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

[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?"

[keyed_up]

"Oh right you're too ray gun to know DDR it probably doesn't age super well in ray gun future land. It's a dance game, there's arrows and they fly up the screen in time to a song and you step on them at the right moment!"

[thisvorlunatic]

"That sounds like fun!" he says. "My favourite game is definitely Plasma Rain. You have a bunch of sources of coloured fluid and a bunch of items that affect the flow and the objective is to get all the fluids streaming into the correct destination points. In three dimensions, as quickly as possible. There's a competitive two-player mode but there is no longer anyone willing to play Plasma Rain against me."

[keyed_up]

"Awww, poor you. I'm good at DDR but I'm not, like, insane-youtube-video good. But we're not allowed to let vampires into the house so I can't show you."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Damn," laughs Miles. "A fully understandable rule, though, from what I hear."

[keyed_up]

"Yeah. Oh also don't go on our porch I dunno if Bella warned you."

[cross_and_bow]

"Motion-activated sunshine lights."

[keyed_up]

"- You okay?"

[cross_and_bow]

"...Weird, uh, thing, tell you later."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I was not informed of the motion-activated sunshine lights," says Miles. "Thanks for the warning. I was not planning to catch fire tonight and it's so nice when things go according to plan."

[cross_and_bow]

"Well, I've never had reason to even tell you where the house is before."