It was great that Slayers had an equal voice in Council policy these days, but Faith could seriously do without the quarterly meetings. She didn't care about statistics and spells and negotiations with governments and their spaghetti-tangle of committees and operations, and Mother of God, would Willow just get to the point already?
Across the table, B's eyes were glazing over. Faith felt perfectly justified drawing her knife and starting to pare her fingernails. Yeah, it was rude, but when it came to cutting off a torrent of Willow-babble, the ends totally justified the means.
"Willow. The data is, I'm sure, fascinating, but if you would skip to the conclusion, please?" said Giles. Faith could have kissed him.
"The point. Oh. Right." Willow tidied her papers and clicked through several PowerPoint slides, looking flustered. "Well, the point is that the demon population numbers in New York City don't make sense. They're too low, even with the five Slayers we have in Brooklyn. And word from the demon bars is that there's a new assassin in town, who turned down an offer from the Order of Taraka and then killed the three operatives sent against her."
Faith blinked. Okay, for this, the meeting was almost worthwhile. "Do we know anything about this person? Name, species, prefered weapons? Do we even know she's an assassin, not just a freelance hunter?"
Willow shrugged. "We know she's female; apparently she doesn't hide that. Probably human, but that's less certain. She calls herself the Dagger of Jericho or something like that, and she's been taking most of her contracts from Wolfram and Hart, but Lorne and I don't think she actually works for them, just that they pay best, or maybe they have access to something she wants." She bit her lip, fingers drumming nervously on the edge of her laptop.
"And?" said B, sitting up and giving Willow an encouraging look. "Come on, Wills, what did you do?"
Willow flushed guiltily. "Well, I know I shouldn't go poking around anything tied to the Circle of the Black Thorn without backup, but I've been trying to keep security tighter since that thing last year with the Sarguls, and I did a scrying spell, and I think this Jericho Dagger person might not be from our world."
Faith dropped her knife, her hand curling around the black portal stone she always wore around her neck. "Do you think...?"
"Yeah," said Willow, nodding. "I think she's the Sarguls' first assassin. And I think she wants to go home."
Go on, guess the crossover :-)
Across the table, B's eyes were glazing over. Faith felt perfectly justified drawing her knife and starting to pare her fingernails. Yeah, it was rude, but when it came to cutting off a torrent of Willow-babble, the ends totally justified the means.
"Willow. The data is, I'm sure, fascinating, but if you would skip to the conclusion, please?" said Giles. Faith could have kissed him.
"The point. Oh. Right." Willow tidied her papers and clicked through several PowerPoint slides, looking flustered. "Well, the point is that the demon population numbers in New York City don't make sense. They're too low, even with the five Slayers we have in Brooklyn. And word from the demon bars is that there's a new assassin in town, who turned down an offer from the Order of Taraka and then killed the three operatives sent against her."
Faith blinked. Okay, for this, the meeting was almost worthwhile. "Do we know anything about this person? Name, species, prefered weapons? Do we even know she's an assassin, not just a freelance hunter?"
Willow shrugged. "We know she's female; apparently she doesn't hide that. Probably human, but that's less certain. She calls herself the Dagger of Jericho or something like that, and she's been taking most of her contracts from Wolfram and Hart, but Lorne and I don't think she actually works for them, just that they pay best, or maybe they have access to something she wants." She bit her lip, fingers drumming nervously on the edge of her laptop.
"And?" said B, sitting up and giving Willow an encouraging look. "Come on, Wills, what did you do?"
Willow flushed guiltily. "Well, I know I shouldn't go poking around anything tied to the Circle of the Black Thorn without backup, but I've been trying to keep security tighter since that thing last year with the Sarguls, and I did a scrying spell, and I think this Jericho Dagger person might not be from our world."
Faith dropped her knife, her hand curling around the black portal stone she always wore around her neck. "Do you think...?"
"Yeah," said Willow, nodding. "I think she's the Sarguls' first assassin. And I think she wants to go home."