7th Dusting

[makeitquick]

[So okay, earlier today, Melaka was on a ship. She said she'd sign up for it and she actually had a lot of fun touring around it, meeting people, and generally getting to know what was going on in the high seas. In any case, the point is that her spirits are much higher now than in December. So much so that when the makes it home and deals with Gates... she decides to finally try something she learned apparently is a check to see if people made it home she learned the other day.]

[Voice // Filtered to Harth (BROKEN)]

Hey, Harth- are... [it fails.] ...Hah. [She thought so.

She's not sure if she should feel empty or relieved. So about a month now, she knew this was going to be the case. She knew that Harth was gone. That's part of why she freaked out last month. But anyway, she now considers how she wants to spend her night? Patrol? No. Summers? Maybe, but not really. She considers... and for some reason her mind comes back to Azusa. She hasn't seen the other woman all day, but the idea of a beer with her sounds appealing right now. Well, she just made a filter, might as well make a another ones - last time she did it public, people commented on her after all]

[Voice // Filtered to Azusa (BROKEN)]

Azu, we gotta get a- [it fails.] ... Azu? C'mon, beer- [it fails.] ...Azu? [A pause. And she tries to flip through the journal to try to find that thing where he ping people. She's not there. Her voice actually sounds a bit scared] ...Azu? Azu, are you-? [It fails.

...It failed. She's... gone? She remembers the emotional reactions she's seen other people have. Buffy, when she was numb. That Cordelia woman just the other day. And during those times, she thought those people were just... silly. Because going home, that's the dream. she wants nothing more than to go home every single day she's here, there's no excepts. but right now, all that she knows is that most likely, she will never see Azusa Miura again. For some reason, she looks around her flat and sees some of the gifts she got some that woman. And... she... she's sad. She's really sad, for some reason. a lump is growing in her throat. Which is why this next part comes out throaty]

[Voice // Public]

...S-Summers. [F-fuck, she actually had her voice crack] ...Chief? Whoever. Let's get a beer.

[And even if Buffy refuses, she's going to be at the bar (Good Spirits, that is). she'll probably look silly because she'll be sitting next to a little stuffed dog as she nurses her... whatever. She doesn't even know what she's drinking. she doesn't even really care right now. The drinking isn't even a coping mechanism, not really. It's just that right now her body feels heavy and what she most wants to do (to be on a grab, to take something, to get in a fight) isn't incredibly possible here except in that stupid dome, which won't feel right and she knows it. ...Except maybe that Isaac guy? No, no. she's in a bad mood, she can't possibly focus for that sort of fight if he's at all what he talks like.

EDIT: for the broken filters feel free to assume any or all of that is public]

Comments

[herotypical]

...People are part of that home, aren't they? Even your Warrens've gotta have some kinda community.

[makeitquick]

[A light pause, a light smile]

'Course we do. ...Made an army of that comm, once.

[herotypical]

...I'd expect not an inch less.

[makeitquick]

...Yeah. Army. Fought for home from the lurks and... Harth.

[Burned it]

[herotypical]

They followed you? Good. Good to know that things don't go back to the one-Slayer-stands-alone mess.

[ never you mind just how often she falls into that trap anyway.] ]

[makeitquick]

Still only Slayer.

[Sharply. Maybe a little defensively. And really... she's still not sure them following her was the right thing. also where's her drink her fingers are twitching]

[herotypical]

So was I. Practically. For almost a decade. Well -- might as well have been.

[ faith only sometimes counts, in her mind.

but at least she does indeed sometimes count. ]

Doesn't mean you didn't lead others.

[makeitquick]

...Didn't. [She didn't. She barely- no. It was her operation. She said as much to her sister, but that was to Erin. Here to Summers, with her mood like this, her stomach is in knots]

Didn't... well. I did. Army of rutting normal people versus all the lurks.

[Suicide]

[herotypical]

...Nothing simple about that. [ she thinks back to the battle over sunnydale high. the first time. ]

How many survived?

[makeitquick]

Less than went in.

[ Nnngh]

[herotypical]

...Only slightly less scary than the opposite. [ more coming out.

extra vamps. ]

[makeitquick]

Huh- [Briefly confused and- oh, wait, she means lurks. She shakes her head. No, fortunately, they did a lot of damage there.] Yeah, point.

[herotypical]

...Did you win?

[makeitquick]

Fought off heart, killed the womb-filled snake. Burned a buncha lurks. [...] Exchangin' a lot of people, and... we burned our homes.

[herotypical]

...Collateral damage. I watched my home -- a whole town -- crumble into a crater, once. Even when you win, it feels a little bittersweet.

[makeitquick]

...Jesu, Summers, show me up more.

[That's said with a tired sort of mirth]

[herotypical]

...Oh, because it's such a thing to boast about. [ a half smile. ]

We only survived 'cause of a vamp.

[makeitquick]

What?

[How on Earth does that work? a lurk?]

[herotypical]

You know how I told you about Angel being a vampire with a soul?

[makeitquick]

[A slow nod. And in fact, she'll sip a drink now]

[herotypical]

Pretty sure I told you there was only two of the fanged folk back home who had them. Angel was the first -- Spike's another. He didn't just save us; he saved the world. And he recently arrived.

[makeitquick]

Another lurk.

[That's what she hears first. But then she considers the rest. Saved the world? That's a higher premium than people were giving Angel]

[herotypical]

He burned up for the sake of it. Gave his unlife.

[ buffy normally does not tell this story for spike. normally, she sees it as his tale to tell. however -- with melaka? honesty is more important. after all, this is HER world too. this is her business -- vampires, the supernatural, and even the complicated notion of sacrifice.

because that's what a slayer was, in the end. from the very moment she was called. sacrifice. ]

[makeitquick]

[The nature of sacrifice is a weird one. Spike, Buffy is telling him, gave up his "life" to save them all. In and of itself, it's a noble act - but it wasn't his life to begin with. As a lurk, he's living on borrowed if not stolen time. So that... belittles it, doesn't it. She looks down at her drink, not wanting to overtly disagree with the woman (she doesn't know the circumstances) but...]

Huh, that's something.

[herotypical]

[ n-no, buffy would probably agree with her to an extent. after all -- she had allowed spike to make that sacrifice knowing that it was patently different from a human making that choice. ]

He can be kinda mouthy. But he's one of ours. Our team.