001 - Every time that I wake it's like I only wake into a dream

[want_take_have]

[she dreamt of a picnic.

Mayor Wilkins was there. Happy. Whole. Cracking his stupid, corny jokes that should have made her roll her eyes...except they didn't. There was a nagging sense of deja vu, like she'd seen this before and it hadn't ended well, but they finished their meal and he talked with her and...nothing happened. It was perfect.

She was content enough that she laid back on the grass and closed her eyes, just enjoying the breeze against her face and the fact that, for once, she didn't have to be on edge.

When she woke, she could still feel the hint of that breeze. An illusion, of course. Something left over from her imagination, because you didn't get wind in prison cells. She kept her eyes closed though, trying to pretend, because she wasn't quite ready to let it go...except there was a dull ache between her shoulder blades that wouldn't let her fully relax. Finally, she swore, grit her teeth, and opened her eyes-





...And stared.

It takes a few minutes of quietly freaking out before she finds the journal, and a few more before she gets ahold of herself enough to attempt to use it. She was from Sunnydale...She could handle screwed up. She'd figure it out as she went. Right?

When she actually speaks, she sounds pretty chill, especially to anyone who doesn't know what she sounds like when she's wigged.]

So...not saying I totally buy the whole "this is real" thing, 'cause this is all kinds of messed up...but pretending I did...where's a girl gotta go to get a hard drink around here?

[because she really, really needed one]

Comments

[herotypical]

[ buffy knows she needs to confirm faith's when; this is of the supremest importance -- especially if she continues being chatty with others from the town.

but buffy's always tried a little too much with faith lehane. offered a few too many chances. so instead of cutting to the quick, she responds with information: ] Dimensional bleed. And we're the blood. We flow into this place and then we sit here. Stuck. And worse yet? Funnelled into this town by mad scientists hell bent on using us to experiment their way to their own freedom.

[ informative? yes. warm? no. ]

1/2

[want_take_have]

[comforting it ain't...and it's a whole lot of details she's not really ready to process. Irritable and stressed and still more than a little panicked, she responds without thinking]

So something's funky in funky town. What else is new? Just tell me who I have to kill to make it go back to normal.

2/2

[want_take_have]

[she knows it's a mistake the instant the words are out of her mouth. Because maybe this is a dream and maybe it isn't, but this is hitting all sorts of her insecurities and she's so not ready to deal with Buffy on top of all this]

-God...I didn't... [mean it? Can she even say that?] Forget it. This is...some kinda dimension thing? For real?

Re: 2/2

[herotypical]

[ faith's hesitating. she's rocky. and maybe she hasn't always been the neatest sack-o-hammers but buffy's gut tells her that this isn't the same reformed slayer who lopped off turok han heads with her under the new high school.

buffy takes this as bad news. ]

As far as I can tell? For very real. The wings are like genetic camouflage or life support. Lose'em and you're...[ wait. should she be telling faith how to best kill people in this town? buffy swallows hard. the sentence is a doozie to finish. ] Toast.

Welcome to Luceti.

[want_take_have]

[as far as Faith's concerned, it's definitely not good news.

...She never thought prison would actually sound like the better alternative]

...This is messed up.

[she'd like to wake up now, please]

[herotypical]

[ she feels absolutely no obligation to wear the kid gloves around faith. ] It gets messier. I'm talking full-fledged sci-fi violation of basic human rights.

[want_take_have]

[normally it's mutual...but right now she's really, really missing Angel]

...guess that explains the fetish getup.

[herotypical]

[ join the club. the missing-angel club. naturally, buffy is president. ]

If your own clothes aren't in a neat-freak folded pile nearby? Then you can find something in town. Free of charge, you'll be glad to hear.

[want_take_have]

[deep breath]

...guess that beats city prices.

[she's lost. She doesn't know where to go, and somehow finding herself here managed to temporarily chuck all her new found determination and resolve out the window. She was officially freaked. But one thing was still certain...there was no way she was asking Buffy for help.]

[herotypical]

[ to bad for you, faith! equipped with jack's magical compass, she could've easily found you. maybe. possibly. potentially not at all. since it'd involve WANTING to find you... ]

The trade off? Some of us get the Hotel California treatment. [ ... ] I just kicked off my fourth year here.

[want_take_have]

[that stops her in her tracks]

Say what?

[herotypical]

Here's limbotastic like that. Time doesn't pass the same way. Years here isn't even a second, back home. Some day? I'll get shunted back and I won't even remember being here. It'll be like nothing happened.

[want_take_have]

[she'd already been in prison with a much longer sentence attached...but the idea of being stuck in a prison with Buffy for even four years made her throat tighten]

...Guess you must be just dyin' to get out.

[herotypical]

[ not...exactly. ]

I've got a livelihood to get back to, yeah. [ a beat. ] What's the last thing you remember? From home?

[want_take_have]

Always were the responsible one.

[a beat]

Lots of bars and crappy jumpsuits. And some really funky meatloaf from the cafeteria. ...Maybe I should be hopin' this is food poisoning.

[there's a slight edge of babble to her words. She took a few steps towards the journal, ready to pick it up, and then backed off again. Pacing. She'd get there. She just...needed a few more minutes]

[herotypical]

[ jail. that's...actually not very helpful. could be anywhere from the few years she was locked up. ]

Got a year to go with that?

[want_take_have]

...2000.

[it was a strange question, and it added to the disorientation that was already freaking her out]

Why? When else would it be?

[She hadn't gone into another coma. Please tell her she hadn't lost more time]

[herotypical]

...Nearly 2005, for me.

[ but, 2000. that means... ] You just went in.

[want_take_have]

[there's a stab of panic at that. Five years? She'd lost five years? How?]

Four months.

[it's a distracted correction, but important. Four months wasn't exactly a short time]

I've been there four months.

[herotypical]

Time...freaks out a bit, here. We get pulled from all different points.

[want_take_have]

It's not the only thing freaking out.

[deep breaths] you tellin' me you're really from 2005?

[herotypical]

...'Fraid so. Plus the three years living here. Might as well just call me Grandma Buffy.

[ she jokes, sure. but she is still terribly tense. this situation needs to be handled and it needs to be handled soon.

still: ] Except don't really call me that. Ever.

[want_take_have]

Damn.

[herotypical]

...Couldn't have said it better myself, actually.

[want_take_have]

So.

[this is uncomfortable] Guess I've really been coolin' my heels awhile, when you're from.