[August 14] [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] Horns and Fangs

[of-carabas.livejournal.com]

Title: Horns and Fangs
Day/Theme: August 14th/All night long I've held your hand
Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Character: Ethan, Giles
Rating: G

In the old days, night was the time for truly living. Not because that was when you had to fight the monsters, while your real life, your decent life, was lived by the light of day. No, night was the time for living because we were the monsters. And can you really tell me you didn't enjoy it?

Well. You can, I suppose. But you'd be lying. Which is all you ever do anymore, isn't it? This whole life of yours. Ripper the librarian. You have no idea how long I laughed at that.

It's not that I haven't played at similar roles, set up nice society-friendly lives. But it's a game, Ripper. It's not real. Because underneath everything, we are monsters, you and me. We may not have horns or fangs, but that just makes it all the more interesting, doesn't it? The wolves get to walk among the sheep.

Except you decided to become a complete idiot and start thinking that you're one of the sheep. That you can live with them, as one of them, happily ever after.

That's when I stopped laughing, by the way. Oh, I knew you'd 'moved on' from our old games. But I honestly never imagined you could try to make yourself so... so... dull.

You remember how we used to treat the sheep whose lives were unbearably dull, don't you? We helped them. Poor things didn't know any better, really. And we were their saviors, all good will, holding their hands as we introduced them to the night and all the wonderful things that lurk in it, all the things that make life fun. Kicking and screaming, we helped them.

You do know better, Ripper. You just need a little more hand-holding to remind you.

And maybe a set of horns. To drive the point home.

...oh, who am I kidding, the horns are just for laughs.