BtVS Ficlet: "A Watcher's Work" (Dawn)
Jan. 17th, 2006 08:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alixtiiTitle: A Watcher's Work
Fandom: Buffy/Angel
Character: Dawn
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A Watcher's work is doing what needs to be done.
A Watcher's Work
Dawn sighed. “Elizabeth Ainsworth,” she said, her voice steady, “you have been found to be in contravention of the guidelines and regulations of the Watcher’s Council of Britain through the dereliction of your duties as a Slayer in the unnecessary killing of a Walter Shaw. Disciplinary action will be taken as in accordance with Council procedure.” She closed the file in front of her, then looked to the two Slayers which flanked the perpetrator. “You may escort her out.”
As the Slayers left the room, Elizabeth’s Watcher spoke up. “Dr. Summers,” he said, “with all due respect, the man she killed was a child molester. He would have—”
Dawn stood up. “I am well aware of the particulars of the case,” she snapped, causing him to stop mid-sentence. “The man was a monster, and the world is better off now that he is dead. But that does not change the fact that your Slayer has killed a man. Nothing you or I ever do will be able to restore her innocence to her.”
She moved out from behind her desk, confronting the Watcher one-to-one. “The Council turns to the Slayers because only they have the strength and skill to fight the vampires. We do not do it because we are afraid to do the dirty work ourselves.”
He simply stared at her, not understanding. “Shaw was a human,” Dawn continued. “He was not a vampire or a sorcerer or a demon. It did not require a Slayer to end his life. But still you let a little girl kill him instead of doing it yourself. It is our job to take such burdens on ourselves so that our Slayers don’t have to. It’s why they have Watchers. Now your failure has turned a Slayer into a murderer.”
She turned away from him. “You are relieved of your duties as a Watcher, effective immediately. If we find you involved in Council business ever again, our response will be swift. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, a tremble in his voice.
“Good,” she answered, her back still to him. “I hope I never see you again, Mr. Carwin.” She heard the door open and close as he hastily made his exit.
Dawn just sighed again, although she felt like screaming. Now she knew how Quentin Travers must have felt.
Fandom: Buffy/Angel
Character: Dawn
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A Watcher's work is doing what needs to be done.
A Watcher's Work
Dawn sighed. “Elizabeth Ainsworth,” she said, her voice steady, “you have been found to be in contravention of the guidelines and regulations of the Watcher’s Council of Britain through the dereliction of your duties as a Slayer in the unnecessary killing of a Walter Shaw. Disciplinary action will be taken as in accordance with Council procedure.” She closed the file in front of her, then looked to the two Slayers which flanked the perpetrator. “You may escort her out.”
As the Slayers left the room, Elizabeth’s Watcher spoke up. “Dr. Summers,” he said, “with all due respect, the man she killed was a child molester. He would have—”
Dawn stood up. “I am well aware of the particulars of the case,” she snapped, causing him to stop mid-sentence. “The man was a monster, and the world is better off now that he is dead. But that does not change the fact that your Slayer has killed a man. Nothing you or I ever do will be able to restore her innocence to her.”
She moved out from behind her desk, confronting the Watcher one-to-one. “The Council turns to the Slayers because only they have the strength and skill to fight the vampires. We do not do it because we are afraid to do the dirty work ourselves.”
He simply stared at her, not understanding. “Shaw was a human,” Dawn continued. “He was not a vampire or a sorcerer or a demon. It did not require a Slayer to end his life. But still you let a little girl kill him instead of doing it yourself. It is our job to take such burdens on ourselves so that our Slayers don’t have to. It’s why they have Watchers. Now your failure has turned a Slayer into a murderer.”
She turned away from him. “You are relieved of your duties as a Watcher, effective immediately. If we find you involved in Council business ever again, our response will be swift. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, a tremble in his voice.
“Good,” she answered, her back still to him. “I hope I never see you again, Mr. Carwin.” She heard the door open and close as he hastily made his exit.
Dawn just sighed again, although she felt like screaming. Now she knew how Quentin Travers must have felt.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 02:17 am (UTC)This is a very interesting view of Dawn's duties. I love your fics that explore the difficulties in being a Watcher. Great job!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 02:39 am (UTC)Because, you know, I never write those. ;)
I really think this is what being a Watcher means to Dawn (and to Giles): as I put it in another ficlet, braving purgatory to win others their chances in heaven. (Note that this is also what the Operative in Serenity saw himself as doing.) Here we get to see her impatience with a Watcher unwilling to make the same sacrifice. This particular scene has actually been pretty vivid in my head for sometime now.
Watcher!Dawn is, of course, very close to my heart, so I'm glad that you enjoy these ficlets too. Thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 07:28 am (UTC)Gina
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 03:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 03:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 03:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-19 01:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-19 05:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-20 06:52 pm (UTC)Hmm. I have difficulty with the argument that killing a man robs a Slayer of her innocence. Maybe it's my vegetarianism showing or something, but I feel like the first time they kill a demon that specific innocence [I clarify because I think I've become less innocent in a number of ways in a variety of gradations at a number of moments] is shattered. Demons may be evil, but they're sentient creatures, so there's still that feeling of "I killed something . . . it died at my hands . . . etc."
“The Council turns to the Slayers because only they have the strength and skill to fight the vampires. [...] He was not a vampire or a sorcerer or a demon. It did not require a Slayer to end his life. [...] ”
That's an interesting argument as to why there's the "Kill no human" rule for Slayers, and certainly makes more sense than the soul/no soul distinction.
**Intentional Fallacy Alert**
Date: 2006-01-21 02:56 am (UTC)I think it's plausible that some of that reasoning has persisted into the newer, reformed Council. The remaining old-school elements within it would continue to fear the Slayers' power, and even the newer Watchers would justly fear the possibility of Slayers going rogue. Also, given the sheer number of Slayers post-"Chosen" the probability approaches certainty that a significant number of them would go rogue. It seems reasonable to me then that even Giles and Dawn might--acting out of the best of intentions, of course--find themselves involved in activities designed to limit the autonomy of the Slayers under their guidance.
Personally, I tend to believe that all people deserve a fair trial, yadda yadda yadda. Dawn's "he's better off dead" is not my position, no matter how horrible the man might have been. However, I characterize both Dawn and Giles as individuals willing to abandon these rules when they feel it is necessary. (I think that canon strongly supports this characterization for Giles, and makes it plausible for Dawn.) A Watcher is ultimately accountable to no one but the Council. Running the Council, Dawn and Giles are accountable to no one but themselves. This makes them extremely dangerous, and I think they recognize that fact.
There exists a single check/balance to that power: the fact that both Dawn and Giles are, ultimately, only human. A Slayer who decided that she was above the law in the way that Dawn and Giles have decided they are would be nigh unstoppable, except by other Slayers. Power corrupts, and to have both the freedom to decide who lives and dies and Slayer strength would be to have, in the opinion of the Council, absolute power.
Note that I am more interested in my writing about the former type of power than the latter. The way that Dawn and Giles act as moral supermen--truly in the wake of the Nietzschean ubermensch--fits neatly into my thoughts on how fanfic, and Buffy fanfic in particulars, acts as an expression of the adolescent fantasy, or of the will to power. That does not mean, however, that I approve of the actions: I think Giles was wrong to kill Ben in "The Gift" for example.
I also don't think that Dawn and Giles completely have fallen into the trap of thinking of themselves as moral supermen (I'll keep the sexist usage because it befits the Nietzschean overtones and also because "superpeople" just sounds stupid). Like the Operative in Serenity, they know that what they do is evil but do it anyway to earn others their place in heaven.
As such, I really do think Dawn and Giles feel that such action as I describe in the fic above exists to preserve a Slayer's "innocence." While I agree with you that the soul/no-soul distinction doesn't necessary make much sense (although the challenge of writing in a world which is metaphysically Platonist has its own allure), I do think Dawn and Giles continue to believe in it: Giles supports Buffy killing vampires but is proud that she won't kill Ben (and kills Ben so she won't have to). So I do think that Giles (and by extension, Dawn) believes that it is possible to spare a Slayer's innocence by committing evil acts (the killing of people with souls) which "need" to be performed and thus preventing her from having to do it.
In Dawn's case, however, I do think this is half the case, and the other half is that she does recognize that there are potentially evil acts (the killing of demons without souls who are potentially redeemable) which she is simply incapable of performing, and then no matter how much she doesn't like it she must turn to others to her dirty work for her.
I'm glad my ficlet was such food for thought! Thank you.