Drabblery

[beer_good_foamy]

For open_on_sunday's prompt "Prosper", and slightly inspired by this drabble by a2zmom:

An Offer You Can't Refuse

The oldest active contract isn't with the British crown or the Vatican, as many assume; far from it. They're just the ones who never fail to pay. (Shi Huangdi cancelled all payments to afford the wall. Hammurabi's deal was reinstated in the 1990s AD after a brief interruption.)

Naturally, it's all very hush-hush; there's no "Watcher's Council" post in any national budgets nowadays. Continuity, consistency, safety are the keywords, and you can't risk elected plebs or revolutionaries asking questions. A few million, a few girls... You can't be expected to keep the world safe on a normal wage, can you?

---

For shego2drakken, who wanted something with Wash in it, and inspired by some of the recent Dollhouse and Twilight discussions:

Two Points

"Wait, what are you... ooooh no you don't!" Wash wrestles the girl from the nav computer. It's surprisingly difficult; she's slippery like a cat, and keeps babbling hysterically about a calm before the storm or possibly the other way around. "SIMON! Your sister's being charming again!"

The others arrive, and before Simon manages to calm her down she points - to Mal, to Wash, to Simon, who knows - and yells that they can't keep them safe.

The hell I can't, Wash mutters as he resets the autopilot. The girl had plotted a course straight for reaver territory, how's that for safe?

Comments

BtVS

[ladyjane]

What did you do that? *headdesk* I loved it.

First I wondered when Spike would start demanding 'protection' money from folks in the heavily demon-infested towns. ;D

Then I figured out that whole Dracula mess could have been avoided if Transylvania had paid their bill on time.

NOW, *headdesk* I've got Angel stuck in my head, sitting in Michael Corleone's chair, quietly informing the Pope that he would be glad to arrange for a Slayer to be stationed at the Vatican. "It pleases me that I can do a favor for a friend. And if I should, some time in the future, need a small favor..." ;D

Re: BtVS

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Well, the Romanian economy is what it is. :-) Thanks!

[shapinglight]

That first one is chilling.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[sam-arkand.livejournal.com]

Oddly, the "arrangement" in the first drabble is almost exactly how (barring the ominous tone) my post-Chosen slayer's organization works. David Nabbit provided the initial seed money, on the "if you can't be Batman, fund Batman" principle. The Vatican, the Western powers, and sundry wealthy people who think apocalypses are "bad for business" provide more funding and sub rosa political/diplomatic support.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Well, it beats bank robbery... :-) Thanks for reading!