yeah that happens if you turn into a vampire

[cross_and_bow]

(prologue)

Bella slips into the school by a side door; she just saw a thing and she thinks she's seen it in a book before and thinks it's supposed to be mostly harmless but before she wakes Giles up over probably nothing or kills a likely neutral demon she wants to check.

And she pushes into the library.

Comments

[cross_and_bow]

"But I don't. Everybody remembers her but me. Phone, Watcher, ray gun vampire. - Giles, did you catch that?"

[jellyinthemix]

"Catch what?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Miles speculates that if I did remember her I'd value her and someone could have wanted something protected by, well, me. But I'm the gap in the memory revision, if she's a construct and I'm not just the sole victim."

[jellyinthemix]

"Yes... I'm not sure what to think."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Analyzing purely from the motive angle, it really looks like someone tried to get themselves or someone else under your protection and failed," says Miles. "...It terrifies me to even suggest this, but under almost any conceivable circumstance in which we have any hope of handling this situation at all, I bet I could figure out whether she's complicit by talking to her. I have a finely honed sense of people's motives."

[cross_and_bow]

"...Well, I could call back and see if she wants to meet Ray Gun Vampire."

[thisvorlunatic]

He takes a moment.

Then he says: "Yeah, let's do it."

[cross_and_bow]

So Bella, looking dubiously at the number programmed into her phone, calls Soph.

"Hey Soph, do you want to meet the vampire twins while they're already in the car?"

[keyed_up]

"Sure, why not, don't let 'em eat me."

[cross_and_bow]

"I'm not expecting them to eat anybody. Remind me what address you're at?"

[keyed_up]

"22 Orchard, Sam's place!"

[cross_and_bow]

"'Kay, there in a few."

And she calls Giles back and apprises him of this plan.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles, meanwhile, takes psychologically soothing deep breaths.

[jellyinthemix]

"...Well, if that's what you think best," says Giles. "Good luck."

[cross_and_bow]

And Bella drives to 22 Orchard.

[keyed_up]

A girl who strongly resembles her traipses out, interrupted-sleepover-accessories under each arm. "Hi Bella! Hi ray gun vampire and creepy house vampire I know your names start with M but I can't for the life of me rememb- oh now I remember one of you is Miles, how'd I forget that, it rhymes with Giles."

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles giggles and waves. "Hi."

[unmarred]

"And I'm Mark," says Mark.

[keyed_up]

"Totally starts with an M, I have a mind like a steel trap." She has a key to the car. She puts her stuff in the trunk and hops in the passenger seat. "How'd your adventure go, was it adventurous enough?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Maybe a little too adventurous, honestly, but I have my soul back and that's the important thing. I cannot overstate how much I needed my soul back," says Miles.

[keyed_up]

"Hey, you know, good for you, most people don't remember they were using those things after they drop 'em."

[cross_and_bow]

Bella starts driving.

[thisvorlunatic]

"I was using mine for some really important functions, it turns out! It's really uncomfortable to suddenly lose the foundation of all your best skills. I don't recommend it at all. Of course, I guess most people aren't building all their best skills directly on top of their soul."

[keyed_up]

"Yeah I dunno how that would even work for me. 'I am a vampire, I have lost my ability to play DDR'?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Ooh, what's DDR?"