Lexica
Persevere
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm pretty sure the most common theory on that is that Caine was boosting your gen or something.
[Buffy/WoD] What is Normal?
- Thread starter Ellf
- Start date
Spectrum
Tell me a secret~
- Location
- Behind you~
Pfft. Hunters see crazy signs also.
- Location
- Texas
Sam liked seeing her in the cheerleader fetish outfit? Does Sam have a thing for Buffy? I'll ship it.
I'm a little dense so I'm not sure what is going on still. Is Buffy no longer a/the Slayer? It wasn't all really a delusion was it? Is her 'medicine' actually blood? I've always been crap at figuring out mysteries.
I'm a little dense so I'm not sure what is going on still. Is Buffy no longer a/the Slayer? It wasn't all really a delusion was it? Is her 'medicine' actually blood? I've always been crap at figuring out mysteries.
We're not sure, my theory is she is the Slayer and she's somehow found herself in oWoD where Grout found her and is keeping her on a leash via vamp blood filled medicine capsules. She's probably gonna be a Malk, though I think Toradore fits her better. I'm kinda hoping the others find her and the fall out of her being turned is shown.
I'm not familiar with Bloodlines, but I've played a fair amount of VTM. Thirteenth gen is the default generation for starting characters in the tabletop game. Thin bloods are fourteenth and fifteenth gen. Fourteenth gen vampires are unable to consistently sire childer, while fifteenth gen vampires are unable to sire at all.
I'd have to look up the rules on domination before commenting on dominating LaCroix, but I will note that the Merit Iron Will effectively renders a character immune to domination. I remember that because my ST set it up as a genetic trait and then had a major Tzimisce NPC breeding it into her mortal servants, most of whom were neither ghouls nor revenants.
In bloodlines you are dominated at first, and then later prove yourself immune to him so it might be iron will but it looks more like someone raised your gen based on the bloodpool that one has avaible later on.
I think the first one was clearly forced as it only happens while you say no , and then are forced to leave him.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Given that you start Bloodlines with a pool of 15 blood points, and no 13th gen vamp (or even 12th gen) has that many...
Cousin talk
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Right. Short-ish scene, but there'll be more coming soon.
Celia was, for lack of a better term, Buffy's first failure. When the two of them were little, the cousins had played together, the best of friends. Their favorite game to play together was "Power Girl." Buffy, of course, was always the superhero, while her cousin needed to be saved. The two always played together as little girls were wont to do, but it wasn't to last. Celia had come down with some illness of some sort and had needed to be hospitalized. Of course, Buffy had to visit her favorite cousin in the hospital to help her get better. Once her parents were sure that Celia wasn't contagious, they took her to visit so that she and Celia could enjoy each other's company. While her parents and Celia's were out, however, Celia had died. No that wasn't quite right. Buffy had watched as Celia was…. Something had killed her. Made it look to all doctors like it was the fever, but she'd watched the girl go into convulsions and struggle against something.
In Buffy's delusion, that something was called Der Kindestod. Buffy had watched as Der Kindestod had drained the life force of her cousin, unable to do anything because she couldn't see the demon did what it did because she couldn't see it. Only the sick could see Der Kindestod, something she found out about years later when she was in the hospital with a particularly nasty flu. She'd seen the demon attack several children in the hospital. It was once she had managed to ingest a safely diluted (thanks to Willow) amount of Disease that she had managed to kill the demon. The reason she had to take the disease was because she had been on the road to complete recovery at that point.
She'd managed to assuage her guilty conscience about Celia when she'd slain Der Kindestod in her delusion, but that didn't explain why she was seeing her cousin now. Admittedly, here there was no Der Kindestod to slay, no demon to have killed her. There was no real explanation for Celia's death, and now that she thought about it, Buffy did wonder how it had happened. Buffy remembered her cousin's death the same either way. Buffy's guilt should have been handled in the delusion. If she wasn't feeling guilt over the girl's death now, why? Why had her dead cousin shown up now? Obviously the girl couldn't be real. If the entirety of Sunnydale was a delusion, and if vampires were not real, why would ghosts be? Still, the apparition stood unmoved in the mirror, obviously uncaring about her thought processes.
Guess there was no point in delaying it more. She needed to talk to her. "Celia, why are you here?"
The little girl in the mirror's smile widened just a hair, and she answered. "To talk."
"About what?" Might as well be straightforward.
"Buffy, what happened to you? You used to be Power Girl! You were strong, you were my hero! Now you're this…" Celia shook her head in disgust. "This shell."
"Hey! You try sitting in a mental hospital for six years in a delusion and see how you turn out." Buffy said sharply. She then followed that with a mutter. "Says the girl who's talking to her dead cousin in a mirror. Bastion of sanity, I am."
"That's just it, Buffy! Why are you so sure that it was a delusion?" Celia pressed.
"Celia…." Buffy waved her hand around her. "This is real life. This over here. Sunnydale was a place with monsters. Vampires, demons, magic. It was all there, and it isn't real. It can't be."
"Uh huh. And there aren't monsters here. You only thought there were, which is why you burned down that gym." Celia said, crossing her arms.
"Hey! I didn't burn it down. The fire marshals said it could have been mice." Buffy pouted.
"Mice smoking cigarettes? What is the world coming to?" Celia asked and shook her head. "When we know the real reason that the building burned down was because Lothos's touch lit up that cross. And you used it to get the vampires he brought with him out of the gym so the students would be safe."
"Vampires aren't real, Celia." Now she knew that Celia had to be a hallucination of some sort. The girl was in no way speaking like an eight year old. Of course, it meant Buffy was crazy, but that was par for the course here.
"Are you so sure they aren't? What about Doctor Grout?" Celia asked, seeming to change the subject.
"He's a great psychiatrist and has been helpful to Doctor Smith in my condition." Buffy said automatically. "Wait… Doctor who? I'm sorry, Celia, I didn't catch that."
If Celia was a delusion and she'd said something that Buffy didn't catch, something was wrong with that.
"Huh." Celia sounded a little confused. "Power Girl, I think someone might be using Red Kryptonite on you."
"… what?" Buffy's mind whirled a bit. Kryptonite was Superman's bad thing, right? What did red…. Never mind.
"Sunnydale could be real, Buffy. Remember Anya's description of the multiverse?"
"… Yeah, the world without shrimp. Sunnydale was a delusion, just like this talk." Buffy said, stressing the word delusion perhaps a bit unnecessarily.
"If it's a delusion why are you still talking to me? Your friends would probably want you back…." Celia said.
"It has to be a delusion." Buffy said quietly. "What I did… If Sunnydale wasn't a delusion, what I did was unforgivable. They couldn't take me back after that. Mom and Dad are together here. Mom's still alive here. Sunnydale has to be the delusion. Even if it means I'm crazy. Talking to dead cousins who are smarter than they should be. It might be all insane-y, but I need it."
"And there are vampires." Celia stated simply.
"And there are vam- Wait, no there aren't." Buffy said strongly.
"Doctor Grout."
"He's a great psychiatrist and has been helpful to Doctor Smith in my condition." Buffy blinked. Celia had clearly said something, but Buffy couldn't quite recall what. "Celia I-"
The doorbell rang, interrupting her. From the living room, she could hear her father get up to get the door, and her mother called out her name. Buffy turned her head back toward the mirror, and Celia was fading away.
"You think you know who you are, what's to come?" As Celia faded away, Buffy swore she saw a glimpse of desert behind her. The voice was joined by a darker tone as she continued. "You haven't even begun."
Buffy stared at the mirror, now empty of anything save her own reflection. What… was that? Was that really just a hallucination? Was it really Celia? Was it something else?
Buffy shook her head. The dead may talk. They may walk. They may feed. They may need. And the creepy voice returned. Wonderful.
"Buffy, are you ready yet? Samantha's here and waiting for you." Her mom's voice came from outside the door.
Buffy looked down at what she was wearing, brushed off her jeans and closed the wardrobe. "On my way out, Mom.
Celia was, for lack of a better term, Buffy's first failure. When the two of them were little, the cousins had played together, the best of friends. Their favorite game to play together was "Power Girl." Buffy, of course, was always the superhero, while her cousin needed to be saved. The two always played together as little girls were wont to do, but it wasn't to last. Celia had come down with some illness of some sort and had needed to be hospitalized. Of course, Buffy had to visit her favorite cousin in the hospital to help her get better. Once her parents were sure that Celia wasn't contagious, they took her to visit so that she and Celia could enjoy each other's company. While her parents and Celia's were out, however, Celia had died. No that wasn't quite right. Buffy had watched as Celia was…. Something had killed her. Made it look to all doctors like it was the fever, but she'd watched the girl go into convulsions and struggle against something.
In Buffy's delusion, that something was called Der Kindestod. Buffy had watched as Der Kindestod had drained the life force of her cousin, unable to do anything because she couldn't see the demon did what it did because she couldn't see it. Only the sick could see Der Kindestod, something she found out about years later when she was in the hospital with a particularly nasty flu. She'd seen the demon attack several children in the hospital. It was once she had managed to ingest a safely diluted (thanks to Willow) amount of Disease that she had managed to kill the demon. The reason she had to take the disease was because she had been on the road to complete recovery at that point.
She'd managed to assuage her guilty conscience about Celia when she'd slain Der Kindestod in her delusion, but that didn't explain why she was seeing her cousin now. Admittedly, here there was no Der Kindestod to slay, no demon to have killed her. There was no real explanation for Celia's death, and now that she thought about it, Buffy did wonder how it had happened. Buffy remembered her cousin's death the same either way. Buffy's guilt should have been handled in the delusion. If she wasn't feeling guilt over the girl's death now, why? Why had her dead cousin shown up now? Obviously the girl couldn't be real. If the entirety of Sunnydale was a delusion, and if vampires were not real, why would ghosts be? Still, the apparition stood unmoved in the mirror, obviously uncaring about her thought processes.
Guess there was no point in delaying it more. She needed to talk to her. "Celia, why are you here?"
The little girl in the mirror's smile widened just a hair, and she answered. "To talk."
"About what?" Might as well be straightforward.
"Buffy, what happened to you? You used to be Power Girl! You were strong, you were my hero! Now you're this…" Celia shook her head in disgust. "This shell."
"Hey! You try sitting in a mental hospital for six years in a delusion and see how you turn out." Buffy said sharply. She then followed that with a mutter. "Says the girl who's talking to her dead cousin in a mirror. Bastion of sanity, I am."
"That's just it, Buffy! Why are you so sure that it was a delusion?" Celia pressed.
"Celia…." Buffy waved her hand around her. "This is real life. This over here. Sunnydale was a place with monsters. Vampires, demons, magic. It was all there, and it isn't real. It can't be."
"Uh huh. And there aren't monsters here. You only thought there were, which is why you burned down that gym." Celia said, crossing her arms.
"Hey! I didn't burn it down. The fire marshals said it could have been mice." Buffy pouted.
"Mice smoking cigarettes? What is the world coming to?" Celia asked and shook her head. "When we know the real reason that the building burned down was because Lothos's touch lit up that cross. And you used it to get the vampires he brought with him out of the gym so the students would be safe."
"Vampires aren't real, Celia." Now she knew that Celia had to be a hallucination of some sort. The girl was in no way speaking like an eight year old. Of course, it meant Buffy was crazy, but that was par for the course here.
"Are you so sure they aren't? What about Doctor Grout?" Celia asked, seeming to change the subject.
"He's a great psychiatrist and has been helpful to Doctor Smith in my condition." Buffy said automatically. "Wait… Doctor who? I'm sorry, Celia, I didn't catch that."
If Celia was a delusion and she'd said something that Buffy didn't catch, something was wrong with that.
"Huh." Celia sounded a little confused. "Power Girl, I think someone might be using Red Kryptonite on you."
"… what?" Buffy's mind whirled a bit. Kryptonite was Superman's bad thing, right? What did red…. Never mind.
"Sunnydale could be real, Buffy. Remember Anya's description of the multiverse?"
"… Yeah, the world without shrimp. Sunnydale was a delusion, just like this talk." Buffy said, stressing the word delusion perhaps a bit unnecessarily.
"If it's a delusion why are you still talking to me? Your friends would probably want you back…." Celia said.
"It has to be a delusion." Buffy said quietly. "What I did… If Sunnydale wasn't a delusion, what I did was unforgivable. They couldn't take me back after that. Mom and Dad are together here. Mom's still alive here. Sunnydale has to be the delusion. Even if it means I'm crazy. Talking to dead cousins who are smarter than they should be. It might be all insane-y, but I need it."
"And there are vampires." Celia stated simply.
"And there are vam- Wait, no there aren't." Buffy said strongly.
"Doctor Grout."
"He's a great psychiatrist and has been helpful to Doctor Smith in my condition." Buffy blinked. Celia had clearly said something, but Buffy couldn't quite recall what. "Celia I-"
The doorbell rang, interrupting her. From the living room, she could hear her father get up to get the door, and her mother called out her name. Buffy turned her head back toward the mirror, and Celia was fading away.
"You think you know who you are, what's to come?" As Celia faded away, Buffy swore she saw a glimpse of desert behind her. The voice was joined by a darker tone as she continued. "You haven't even begun."
Buffy stared at the mirror, now empty of anything save her own reflection. What… was that? Was that really just a hallucination? Was it really Celia? Was it something else?
Buffy shook her head. The dead may talk. They may walk. They may feed. They may need. And the creepy voice returned. Wonderful.
"Buffy, are you ready yet? Samantha's here and waiting for you." Her mom's voice came from outside the door.
Buffy looked down at what she was wearing, brushed off her jeans and closed the wardrobe. "On my way out, Mom.
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Thanks for the compliment. I'll admit I had been uncertain what they were going to talk about initially.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
TheMagister
Lord Magus
The memories are returning. Now where the hell did I put that installation disc...?
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
So, some bad news that's going to cause some delays. The HDD that had this fic on it crapped out. I had to buy an HP Stream to use while waiting for a new HDD. I'll do my best to attempt to recover the data, but it's looking like I'm going to have to restart writing the next scene and use here to recover the chapter. To avoid this issue in the future, I'll be storing all of my data on my OneDrive.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Hmmm... My fic is only ever written down when I post it; beforehand, it exists only in my head. I never write notes or anything. Sure, the lag as I get further down the writing of the post sucks, but I find it easier than writing it up in Wordpad or some such and then Ctrl-C Ctrl-V.
I tend to use Googledocs for that also, especially for the easy access that it grants to beta readers.
School time
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Not sure if I like this but:
After glancing one last time at the mirror and verifying that yes, Celia was gone, Buffy made her way to the living room where Samantha was waiting. Today the brunette had her hair in a ponytail, causing it to frame her face in a way that almost looked elfin. She had a pair of jean shorts on that were only just loose enough to be interesting and a blue blouse that did similar things to her curves. Buffy had to remind herself that the last person she sl- Oh wait, that was in her imagination. Still, she was pretty sure that she was straight. Not that there would be anything wrong with her if she wasn't. Sam wasn't and that was awesome. Great. Wonderful even. Goddess, even her denials in her head sounded a bit much.
Glancing over her friend, Buffy shook her head. Sam certainly pulled off her outfit today, but the girl was her friend. She in no way was going to let it affect her. So she drew a bit on her inner Cordelia, which made sense, since the girl was a figment of her imagination anyway.
"Sammy, how'd you manage to get that outfit past my parents?" Buffy asked with a small smirk on her face. Look at the kine. All painted up pretty for the slaughter. The best wool is sheared from then.
Buffy's smirk started to fade a bit as Samantha replied. "It's all in the stance, Buffy. Are you ready to go?"
"You know it." Buffy refused to let the creepy voice dictate her feelings. Sammy was going to be fine today, and she would make sure of that. Even if it meant a return to the mental hospital, she would not let anything happen to her friend.
"Then let's get out of here." Sammy grabbed her by the arm and led her through the front door, pausing only to let Buffy say goodbye to her parents at the door.
Once outside, Buffy noticed something, more specifically she noticed the lack of something that she had expected to be there. "No car today, Sammy?"
"Well, we can't exactly have a nice walk together if we're driving to our destination, now can we?" Samantha smiled at Buffy. "Besides… the car's in the shop."
Buffy snorted and they continued walking. "What happened? It seemed fine when we went to the mall."
"Oh, the check engine light came on after class on Tuesday, and I brought it in. Turned out to be something with the timing belt or something. I don't know, I'm not that good with cars other than driving them." Samantha shrugged as they passed some playing children on the sidewalk.
"Better than me, for certain. So, where are we headed?" Buffy had to ask as the neighborhood clearly had changed a lot while she was… away. Years gone in a near-blink of an eye, and she was elsewhere. The world and we are immutable, the kine upon it are not. She was pretty sure that she wasn't included in that "we" in the creepy voice. Otherwise she'd… do something…. How do you kick the ass of a disembodied voice? It doesn't have an ass to kick.
"Oh, I figured we could have lunch at Sergio's and then take a ride on the bus down to Santa Monica so we could enjoy some time on the beach. Get some sun, sand, and enjoy the view."
"Sounds great." Buffy paused. The only Sergio's she knew of in the direction the pair were walking was… Hell. They were going to walk right past Hemery. This was going to suck. On the positive side? Daylight. If the gym wasn't full of vampires, she wouldn't need to burn it down. Not that she would need to burn it down. Not that she admitted to burning it down in the first place. Her expulsion was totally unjustified. Mice with cigarettes could easily have been the culprit. Or a burning cross clutched by a crazed master vampire, either-or.
Samantha seemed to sense Buffy's unease and offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We're just going to be walking by the campus. It's not like anyone we knew will even be there, and you have to see the renovations they did to the gym from outside."
Buffy nodded. She supposed her friend could be right. Of course, that did nothing to alleviate the combination of nervousness and guilt that set in when she saw the school zone sign, indicating that they were within range. She could see the chain link fence around the area. Being that it was a school day, there were several cars in the parking lot, and she knew that there would be more in others.
Hemery was more or less like any other high school of the area. It was made up of a few buildings connected by covered hallways, and it reflected architecture that dated back to the mid-fifties. The main building had stone steps leading up to the first floor, and Buffy remembered that was where she was told. Merrick found her there and told her about the vampires. It is what started her delusion. Was Merrick just a hallucination brought on by the delusion? Was he another man that was just delusional himself? There were a bunch of kids that went missing around that point in time who were never found as far as she knew.
She paused, staring at the steps. Remembering Merrick's death was hard. The man had killed himself rather than letting Lothos use him against her. Her first Watcher didn't want her to have to slay him so he took that choice away. No, not that choice… that possibility. A tear ran down her cheek for the departed man, be he hallucination or no.
"Hey, Buffy, are you okay?" Samantha placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder, real concern reflected on her face. "I wouldn't have had us walk by here if I knew that it'd be an issue…"
"No, I'm just remembering someone from the hallucinations that died…." Buffy said, waving it off. "He was… a good friend."
"And the stairs of our high school reminded you of him…. Wait, was this friend like that creepy guy who came up to you after school one day?" Wait, what? If Merrick was a hallucination, Sam wouldn't know about him.
"What?" Buffy asked ever so eloquently.
"Yeah, the guy… slightly balding, moustache… I remember now, he was wearing this ugly tweed suit… I think you walked off with him rather than… What, did he drug you or something? Did that cause your hallucinations and the… If he hurt you in any way…" Samantha's tone went to threatening.
"He didn't, Sammy… And he's dead. He died a few days before the gym incident. I'm okay, really. Let's go have our lunch." Buffy offered her arm to her friend again, and Samantha took it. The two continued on their way, Buffy barely pausing to give the gym a once-over. It looked brand new, which given that she'd burned it down six years ago was saying something.
The pair made idle chit-chat as they continued on their way past the school toward the restaurant, but Buffy's mind wasn't on the conversation. Merrick, the man who had told her she was the Slayer in the first place, was real. Independent confirmation placed him at the high school when she remembered him to be. She didn't hallucinate his presence. Maybe she had hallucinated the conversation, seen his death in another light. Just because Merrick was real didn't mean that vampires were, but this changed things. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
The creepy voice was now speaking in Latin. Lovely. What did all of this mean? If Merrick were truly a real person, if he had approached her at Hemery and she wasn't the Slayer, why had he come to her specifically? Merrick's approach of her only made sense if he were a Watcher and she a Slayer. But she'd displayed no Slayer abilities here. She didn't have the nagging desire to go out and hunt. She didn't even remember her dreams, for crying out loud. Nothing beyond a vague sinking feeling. Sunnydale was a hallucination. She had been delusional thinking that she was the Slayer, hadn't she?
After glancing one last time at the mirror and verifying that yes, Celia was gone, Buffy made her way to the living room where Samantha was waiting. Today the brunette had her hair in a ponytail, causing it to frame her face in a way that almost looked elfin. She had a pair of jean shorts on that were only just loose enough to be interesting and a blue blouse that did similar things to her curves. Buffy had to remind herself that the last person she sl- Oh wait, that was in her imagination. Still, she was pretty sure that she was straight. Not that there would be anything wrong with her if she wasn't. Sam wasn't and that was awesome. Great. Wonderful even. Goddess, even her denials in her head sounded a bit much.
Glancing over her friend, Buffy shook her head. Sam certainly pulled off her outfit today, but the girl was her friend. She in no way was going to let it affect her. So she drew a bit on her inner Cordelia, which made sense, since the girl was a figment of her imagination anyway.
"Sammy, how'd you manage to get that outfit past my parents?" Buffy asked with a small smirk on her face. Look at the kine. All painted up pretty for the slaughter. The best wool is sheared from then.
Buffy's smirk started to fade a bit as Samantha replied. "It's all in the stance, Buffy. Are you ready to go?"
"You know it." Buffy refused to let the creepy voice dictate her feelings. Sammy was going to be fine today, and she would make sure of that. Even if it meant a return to the mental hospital, she would not let anything happen to her friend.
"Then let's get out of here." Sammy grabbed her by the arm and led her through the front door, pausing only to let Buffy say goodbye to her parents at the door.
Once outside, Buffy noticed something, more specifically she noticed the lack of something that she had expected to be there. "No car today, Sammy?"
"Well, we can't exactly have a nice walk together if we're driving to our destination, now can we?" Samantha smiled at Buffy. "Besides… the car's in the shop."
Buffy snorted and they continued walking. "What happened? It seemed fine when we went to the mall."
"Oh, the check engine light came on after class on Tuesday, and I brought it in. Turned out to be something with the timing belt or something. I don't know, I'm not that good with cars other than driving them." Samantha shrugged as they passed some playing children on the sidewalk.
"Better than me, for certain. So, where are we headed?" Buffy had to ask as the neighborhood clearly had changed a lot while she was… away. Years gone in a near-blink of an eye, and she was elsewhere. The world and we are immutable, the kine upon it are not. She was pretty sure that she wasn't included in that "we" in the creepy voice. Otherwise she'd… do something…. How do you kick the ass of a disembodied voice? It doesn't have an ass to kick.
"Oh, I figured we could have lunch at Sergio's and then take a ride on the bus down to Santa Monica so we could enjoy some time on the beach. Get some sun, sand, and enjoy the view."
"Sounds great." Buffy paused. The only Sergio's she knew of in the direction the pair were walking was… Hell. They were going to walk right past Hemery. This was going to suck. On the positive side? Daylight. If the gym wasn't full of vampires, she wouldn't need to burn it down. Not that she would need to burn it down. Not that she admitted to burning it down in the first place. Her expulsion was totally unjustified. Mice with cigarettes could easily have been the culprit. Or a burning cross clutched by a crazed master vampire, either-or.
Samantha seemed to sense Buffy's unease and offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We're just going to be walking by the campus. It's not like anyone we knew will even be there, and you have to see the renovations they did to the gym from outside."
Buffy nodded. She supposed her friend could be right. Of course, that did nothing to alleviate the combination of nervousness and guilt that set in when she saw the school zone sign, indicating that they were within range. She could see the chain link fence around the area. Being that it was a school day, there were several cars in the parking lot, and she knew that there would be more in others.
Hemery was more or less like any other high school of the area. It was made up of a few buildings connected by covered hallways, and it reflected architecture that dated back to the mid-fifties. The main building had stone steps leading up to the first floor, and Buffy remembered that was where she was told. Merrick found her there and told her about the vampires. It is what started her delusion. Was Merrick just a hallucination brought on by the delusion? Was he another man that was just delusional himself? There were a bunch of kids that went missing around that point in time who were never found as far as she knew.
She paused, staring at the steps. Remembering Merrick's death was hard. The man had killed himself rather than letting Lothos use him against her. Her first Watcher didn't want her to have to slay him so he took that choice away. No, not that choice… that possibility. A tear ran down her cheek for the departed man, be he hallucination or no.
"Hey, Buffy, are you okay?" Samantha placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder, real concern reflected on her face. "I wouldn't have had us walk by here if I knew that it'd be an issue…"
"No, I'm just remembering someone from the hallucinations that died…." Buffy said, waving it off. "He was… a good friend."
"And the stairs of our high school reminded you of him…. Wait, was this friend like that creepy guy who came up to you after school one day?" Wait, what? If Merrick was a hallucination, Sam wouldn't know about him.
"What?" Buffy asked ever so eloquently.
"Yeah, the guy… slightly balding, moustache… I remember now, he was wearing this ugly tweed suit… I think you walked off with him rather than… What, did he drug you or something? Did that cause your hallucinations and the… If he hurt you in any way…" Samantha's tone went to threatening.
"He didn't, Sammy… And he's dead. He died a few days before the gym incident. I'm okay, really. Let's go have our lunch." Buffy offered her arm to her friend again, and Samantha took it. The two continued on their way, Buffy barely pausing to give the gym a once-over. It looked brand new, which given that she'd burned it down six years ago was saying something.
The pair made idle chit-chat as they continued on their way past the school toward the restaurant, but Buffy's mind wasn't on the conversation. Merrick, the man who had told her she was the Slayer in the first place, was real. Independent confirmation placed him at the high school when she remembered him to be. She didn't hallucinate his presence. Maybe she had hallucinated the conversation, seen his death in another light. Just because Merrick was real didn't mean that vampires were, but this changed things. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
The creepy voice was now speaking in Latin. Lovely. What did all of this mean? If Merrick were truly a real person, if he had approached her at Hemery and she wasn't the Slayer, why had he come to her specifically? Merrick's approach of her only made sense if he were a Watcher and she a Slayer. But she'd displayed no Slayer abilities here. She didn't have the nagging desire to go out and hunt. She didn't even remember her dreams, for crying out loud. Nothing beyond a vague sinking feeling. Sunnydale was a hallucination. She had been delusional thinking that she was the Slayer, hadn't she?
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Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Jack? Is that you?
I have no idea what's going on in this.