madimpossibledreamer

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Wesley continues researching, at first with no results, then finds a clue that may help solve the mystery. A calm before the storm.
Word Count: 1177
Rating: K
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

"You know, these pictures are almost useless. You couldn't...perhaps, chip off a piece of the mask for analysis, or potentially just steal it and send me the artifact?" Being in its presence would probably help, especially since Wesley could probably do magical analysis on the mask by then. Still, sending a potentially really dangerous mask to Wolfram & Hart, Evil Lawyers Incorporated, sounded like a really, really terrible idea. And the plan held another flaw.

"I'm not touching the thing." The aversion might seem completely ridiculous, but it had a good reason. Probably. ...Maybe.

"Pity. Well, it makes sense, of course. I'm not sure that it wouldn't end up in one of our vaults." Actually, the more important part here is that it doesn't get used, but fair point. Wesley was almost always a little more ruthless than Giles. He tended to subscribe to the 'ends justify the means' worldview. "Well, at least you managed to get good pictures of the inscription on the back, though I have yet to translate it or even figure out what language it's from. It's rather esoteric." Xander bites back the reply of 'I hadn't noticed, thanks', and seconds later also stifles a yawn. He's been sleeping marginally better, when he can sleep. It's probably the obsessing, but then, if it's got the possibility to hurt this makeshift family that's more dear to him than his regular family, then he really can't help it.

"It appears vaguely South American in origin, though the fangs are a unique feature that I haven't seen on any of the other stone masks of the region. The script isn't that of the Olmecs, Ancient Aztec, or Mayan, however. I'm not aware of any vampiric cults in the area and time period. Most tend to be a modern phenomenon, despite what you'd expect. I believe it's likely an impact of popular literature. Though this is more intricate than what you'd expect from a number of cultures at the time period it appears to be from. Of course, I can't verify its age without a sample, but..." Wesley continued to ramble on, unaware that Xander was lightly snoring, phone protectively cradled in hand. His other hand was being used to prop up his head on the desk.

"Your middle name is Lavelle, isn't it?" Wesley asked without preamble.

Xander groaned. "Could you forget you read that?"

"No." Wesley almost sounded so petulant that Xander took the phone away from his ear to stare at it for a moment before replacing it. "…magical legacy."

He'd probably get mad, but that part he'd missed was actually probably important. "Could you repeat that?"

Apparently Watchers were masters of the all-suffering sigh. "I was saying that, by the sound of the dreams and the fact that you're the only one who appears to have noticed anything, it sounds like it's a bloodline magical legacy. There's a reason I was looking into your family, and it wasn't for personal amusement."

Why did Wesley think he'd find—oh, yeah, because he didn't talk about his family. Ever. "You won't find anything. Their most distinguishing characteristic is their alcoholism."

"Yes, on your father's side, they're distressingly pedestrian." Now the former Watcher sounded smug. "However, I have been unable to find a single thing on your mother. Quite frankly, I'm not even certain she exists."

"What." She was pretty normal, too. Though if she were a runaway demon or something like that, it would actually explain a lot. Like the demon magnet thing.

Wesley hastened to explain that comment. "Oh, that is not to say that she's merely an illusion or something like that. Rather, it's as if someone went to a good deal of trouble to erase her past, which is a start. Were you aware that Lavelle could refer to a physical location? There are two cities named Velle in Norway and France respectively, as well as a city named Lavelle in Pennsylvania. Your father chose your name while your mother was still recovering from giving birth."

That wasn't surprising at all. "Let me guess, they also had a fight about that. But I'm not sure what that has to do with…"

"Let me finish." Now he was sounding downright testy. "According to witnesses, she was furious about his name choice, but said absolutely nothing about your middle name. A little more digging reveals that he'd found the town's name snooping around in your mother's papers. I would assume that he used that word in order to demonstrate that he had power and control, and that she could hide nothing from him. She didn't even react."

"Um." That…did sound a little weird. They argued about everything. But on the other hand, it might just be a coincidence…

"I'm aware that this might be trying to make connections between things that aren't there. On the other hand, this might be vital, which is why I'm flying to Pennsylvania tonight. If that turns out to be useless, I'll go to Norway and France." He really...was starting to get really into this, if he thought it was worth a plane flight out to the middle of nowhere.

"You don't have to...I mean, that's a lot of trouble...." Besides, what would he really find out there?

"I'm being paid, and I'm interested. In any case, I've done a lot of digging already, and I have yet to find any clues using conventional means. In order to solve this mystery, we might have to do a few unexpected things." The tone indicated that no argument would make a difference.

"Uh. Well. As long as this isn't that much more of a cost."

"Do you want answers, or don't you?" He didn't really remember Wesley being this easily annoyed before, but, on the other hand, years of working with Cordelia and Angel would probably put anyone on a short fuse. Or maybe it was just catching.

He hesitated for the slightest bit of time. This was getting to the point where it could change everything, but at the same time, could he live without knowing? "Yeah, I do."

It's the Japanese place again, and he's just sitting on the wood staring at the garden. It's peaceful, petals falling around him in pretty patterns. Ordinarily, it'd be weird that he wasn't wearing socks or shoes out here, but it felt...right. Freeing.

He'd been too eager, earlier. It wasn't time yet. Patience, just a little bit longer. What's behind the door can wait until he's ready, too.

He's there for a long time, long enough that the sky goes dark and he can watch the stars begin to peek out. Obviously, not the city. He doesn't really know what it's like to not have smog clogging up the sky, but he imagines it's probably like this, with the sky so clear.

He feels kind of nostalgic, but does it really count as nostalgia if he wasn't really there the first time around?

He sees a shooting star, and wakes up in the middle of trying to come up with a wish.