fortunately, it’s not pity.
“Short answer, no, not as far as I know. Long answer, yes, but there’s an equivalent exchange aspect. The corruption has to go somewhere, or it throws off the balance of the universe. You can’t just magic away consequences. I tried that, when I was younger, and it didn’t work. I have a feature-length answer, but I’m not sure you’ll follow all the mumbo-jumbo. That’s not to say we’re entirely without options. There are magical precautions you can take—like getting a malaria shot, maybe even an after-the-fact rabies shot—but that means you’d a) have to know where an outbreak is going to take place and b) persuade people that alternative medicine isn’t a total crock and yeah you absolutely need to start taking it now to prepare for an event that we totally know is coming c) without sounding like one of those guys with a sign shouting about doomsday. Sure, they’d listen after the first couple events, but suddenly there’d be rioting in the streets and I don’t know about the rest of you but we already have our hands full dealing with revamping our own internal logistics. I’d have offered you some tips and teas already if you didn’t have some natural immunity in the first place. Barring that, if we extracted, say, Xander’s blood and put it in people, it could work as an all-purpose vaccine, but it’d have other bad effects.”
Leon shivers. As options go, really, that sucks. “It’d just spark another arm’s race. Or heat it up, since they’re messing with demons already.” That’s even without considering that it’s the equivalent of handing a loaded gun to everyone. Without some sort of infrastructure in place to teach people to handle their newfound powers and enforcement to deal with abuse, it’s not much of an improvement, and she knows that—but she’d bothered to think about it anyway.
The heartbreak in her eyes mirrors his own, even if she continues utterly professionally. It’s this that reinforces his love for Xander, his decision to ally himself with the ISWC. They’re goofy and more than a little strange but they’re good people. “Basically. Sorry. I wish I had better news.”
He can’t leave it on that note, though. “Hey, we do what we can, right? If we didn’t step in, it’d be a net loss.” It’d be easy to focus too much on all the failures, and he’s not always too good at following his own therapist’s advice (or Xander’s adorable motivational words), but he can, at least, try.
Her smile in return is brilliant. “Even better, with your help, Leon.” She pauses. “Do you want me to call Xander? He’ll be free soon.”
It’s really tempting, and he’s pretty sure she can see the longing in his eyes as he hesitates, but he shakes his head. He’d get distracted, because Xander was distracting, and while all he’s doing is paperwork from the last mission, it does mean Hunnigan would have to do more than her fair share, and he’s trying to be responsible. “Sadly, I don’t have a lot of time, just wanted to ask in person. Just, uh, let him know there’s a present waiting for him when he gets back.”
From the look she gives him, he’s pretty sure she thinks it’s considerably more raunchy than an old Babylon 5 t-shirt and a few old comics he’d happened to pick up for cheap at a garage sale he’d randomly stopped by, but whatever, he’s fairly certain Xander will appreciate this more, anyway. Tears might be shed. Agent Kennedy is taking this whole ‘romance Xander’ mission seriously.
