ext_7235 ([identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] still_grrr2009-07-09 07:24 pm
  • Add Memory
  • Share This Entry
Entry tags:

125 Ficlet: Don Jose Redux

Title Don Jose Redux
Author Rebcake
Rating G
Word Count 350
Prompt 125: Opera – Bizet’s Carmen, Habanera
Character Riley Finn
A/N: I’m using the English translation of Carmen. I hope that’s kosher.


Riley Finn knew his duty. The objective was to protect citizens from the depredations of monsters they never knew existed. He was also supposed to follow orders, but history had shown that wasn’t necessarily the best way to carry out the objective. Who was he to argue with history? He was always open to effective new techniques, for the good of the mission, and Buffy clearly had an incredibly effective approach. If she was one of the most fascinating girls he’d ever met, well, that was secondary. Probably.

However, he’d been entangled in the details. His superior officer, his mentor, had created the most horrible monster yet, and it had killed her. Then, he met another monster through Buffy, Oz, who was a great guy, the kind of guy you could barbecue with and talk to, well, not about sports, but other stuff. Seeing Oz classified as an experimental subject made him wonder who were the monsters and who were the citizens. Those questions were not about Buffy, not exactly.

But, now that he was AWOL, part of an escape plan involving not only a werewolf, but a witch, Hostile 17, and a supernatural Slayer, he realized Buffy had changed his world view. Not many of his peers would see him as doing his duty anymore. He was straying farther and farther from everything he’d thought was right, and he wasn’t sure he could ever go back. He hoped that Buffy wasn’t just a peculiar blonde temptress, a siren leading him to his doom. He felt wrong-footed, though his heart told him he was doing the right thing.

The thing was, he wasn’t sure if his heart was entirely under his own control anymore. He sat in the burned-out school, and while she stayed away, he felt as empty as the library shelves surrounding him. He would wait and wait, if only she would come to let him know he hadn’t thrown away his career for nothing.

When Xander showed up instead, bearing tales of Buffy’s old demon lover, Riley knew he’d been had.
Flat | Top-Level Comments Only
angelus2hot: (Riley Fight For Me)

[personal profile] angelus2hot 2009-07-10 01:08 pm (UTC)(link)
First major squeeage for Riley love!!!!!!


I love this!!!! Awesome insight into Riley's thoughts and feelings!!

[identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh. Riley gets a bum rap, because he wasn't Buffy's long haul guy, but he's not so bad. I started thinking of the parallels to Don Jose awhile ago, and he definitely comes off much better than that guy. He's way more evolved.

Thanks for commenting!

[identity profile] slaymesoftly.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Well done! Poor Riley.

[identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks! All things considered, Riley does really well when his world tilts on its axis. It's hard, yes, but he pulls through and is finally able to deal (relatively) maturely with his disappointment. I'll never be a shipper, but he's much more together than Don Jose in the opera. (I'm sure the parallels where intentional.)

[identity profile] louise39.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Riley sure has been through a lot of changes to his ideal world. Poor guy.

[identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm sure it's hard to deal with, at first, but he comes through. He's a lot more resilient than we generally give him credit for. Thanks for commenting!

[identity profile] brunettepet.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Excellent capture of Riley's tumbled emotions about his shifting loyalties. The last line feels like the straw that broke the camel's back. Excellent job.

[identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks! I've been thinking of Riley's parallels to the Don Jose character from Carmen for awhile, and he definitely comes off the better man. It's always hard when so much you thought you knew is proved wrong (I've been there). It makes sense he would rely on Buffy to show him the way, but their romance was always going to be fleeting. That he was able to move on with relative grace is impressive.
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Riley monster)

[personal profile] snickfic 2009-07-10 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, ouch ouch on that last line. Also, it never occurred to me to wonder how Riley felt about effectively being rescued by Spike.

Yay for you writing Riley! I liked the guy all the way through S4, so I'm always excited to see him get a little attention.

[identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, Riley had to deal with a lot of changes once he met Buffy. He shows remarkable resilience, IMO. I'm not sure Spike was as much a problem for him at this point as Angel was. He's the Toreador figure in the Carmen analogy, bigger than life. Spike was probably lumped in with all the other weirdness. We all know Spike is going to come from behind though, right? Thanks for commenting!

[identity profile] brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
he wasn’t sure if his heart was entirely under his own control anymore - very neat. Because we know it's not, in a number of ways. Good to see some Riley writing, reminding us of the things he gave up for Buffy and 'right'.

[identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com 2009-07-10 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Riley sacrificed a lot of concrete things in his life, if not for Buffy, then because of the things he learned from his association with her. That he was able to move on from his disappointment with their failed romance is to his credit, I think.
Flat | Top-Level Comments Only