Chapter Text
October, 2000
When it came to fighting vampires Buffy had always gotten the job done, of course. It was just that she sometimes used to take a round-about way of getting there — which showed creativity, but wasn't always the most effective. Now that she was studying the philosophy along with the technique — and taking it seriously — she had internalized the principle of minimum effort, maximum efficiency. When she fought she was controlled, precise, efficient . She was scary. Giles was very happy with her progress.
"Excellent! Good work!" he said, when she finished her judo set. "Shall we work on your balance now? Cool down before calling it a day?"
"Actually, can we call it early today?" Buffy asked, stretching out her arms.
Giles rolled his eyes. "Well that work ethic certainly didn't last long."
"I'm ethical! I'm a whole ethics committee! I just need to get a present for Xander and Anya, and I still don't know what. I have to trawl the mall."
Xander and Anya had finished moving into their apartment and were having a party that night to celebrate.
"Get them something from the shop," Giles suggested. The Magic Box hadn't opened yet, but inventory was coming in and the Scoobies had been coming by sporadically to help shelve it.
"It's a housewarming, not a séance. I want to get them something useful."
"A shrine to a household deity is very useful."
Buffy looked skeptical. "Not sure it'll go with their décor."
"You're going to be cutting it close if you go to the mall."
Buffy shrugged, resigned. "I'm going to be late anyways. Riley has a pile of papers to grade tonight, he won't be able to pick me up till I'm done."
"I can drive you."
"You don't mind?"
"Of course not. And you should get the Aitvaras statue, Anya's had her eye on it."
"But what'll you get then?"
"I already got my gift. Coffee maker." Buffy raised her eyebrows at him. He smiled back. "I wanted to get them something useful."