Through a Glass, Darkly (A little postie 21/05/04)

Leona's said it all for me... so I'll just add how much I'm enjoying reading this.

More please!

 

LOL! Thom fidgetting next to Qui-Gon was great and I liked his replies to "What does Master Yoda always say?". Let's hope Thom arrives in Sunnydale as well, I don't think Thom could stand much more 'meditating'.

 

I just found this. WOW Haigan...you really ahve the dialog for the scooby gang down perfectly. But I'm not very familiar with Thom and Barin. can you post a link to the first story(ies)?

 

Another new reader! Hi PadawanKitara!

There are two completed Barin and Thom stories on the boards:

You Can Run But You Can't Hide is the story of how Barin came to take Thom as a padawan in the first place.

The Hunt is set later and is much darker in tone, and is primarily a Thom story.

Both of them also appear in the latest Jemmiah Chronicals round-robin monster of a tale, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, but not until page 50.

There are several very short stories or snapshots, including some with Barin as an initiate and as a padawan (the padawan stories are very dark and deal with child abuse, so be warned). These are archived on Thom's website- there's a link from the Jedi page, or you can find the page directly here. There's also some really early unfinished fanfic attempts at Barin in his first incarnation as a Sith, to remind me just how dire my early ideas were.

Imzadi is currently posting a story that might be of interest: A Glimpse of Dawn

 

Xander gaped up from his book. ?She?s a what??

?The monks described her as a god,? Barin repeated patiently. ?It is probably worth bearing in mind the fact that many beings have been worshipped as gods over the millennia, but very few have ever proven omnipotent when subjected to a proper scientific investigation.?

?She?s not a demon? I?m fighting a god?? Buffy asked, swinging one leg as she perched on the edge of the table. ?How do I fight a god??

?What the monks thought she was and what she actually is may prove to be two different things,? Barin warned.

Buffy slammed shut the book she had been vaguely looking through, causing both Giles and Barin to wince slightly. ?How do I fight her?? she demanded. ?What do I use, where do I hit her, what spells do I need??

?Buffy?? Giles began soothingly as he turned the sign on the magic shop door to indicate that it was now closed.

?I need answers here, Giles!? Buffy snapped. ?I need to know what the monks knew about Glory. I need to know what he-? she jabbed a finger towards Barin- ?knows about Glory.?

?If the monks knew how to defeat Glory they would have done so themselves,? Barin said calmly. ?The monks describe her as a god and one of the triumvirate ruling a Cizopl? ah, a parasite dimension?? He skimmed through the notes on his palmtop. ?That is, one that draws energy or life-force from neighbouring planes in space, which they also referred to as- ah, yes, as a demon dimension. You appear to be familiar with that term??

Buffy beamed at Giles. ?Who needs the Watcher?s Council?? She twisted her head around and squinted at Barin?s notes, but the text on the screen was as unintelligible to her as their books had been to him. ?Any more??

Barin kept scrolling through the file. ?She needs that energy to sustain her abilities, or her own thoughts and actions become disordered? she can be killed by severing her connection to? hmm? this word could mean life, consciousness, or even the Force. There is the mention of a device for doing so, but the writer said that it had not been perfected. It would weaken her but not kill her.?

Giles eyed the Jedi with interest. ?The Dagon Sphere??

Barin nodded. ?You know of it??

?We? ah? have heard of it, yes,? Giles said cautiously. ?It has been described as a? a talisman or, or warding device against ancient evil.?

?Which serves to illustrate my earlier point,? Barin nodded. ?There may be many perceptions or explanations for a single phenomenon. One, all, or none of those may be correct. I would still be more comfortable about drawing definite conclusions if it would be possible to talk to Glory herself. It may be that a peaceable arrangement could be reached. None of us know what her ultimate intentions are, after all.?

?She wants the key,? Buffy said, planting a hand in front of Barin as she leaned forwards. ?And she?s not getting it. Right? So what do you know about the key??

Barin gave her a long look, frowned fractionally, then let his gaze slide away. Buffy stiffened as his eyes reached Dawn. He switched back to Buffy. ?The key is a life-force, a unit of coherent energy that can affect regions of instability between dimensions?? His expression grew wry. ?From one point of view, at least. Another book described it as a portal that-?

?-opens the door,? finished Buffy. ?That?s what the monk guy told me.?

?So? so what does it look like?? Willow asked curiously.

Barin shrugged. ?One of the documents described a process or ritual for giving it form??

Buffy?s eyes fixed on the Jedi.

??but gave no mention of what form, or even if the monks had attempted to give it a shape at all. In its? raw state it is energy. Rather like describing the Force, unless one experiences it directly it is like trying to describe the sound of a colour. When one does experience it directly, there is no longer any need to describe it.? He spread his hands in apology. ?If the monks gave it form, it could be anything. A table, a book, a tree, even a human.?

?Okay, no more research for Buffy. I?m all

 

Good post. When's Thom going to drop in on them? Or is he?

More? Please?

~Swede

 

Okay...enough with the lurking!

I admit, I am not the world's greatest authority on Buffy and I felt a bit of a fraud pretending otherwise. I know the main characters but precious little else, but enough to get by I think. Let me just say that this story is fantastic, I just love it!

-Jemmy

 

Thanks for the links HaiGan/ These stories were so great I couldn;t stop reading until I finished. Thank goodness for weekends! Thom and Barin are fast becoming my favorites. By the way, it's nice to meet another Lord Peter Whimsey fan.

 

I loved this line:

?It is probably worth bearing in mind the fact that many beings have been worshipped as gods over the millennia, but very few have ever proven omnipotent when subjected to a proper scientific investigation.?

Very true!

Will Buffy need to "convince" Spike that he wants to loan Barin some clothes? *rubs hands eagerly* Does Spike even have any clothes to spare?

I really liked the way Barin was looking at Dawn and thinking of his apprentice, and the way that such an innocent act was enough to cause such a reaction in Buffy.

 

I love watching Barin use his deductive powers. Sorry Buffy, but you walked right into that one!

Wonderful HaiGan!!

 

LOL!! I loved that it was Buffy herself that told Barin what she didn't want him to know. You've really got to watch yourself around that man.

 

More Dorothy L. Sayers fans creep out of the woodwork.

Well, you almost didn't get a post tonight because it was parents' evening at my son's school (the body is not meant to have to wait until 8:30pm to eat dinner!). I've managed to squeeze in the time for a quick cut-and-paste, though.

Advance warning, I think there's four or five posts to go before we hit a part that isn't written yet, so the pace will probably slow up a bit then.

******

The Jedi took a step sideways. ?I can fully appreciate your desire to protect her,? he continued quickly as Buffy went back on the offensive. ?I have given you my word. That is not something I take lightly.? His eyes were grave and earnest, curiosity kindling in their clear blue depths. ?Odd, however, that despite your awareness of what she is your emotional resonse still appears to have been strongly affected by the form she has taken.?

Buffy looked at him sideways, trying to decide whether he would be more dangerous if she gave him the information she had, or left him to work it out for himself and at the same time left herself in the dark about just how much he did know. ?The monks made our memories up when they sent her to me,? she said. ?Us growing up? her diaries? photos? Everything. Everything about her up to six months ago is just... *poof!* One big monkish bedtime story. Except we all remember it as real.?

Barin?s expression darkened. ?That? that I would not condone. Altering minds on that scale is? risky and unethical. The end does not justify the means. Knowing what they did, I find it both remarkable and admirable that you continue to feel the way you do about her.?

Buffy?s eyes widened fractionally. ?It doesn?t matter how she got here. She?s still my sister. It wasn?t her fault the monks made her, none of this is her fault. Dawn doesn?t know,? she went on firmly. ?Only Giles and me know? and you, I guess. And my mom.? Buffy missed Barin?s raised eyebrow as the list of people grew. ?We thought it was safer.?

Barin voiced no opinion. ?You wish it to remain so??

?Yes.? It was clear that Buffy was not prepared to argue about it.

Their route was taking them away from the main street and out towards the edges of the town. The buildings on one side gave way to a high wall, grey in the moonlight.

?Why do the others sometimes refer to you as ?Slayer?, if I might be so bold as to enquire?? Barin asked as they walked alongside the wall. ?The slayer of what??

Buffy took a breath. ?Here we go. Once in every generation a Chosen One is born who will stand alone against the forces of Darkness, yadda yadda. That?s me. Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer.?

Barin would have stopped except for the slender but unexpectedly strong hand that gripped his sleeve and tugged him on. ?The Chosen One??

?Uh-huh. And trust me, sometimes the whole ?Defend the Earth from the Forces of Darkness? bit really sucks.?

Barin?s lips pursed in surprised thought, but he remained quiet. When he did speak again, it was to ask ?Vampire Slayer??

?Evil undead bloodsucking demon types.? Buffy?s hands waved expressively. ?You know. The pointy fang gang??

Barin shook his head. ?Can we assume for the moment that I do not know??

Buffy gave him a disbelieving look. ?Dracula? ?I vant to suck your blood?? Never get garlic breath but have this really bad sunlight allergy??

?The database search is still registering a blank, I fear.?

?Look, your basic demon is like a, a species,? Buffy explained. ?Cat, dog, monkey, Polgara demon, Ghora demon. Every Fyarl demon is, like, this big pale scabby bald thing with horns and a really gross sneeze.?

Barin hid a smile. ?Accurate if unflattering.?

?Vampires are different. They start human, and get infected by another vampire.? Buffy pulled a face. ?God, that makes it sound like the ?flu. A vampire has to drain them and give them some of his blood, and the human part dies and the soul goes? someplace else and a demon takes over instead. They still look human, except when they let the demon out. Then they go all fang-y and ?grr

 

Oh, dear, that -was- a blow to Spike. "Defenseless creature."

If I were Barin, I'd also be asking about the words "sucks" and "sucky" along with "vampire", but on the other hand, he's probably picking up the meaning from the context. Loved the phrase "pointy fang gang", though!

When Buffy put her hand in her pocket while she was talking about how Spike sometimes helped them for cash, I thought she was going to pull out a few fivers, but no, it was a stake. Why, if he's so defenseless and they don't actually "stake" him? Or is it just habit?

Fascinating explanation about Dawn. How'd they figure out that she wasn't Buffy's sister, or did they remember that they hadn't remembered these things before?

 

Oh, good, another post. I love this story. When's Thom going to show up? And what about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

~Swede

 

You caught the Buffy characters perfectly HaiGan. I can't wait to see what happens next with them all.

 

You know, I almost don't care if Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon show up, I'm having too much fun following Barin & pondering what Thom will do!

Buffy's explanation of vampires was cute, but if I were Barin I'd still be a bit confused. No, actually, knowing him, he's going to be intrigued by vampirism as a sort of contagious disease, and I have this vision of him chasing Spike with a hypodermic shouting "I JUST WANT A SAMPLE!!!"

Oh, I liked this bit too: ?Oh bloody hell,? he complained, standing up straight and throwing away the still unlit cigarette. ?Can?t a bloke even lurk these days?? A message to readers who don't post?

Fever's broken, I'm back to the usual congestion/coughing, so to work tomorrow. 'S just as well, I'm completely out of Kleenex. (It's not pretty. Believe me.)

Now I could say "more", but believe it or not, the ink is already worn off that key on my keyboard... I could just SWEAR it's HG's fault...

--Renata

 

Mistress Renanta beat me to it, but I do feel like this is a message to lurkers. But then again, maybe I'm just a paranoid former lurker.

I think the whole scooby gang(with the exception of Xander)finds spike to be a defenseless and pitiful creature now that he can't be a regular bloodsucker. I seem to remember them wanting to get the chip out of his head so they could have the old spike back and then kill him.
I wonder if Barin has any ideas obout the chip?

 

Nooo, no, it wasn't a sly poke at lurking readers! Lurking is just this... vampire sort of thing.

I liked 'pointy fang gang' too, but it's not mine. I think it might originally have been a Xanderism from the show itself. I meant to also say that the Obi-Wan reference was a suggestion from one of my beta-readers- credit where credit is due! (Edit... would have been nice if I hadn't neglected to actually mention her name, although she's probably not checking these boards! Thanks, Keren. ).

 

I hereby officially de-lurk.

'Fraid I've been reading since the very beginning, but I would've felt hypocritical posting without knowing who these "Scooby gang" people were . . . but I've been and read character profiles etc. on sundry Buffy-fan web-pages, so . . .

Great story! I'm loving it!

 

I have to admit that this story also has me visiting a few Buffy sites as well being a Buffy newbie. (Yep that's all I need is another obsession! )

I loved Buffy's explination to Barin, but I have a feeling that he still has a few questions to ask. Loving this HaiGan!

 

Ooh, I caught a lurker! Hi Kazaiar. I wondered if you were reading (My turn to channel Barin... actually, that's a pretty scary thought!)

Hope you're surviving work, Renata. Actually I think you might have to coddle that cold a bit longer. Can't be too careful.

Okay, a quick post and then I'm off to write something for TLST.

******

It was barely dark outside the luxurious apartment block in which Glory had taken up residence, but the trees set so tastefully about the gardens served to deepen the shade. All that could be seen of the figure that Glory faced was a pair of feet. Cloven feet of polished, cream-streaked chestnut, topped by the fraying grey wrappings of rotting linen bandages. A dim shape twitched in the distant gloom, a long, sinuous darkness that may have been a tufted tail. A blacker shape still loomed overhead, seen only by the absence of the stars it obscured.

Other figures loomed in the night-time gardens. Squat figures in rough brown robes hovered obeisantly in Glory's wake, clutching objects that glittered gold where they caught the starlight. Further back more shapes lurked among the trees, black and suspicious, letting slip their presence with low growls and guttural, laughing comments.

Glory made a happy face and clapped her hands. "Oh I do love it when people are so helpful!" she exclaimed.

The ground trembled with a sound too low for mortal ears to hear: the laughter of Hell. "It has been too long since anyone made me any truly diabolical threats." The voice was like the distant rumbling that heralded disaster; the birth-pangs of a volcano, the tearing of continents. "Evil these days is so... pathetic. So weak. So... uncommitted. I bow to you, Glorificus. You make me proud to be bad."

Glory beamed, then simpered with false modesty. "Well, one has to make the effort."

The laughter came again, crawling through the earth. "Indeed. And perhaps next time I can return the favour and call down curses that will make even your threats seem insignificant, my vaunting little godlet. After all... one has to make the effort."

Glory laughed. "Oh, I can't wait! You sweet, infernal little Fiend! Now then!" She clapped her hands and the shadows lurking between the trees came drifting forwards, light catching off dirty clothing, torn black leather and denim, tangled hair and grotesque features. Thick steel chains and studs clinked and glittered under the stars. Heavy, scuffed leather boots kicked leaves and litter from their path. Yellow eyes sparked with a lust for death and mayhem, and a hunger for fresh, rich, hot blood.

Glory's bright, excited gaze sought out one among the many- no more physically impressive than the rest, but with a malevolent intelligence about him that marked him as more than a mere thug. His bone-pale hair slunk greasily down his back in a ponytail threaded with scraps of fur and strings of teeth. His belt was hung with shanks of hair- black, brown, blonde, some plaited, some still bearing dishevelled ribbons and sparkling hair-clips. Rings pierced his lip and bony brow.

Glory took his ridged, fanged face in her hands. "Boris... your minions are all ready? All girded and goaded and raring to go?"

Boris grinned. "Gonna kick us some Slayer arse... collect some Slayer scalp... drink some Slayer blood... Oh yeah..." he chuckled, joined by his fledglings.

"Oh, this is just so exciting!" Glory patted the vampire on the head. "Well then... off you go! Bring me some lovely, yummy Slayer friends and have a wonderful Slay-the-Slayer party! Oh, fun, fun, fun!"

Glory watched as the Fiend and the vampires moved away and went sliding into the night, then all but skipped back inside with the monks trailing behind her like a flock of tattered umber vultures.

******

?It wasn?t that hard when I tried it last time.? Anya?s voice carried from the back of Giles? red open-topped sports car. Xander pressed himself back into the seat- Anya was sitting on his lap, and when those in the front could hear her, he could hear her very well indeed.

?W? well you wou

 

?What? She?s just had brain surgery, she?s supposed to be resting. Buffy will kill me if I go bringing demons home and waking her up!?


LOL!!! HaiGan, this is going great!! I don't remember the wolf-headed demon from the series, though...

 

Come on, Wolf-headed Demon! Step on Anya!

*sees HaiGan's eyes narrow*

No, sorry, meant to say, come on, Giles, step on it!