[oopfsb / undarkest timeline] fretting

[stilljustandrew]

[Between this and this.]

Matt's asleep in the infirmary; Andrew's got a couple of promises to keep.

First things first. He takes a seat at the bar, orders a breakfast to replace the one he abandoned, and starts composing a warning poster for the bulletin board between bites.

Comments

[nita_callahan]

"So -- unknown goals for the moment. Takes the shape of people who've died. Any known weaknesses?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Aside from not being able to touch anything ... no."

He looks up again. "The last time we faced it, we were only able to thwart its plan by collapsing the whole city on top of the Hellmouth. And we still couldn't kill it."

[nita_callahan]

Her eyes widen.

"Jesus, you collapsed a city?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah. A mostly empty one, but ... did I never tell you this story?"

[nita_callahan]

"No, not that I can recall."

[stilljustandrew]

"That was Sunnydale. My hometown. I mean collapsing the city was really sort of a side effect, but since it was built over the Hellmouth, there was no way to collapse that and leave the town standing ..."

[nita_callahan]

She winces and nods.

"Pyrhhic victories," she says, rueful. "And collapsing the Hellmouth, what -- trapped the First Evil? Or its servants?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Trapped and possibly killed the army of proto-vampires it was gathering, plus most of its servants. Also cut the First off from the energies of the Hellmouth, for good. I don't think it trapped the First itself. I don't ... know if that's even possible."

[nita_callahan]

Another nod. She knows the Lone Power can be trapped, but he did say it wasn't exactly analogous.

"There's no Hellmouth here, though, right? I feel like we'd have noticed."

[stilljustandrew]

He shakes his head. "No, but the end-of-the-multiverse energies might be enough to let it ... manifest, I guess? Anyway it's here."

A pause; he swallows.

"And its guys hurt somebody."

[nita_callahan]

Her focus sharpens.

"In the bar?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Out back. He, he's in the infirmary now --"

His throat is thickening, painfully.

[nita_callahan]

She puts out a hand -- support, if he wants it.

"Who is it? Is he going to be okay?"

[stilljustandrew]

He takes the hand, gratefully.

"I think so," he half-whispers. "It's, he's a friend, I don't know if you know him -- his name's Matt?"

[nita_callahan]

"Jamison?"

Maybe there are two Matts around here with a proclivity for trouble! It's possible! It's a common name!

Shit shit shit.

[stilljustandrew]

He looks up, blinking.

"You know him?"

[nita_callahan]

"Is he okay? How bad is he hurt?"

[stilljustandrew]

"He's, uh -- he's bruised up pretty bad, and he's got a cracked rib and I think they said a mild concussion --"

[nita_callahan]

"Shit," she mutters, pulling back and rubbing her hands over her face. "Fuck."

She's stamping down really hard on the urge to go straight to the infirmary and check on him. He sounds like he'll be okay in the long term. He will be. He has been so far.

[stilljustandrew]

In a slightly smaller voice: "You do know him."

[nita_callahan]

"Yeah, we dated for a couple of years -- a few years ago now?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Oh."

A bit blankly.

... does that make this weird? He's terribly afraid that makes this weird.

[nita_callahan]

She looks up at him and sighs.

"It was not the greatest breakup ever, is all."

[stilljustandrew]

"Oh," he says again. "S-sorry."

Maybe this isn't the best idea --

(The tips of his ears are going red.)

[nita_callahan]

She half-smiles. "Don't be. It's not like it's your fault."

Her smile fades after a moment, though. "He's kind of a trouble magnet."

Totally unlike her or any of her friends, obviously.