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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 8, 2011 15:45:54 GMT -5
It was dark. The only light was an orange-yellow glow off in the distance. Buffy could feel cool sand between her toes. She looked down and frowned as she realized she was wearing pajama pants and a matching tank top. Okay, so she'd decided to wander around outside in her pajamas with no shoes?
Buffy headed toward the light without fully knowing why. She didn't think about it much. Soon she was approaching a small fire. Its light revealed more of the dessert around her. There was something oddly familiar about this, but Buffy couldn't quite pinpoint why. She stood beside the fire and looked around. Was anybody here?
"You are not the slayer."
She jumped in surprise as she heard a low, raspy voice. She couldn't tell where it was coming from as she looked around.
"What?"
Buffy stood very still, scanning the area with her eyes and listening for any movement.
"You no longer know what a slayer is."
She sighed.
"Okay, are you just gonna talk a bunch of smack behind my back, or are you gonna say this stuff to my face?"
She put her hands on her hips and waited for some kind of response.
"A slayer is strong, solitary. Death is her destiny."
Buffy frowned. This was all starting to sound familiar.
"Tell that to the people who keep resurrecting me," she muttered.
There was movement off to the side. Buffy saw it out of the corner of her eye and turned her head. Whatever it was had moved out of her field of vision very quickly.
"The slayer line is broken. You have broken it. Now you must all pay the price to repair it."
Buffy whirled around out of instinct. Something was behind her. She could sense it. She gasped when she saw the painted, primal face of Sineya, the first slayer. Immediately, she was filled with dread. A visit from the first slayer was never good.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
Sineya circled her slowly and Buffy kept her eyes on her.
"One girl in all the world. One girl with the strength and skill to combat the forces of darkness. Upon her death the power passes to another. Only one."
Sineya reached out a hand to clasp Buffy's shoulder. Buffy cried out and stumbled slightly, not expecting Sineya to be able to touch her at all, let alone for her grip to be so strong.
"Only. One."
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Buffy awoke with a gasp. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed, breathing heavily. A cold sweat had broken out all over her body. She looked around the dark hotel room and groped along the nightstand. Her fingers found the lamp and she switched it on, filling the room with soft yellow light. She looked around again and started to relaxed when she recognized her surroundings. Or, at least, she vaguely recognized them. This was the first time she'd actually been to the Hyperion Hotel.
With a heavy sigh, Buffy kicked off the covers and got out of bed. She walked over to the bathroom and switched on the light. It was harsher than the light in the main room and she looked pale and ghostly in the mirror above the sink. Her hair was rumpled and messy. She must have tossed and turned a lot in her sleep. With the dream she'd just had, she wasn't surprised.
She ran the water in the sink and ran her hands under the cool stream before splashing some water on her face. It didn't make her feel any better and the sudden blast of cold to her face jostled her awake, leaving any trace of sleep behind. Buffy turned off the water and grabbed a hand towel from the rack, patting her face dry.
The dream had left a sick feeling in her stomach, one she didn't get very often. Experience told her what it meant, but she didn't want to believe it, not until she had proof - something other than her gut to tell her this wasn't just a nightmare.
Buffy shut off the bathroom light and walked over to the main door to her room, sliding the deadbolt and chain out of place. If that had been a premonition, she wouldn't be the only one in the building to have gotten the message. She slipped out of her room and closed the door behind her, wandering slowly down the long hallway. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Aug 8, 2011 17:25:04 GMT -5
Faith barely remembered the dream that had woken her up. She'd seen a lot of girls, and one by one they'd disappeared. She wasn't sure who they all were or where they went. Even as she opened her eyes the memory of the dream was fading.
She sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She'd fallen asleep in her clothes: jeans, tank top, boots. She'd been so exhausted from the past few days she'd passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Faith sat there for a moment, rubbing her eyes and trying to wake up. She didn't even know what time it was. She guessed it didn't matter. She'd probably go back to sleep soon, anyway, once she had a cigarette and maybe a drink.
Faith stood up and walked over to the chair she'd tossed her denim jacket onto. She dug a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of one of the pockets and eyed the window beside her overlooking the street. The last time she'd tried to light up in her room the smoke detector had gone off. Luckily Connor and Angel were the only ones around at the time. If that happened now she'd have a mini-army of cranky slayers to deal with. She'd have to suck it up and smoke outside.
Faith pulled out a cigarette and put the box on the table. She grabbed her jacket and felt around in the pockets for her room key before she headed out the door. She didn't have much in her room to steal, but it was still her room and her stuff. She'd be damned if someone was going to walk in and poke around. She closed and locked the door behind her before pocketing the key and heading down the hall. She took quick strides with her lighter and cigarette concealed in her hand, like she didn't want to be caught. She was willing to bet she wasn't the only smoker in the building, but most of the other girls weren't old enough to buy their own smokes. She didn't have enough to go around. |
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 8, 2011 19:08:37 GMT -5
Buffy took her time walking around the second floor. She didn't know her way around the hotel yet, and she didn't want to get lost. She examined the walls and carpet in the dim lighting as she went. It all looked old and worn, but nothing was peeling or falling apart in this wing. She turned a corner and started walking down another hallway.
She wasn't sure how she felt about the Hyperion. It gave her the creeps in some ways. Old, creaky buildings had a way of being creepy. But, it also had a warm, cozy feeling despite its large size. Maybe that was because everyone was crammed into two floors of the same wing.
Buffy slowed in her stride when someone else walked into the hall several feet ahead of her. A young woman with long, dark hair walked quickly toward the stairs. Buffy wasn't completely sure who it was, but the woman carried herself with a kind of hard-edged confidence. Besides, Buffy had come out of her room expecting to find another slayer awake, possibly more than one.
"Faith?"
She continued forward hesitantly, well aware that if the woman in front of her wasn't Faith she was about to be embarrassed. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Aug 8, 2011 21:49:55 GMT -5
Faith walked down the hall as quickly as she could without running. She was glad Angel had reinforcements, but wrangling the slayers wasn't her favorite thing to do. She especially didn't want to run into one of the newbies when she'd just woken up and hadn't had a cigarette yet.
Faith turned a corner and headed down another hallway toward the stairs. She stopped when someone called her name. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. God help whoever was delaying her late night smoke break. When Faith turned around she was relieved to see Buffy.
"Hey, B," she said. "Jeez, for a second I thought you were one of the newbies."
She glanced around, like by mentioning the newbies she might have accidentally summoned one of them. Then she looked at Buffy, knitting her eyebrows.
"How come you're awake?"
After she'd asked, it occurred to Faith that Buffy was probably jet-lagged or something. Still, it was better to get a straight answer than guess. |
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 9, 2011 0:11:41 GMT -5
Buffy was relieved when Faith turned around and greeted her. She smiled and walked over while Faith said she'd thought Buffy was one of the newbies. Buffy's smile turned a little sheepish. She felt a little bad for dropping a bunch of girls in Faith's lap, but they'd asked for reinforcements, so she'd brought the cavalry. Or, at least part of it.
Buffy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Bad dream," she said.
After a second she decided to elaborate.
"Actually, it might not have been just any dream. You didn't... happen to have a weird dream, too, did you?"
She'd dropped her voice a little once she got past "bad dream" and she gave Faith a meaningful look. Buffy hoped whatever she'd just woken up from wasn't something she needed to get all worked up about. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Aug 9, 2011 0:20:03 GMT -5
Buffy said she'd had a bad dream and Faith nodded. Bad dreams happened to girls who spent their downtime decapitating things in cemeteries. But then Buffy said she wasn't sure it was "just any dream" and asked if Faith had happened to have a weird dream, too. Faith raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... What kind of weird we talkin'?" she asked.
It probably wasn't a necessary question. A weird dream for a slayer was usually some kind of doomsday prophecy. She was already trying to remember details of her own dream while she waited for Buffy to reply. |
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 9, 2011 0:30:35 GMT -5
Faith gave Buffy a look and asked her to elaborate on what kind of weird she meant. Buffy sighed, partially in annoyance and partially in relief. If Faith didn't know immediately what she was talking about, they had nothing to worry about.
"Never mind. Forget it," Buffy said.
She smiled and waved a hand dismissively. It was still a disturbing dream that would haunt her for days, but at least it would only haunt her instead of every slayer alive in the world.
"I guess it's just me having weird jet-laggy dreams."
Buffy shrugged and combed her fingers through her hair. She suddenly wished she'd at least brushed her hair before she left the room. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Aug 9, 2011 1:13:57 GMT -5
Buffy looked a little relieved when Faith replied. She dismissed the question and blamed her dream on jet lag. Faith licked her lips nervously. Damn it, what was that dream about? She'd been standing somewhere. Had she been in a room or outside?
There had been a bunch of other girls standing with her, wherever she was. Faith couldn't recall their faces. She remembered squeezing through a crowd of women and feeling annoyed. And then things had gotten a little less crowded.
A bar. There had been a bar she'd been trying to make her way to. That meant she was probably inside some kind of club or something. When she'd turned around there weren't as many people and as she worked her way to the other side of the room all the girls had started disappearing.
Faith looked at Buffy and shrugged casually, despite the slight nervousness she was feeling.
"You wanna talk about it?" she asked. "I was gonna grab a smoke outside. You can come with."
She thought about that for a second. Oh, yeah. Buffy was totally going to want to hang out inhaling some second-hand smoke outside.
"We should probably talk about it anyway, just in case."
Of course, she didn't want to admit that she was feeling a little nervous now and wanted to talk about her dream. What was she, a wuss? |
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 9, 2011 14:34:54 GMT -5
To Buffy's surprise, Faith asked if she wanted to talk about her dream. Faith wasn't typically the heart-to-heart type, so that was a little weird. Add to that the offer to go with her while she smoked a cigarette and Buffy was all set to say no.
Buffy frowned. That was probably a good idea, but she didn't like the sound of it. If Faith wanted to talk about Buffy's dream, there had to be a reason. As much as Buffy would have liked to think Faith was trying to be a good friend and offer a little support, it was more likely that there was some other motivation behind it.
It occurred to Buffy that Faith hadn't said she hadn't had a weird dream. She'd just asked what kind of weird Buffy meant. Maybe Buffy had jumped the gun in assuming there was nothing to worry about.
"You're probably right," she agreed reluctantly.
She really didn't want this to be a big deal. She'd seen more than her share of doomsday prophecies, in her opinion. Hadn't she paid her dues by now? |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Aug 9, 2011 15:00:16 GMT -5
Buffy seemed to be weighing her options for a few seconds. Faith couldn't really blame her. Standing out in the cold watching Faith smoke a cigarette probably wasn't sounding too appealing. After a few seconds Buffy agreed.
"Cool," Faith said. "Let's go before one of the newbies hears us and tries to bum a cigarette. These things are expensive."
Faith glanced around to make sure she hadn't jinxed herself before she headed down the hall toward the stairs. Assuming Buffy was behind her, she walked down to the lobby and looked around. She wondered if anybody else was hanging around downstairs. Connor and Angel tended to lurk in a corner somewhere and sneak up on people. She didn't think Angel did it intentionally, but she pegged Connor for the kind of guy who liked to get a rise out of people. She scanned the room and didn't see anybody, so she opened the front door and stepped out, holding it open with her foot until Buffy made her way out. |
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 9, 2011 15:14:03 GMT -5
Buffy smirked at Faith's comment and followed her down the hall. She lagged a few feet behind Faith's quick stride. Not only did she not have a jacket or a robe with her, she didn't have anything on her feet.
She followed Faith downstairs and hesitantly made her way over to the door. She poked her head out as Faith kept the door propped open with her foot.
"Maybe I should just stand here," Buffy said. "I'm not exactly dressed for the whole standing outside thing."
Buffy stood in the doorway and leaned her back against the door to hold it open, folding her arms across her chest. There was a chill in the air and the streets were fairly quiet. She guessed not many people traveled around at night, now that a whole bunch of them had gotten killed. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Aug 9, 2011 15:20:56 GMT -5
When Buffy finally got to the door she decided to stand inside, since she was kind of in her pajamas with no socks or shoes. Faith hadn't really thought about that before. She shrugged.
"Whatever blows your hair back."
She stepped away from the door once Buffy had her weight against it.
"So, how much of your dream do you remember?" she asked.
She wondered if Buffy's dream was as fuzzy as hers was. Faith put the cigarette between her lips and cupped one hand over the end while she lit it. She inhaled deeply and exhaled through her nostrils. It was kind of nippy out. She remembered this part of California being warmer. |
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 9, 2011 15:27:13 GMT -5
Once they rearranged themselves, Faith asked Buffy how much of the dream she remembered. Buffy sighed.
"Way more than I'd like to," she muttered.
Faith lit a cigarette and Buffy thought about where to start explaining. She was never very good at that.
"Uh... I was outside. In a dessert, I think. And there was a fire. Kind of like a camp fire, only there wasn't really a camp. And then there was this voice. At the time I couldn't tell who or what it was, but I think it was the first slayer. She made an appearance later, so I think it's safe to assume that's who it was."
She sighed and slunk down to the floor, sitting down and bringing her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her knees, hoping she'd stay warmer that way. |
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Post by Faith Lehane on Aug 9, 2011 15:32:50 GMT -5
Faith listened while Buffy explained, saying she'd been in a dessert and there was some kind of camp fire. Faith wrinkled her brows. This already didn't sound like the same dream she'd had. She might not have remembered much, but she sure as hell didn't remember a dessert or a fire.
She took another puff of her cigarette and her eyes widened when Buffy mentioned the first slayer. Okay, she definitely would have remembered getting a visit from that chick. She had a way of leaving an impression. Faith chuckled and shook her head.
"Oh, that crazy bitch?" she said. "A visit from her's always a good time."
She rolled her eyes.
"So, what'd she say? Does she actually talk?"
As far as she remembered Sineya didn't talk so much as get all telepathic or whatever. |
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 9, 2011 18:13:02 GMT -5
Buffy smiled at Faith's comment. "Crazy bitch" was one way to describe the first slayer. She and Buffy certainly didn't see eye to eye on, well, anything.
Buffy wrinkled her brows and thought about that. Come to think of it, Buffy couldn't remember if Sineya had actually spoken in the dream.
"Probably not," she decided. "I don't think her and the whole talking thing mix."
She strained her memory to try to remember what the first slayer had said.
"She talked about the slayer line. She said it was... broken. That I had broken it. Then she spouted some 'one girl in all the world' stuff and I woke up."
She shrugged. That was the gist of all of it. She got chills just thinking about it. |
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