Not alone anymore.
I finally talked to Buffy and Giles about my sleepwalking problems and the other stuff. Buffy let me have it for keeping things from her at first [and I deserved it], but I knew she'd know what to do.
Buffy: *pushes the bedroom door open* Giles? You here, hon?
Dawn: *follows, looking nervous*
Giles: *looks up, slightly nodding off* Hmmm?
Buffy: Wake up
Buffy: *steps inside, letting Dawn in, then shuts the door*
Giles: Sorry the class earlier tonight was a bit... rowdy.
Dawn: *wraps her arms around herself*
Buffy: Yeah, McKenna told her you gave her lines to copy. *grins*
Giles: I don't think I was being unreasonable.
Buffy: Five hundred times?
Dawn: *smiles slightly*
Giles: Discipline is important.
Buffy: There's a fine line between discipline and mental torture, sweetie. *grins, winks to let him know she's teasing*
Giles: *grins*
Buffy: So, Dawn's got some kind of a mystical thing going on. You're the mystical expert. Fix her.
Giles: I didn't know Dawn was broken. *grins at her*
Dawn: I think insane's the word she's looking for.
Giles: Dawnie, I don't think you're insane.
Giles: Tell me what's happening.
Dawn: *sits on one end of the bed*
Dawn: I don't know how to explain it. I keep hearing this song, this French song in my head all the time.
Dawn: I'll suddenly realize I'm singing it. *looks from one to the other of them*
Giles: Like "ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall"?
Buffy: Sing it for me.
Dawn: *frowns*
Dawn: 99 bottles of beer on the wall is French? You learn something new every day.
Buffy: *gives Giles the now-is-not-the-time-for-jokes look*
Dawn: Dominique, nique, nique s'en allait tout simplement
Dawn: Routier pauvre et chantant...
Dawn: It's like, I don't even know what that means
Dawn: But I'm singing it all the time.
Buffy: *looks at Giles* You speak French.
Giles: Dominique, nique nique over the land he plods along and sings a little song
Buffy: *raises an eyebrow* Doesn't sound very demony.
Giles: not at all
Giles: i recognize the song, nothing about demons
Dawn: And then there's the sleepwalky badness that makes me get out of bed and go walking around New Orleans in the middle of the night.
Giles: quite the opposite in fact
Buffy: So not demons. What are our other options?
Giles: Dawn, do you even speak french?
Dawn: No! I'm in second year Spanish right now! I don't think I really know anyone else who knows French, even.
Giles: So, singing in tongues, for lack of a better word, and sleepwalking...
Dawn: *looks down* ...and the dream.
Giles: D-dream?
Buffy: Dream?
Dawn: It's a girl, and she's my age, and someone... um, well, a guy...
Dawn: *rubs hands over her face*
Dawn: Killed her. In the alley. And he did stuff to her before he killed her.
Dawn: I saw it. It was like it was real, like it was me.
Dawn: *shivers*
Buffy: *reaches out to pull Dawn into a hug*
Dawn: *wipes her eyes with one hand*
Giles: Are you a spectator in the dream or...?
Dawn: No. I was her. She was me. We were dying.
Buffy: *stares at him over her head with a Fix-It expression*
Giles: when you sleepwalk, do you go anywhere specific?
Dawn: *sits up*
Dawn: It's down near the riverfront. The first time I sleepwalked, I woke up near the French Market.
Dawn: This time it was in an alley nearby. The alley where she died.
Giles: Well I can't be entirely certain yet, but it sounds like a possession.
Buffy: So, what do we need, an exorcist?
Giles: The ghost of the... victim who can't rest.
Dawn: *stares straight ahead thoughtfully*
Giles: Possibly. Or perhaps she's trying to tell us something...
Dawn: Her name's... Nicky, or something that sounds a lot like that.
Buffy: Nicky?
Giles: Needs Dawn to help her rest.
Buffy: Nique?
Dawn: Nique! Maybe that's why the song! A nickname for Dominique?
Buffy: Hey, look at me, I'm figure it out girl.
Giles: That would make sense. And it gives us a place to start. I can ask Kim to go on the computer and research city records of old murders for a girl named Dominique.
Giles: *smiles at Buffy*
Buffy: *smiles back*
Buffy: And in the meantime... *turns to Dawn, a serious expression on her face* You're moving into the second bedroom up here.
Dawn: That's fine with me. Feel free to lock me in or something.
Giles: And I think it would be prudent for you and Dawn to take a tour of the places she's visited in her sleepwalking state... during waking hours of course.
Dawn: I'm tired of waking up with my feet blocks of ice, scared and all by myself in the freaking middle of the night!
Buffy: *nods* Sounds like a plan for tomorrow. Do you have any tests tomorrow afternoon or anything?
Dawn: Nope. It was a light homework night. *smiles*
Buffy: Good. I'll check you out around lunchtime, we'll go eat, and then we'll go check out this alley.
Giles: And Buffy, perhaps we should take turns watching over Dawn as she sleeps, to make sure she doesn't hurt herself if she begins sleepwalking again...
Buffy: *glances at him* Hence the whole sleeping up here thing.
Giles: Yes, but even if we lock her in, in a state of waking dreams she could either find a way out or harm herself trying.
Buffy: (said with a valiant struggle not to have a 'duh' expression) I'll watch her.
Giles: As for the possession itself... Dawn, did you come into ownership of any odd objects of late? Usually these events have a catalyst.
Dawn: All my stuff is pretty boring and standard issue. Except, well--.
Buffy: *looks at her*
Dawn: When Astrid and I went shopping one day several weeks ago, we got voodoo masks from Madame Laveau's.
Giles: Voodoo masks?
Giles: *looks at Buffy*
Dawn: Just because they looked neat. Mine's hanging up over my desk in my room.
Buffy: *looks at him* Astrid's got the one that can see ghosts. Remember?
Dawn: Ghosts? I've so missed something.
Dawn: *rubs her eyes again*
Buffy: Am I the only one that's heard about this?
Giles: Yes dear, I'm afraid you are.
Buffy: Well, hell. Sorry. Astrid has one of these voodoo masks, too. If you look through it, you can see ghosts.
Dawn: Astrid doesn't talk to me much lately. I was thinking she was still just bummed about Ingrid going home.
Giles: However, we may be able to use Astrid's mask as a ... viewfinder. If Dawn is being possessed, it may show us something.
After I told them everything that was going on and about the voodoo masks Astrid and I bought, Buffy went to get the masks and Giles looked them over. I know he'll figure something out. I wish I'd said something sooner. Before I had that dream. I can still see it all, in my head. It's so--. I mean, I never thought about what it would be like to have someone hurt you that way. I do now.
I'm going to sleep now. I hope.
Buffy: *pushes the bedroom door open* Giles? You here, hon?
Dawn: *follows, looking nervous*
Giles: *looks up, slightly nodding off* Hmmm?
Buffy: Wake up
Buffy: *steps inside, letting Dawn in, then shuts the door*
Giles: Sorry the class earlier tonight was a bit... rowdy.
Dawn: *wraps her arms around herself*
Buffy: Yeah, McKenna told her you gave her lines to copy. *grins*
Giles: I don't think I was being unreasonable.
Buffy: Five hundred times?
Dawn: *smiles slightly*
Giles: Discipline is important.
Buffy: There's a fine line between discipline and mental torture, sweetie. *grins, winks to let him know she's teasing*
Giles: *grins*
Buffy: So, Dawn's got some kind of a mystical thing going on. You're the mystical expert. Fix her.
Giles: I didn't know Dawn was broken. *grins at her*
Dawn: I think insane's the word she's looking for.
Giles: Dawnie, I don't think you're insane.
Giles: Tell me what's happening.
Dawn: *sits on one end of the bed*
Dawn: I don't know how to explain it. I keep hearing this song, this French song in my head all the time.
Dawn: I'll suddenly realize I'm singing it. *looks from one to the other of them*
Giles: Like "ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall"?
Buffy: Sing it for me.
Dawn: *frowns*
Dawn: 99 bottles of beer on the wall is French? You learn something new every day.
Buffy: *gives Giles the now-is-not-the-time-for-jokes look*
Dawn: Dominique, nique, nique s'en allait tout simplement
Dawn: Routier pauvre et chantant...
Dawn: It's like, I don't even know what that means
Dawn: But I'm singing it all the time.
Buffy: *looks at Giles* You speak French.
Giles: Dominique, nique nique over the land he plods along and sings a little song
Buffy: *raises an eyebrow* Doesn't sound very demony.
Giles: not at all
Giles: i recognize the song, nothing about demons
Dawn: And then there's the sleepwalky badness that makes me get out of bed and go walking around New Orleans in the middle of the night.
Giles: quite the opposite in fact
Buffy: So not demons. What are our other options?
Giles: Dawn, do you even speak french?
Dawn: No! I'm in second year Spanish right now! I don't think I really know anyone else who knows French, even.
Giles: So, singing in tongues, for lack of a better word, and sleepwalking...
Dawn: *looks down* ...and the dream.
Giles: D-dream?
Buffy: Dream?
Dawn: It's a girl, and she's my age, and someone... um, well, a guy...
Dawn: *rubs hands over her face*
Dawn: Killed her. In the alley. And he did stuff to her before he killed her.
Dawn: I saw it. It was like it was real, like it was me.
Dawn: *shivers*
Buffy: *reaches out to pull Dawn into a hug*
Dawn: *wipes her eyes with one hand*
Giles: Are you a spectator in the dream or...?
Dawn: No. I was her. She was me. We were dying.
Buffy: *stares at him over her head with a Fix-It expression*
Giles: when you sleepwalk, do you go anywhere specific?
Dawn: *sits up*
Dawn: It's down near the riverfront. The first time I sleepwalked, I woke up near the French Market.
Dawn: This time it was in an alley nearby. The alley where she died.
Giles: Well I can't be entirely certain yet, but it sounds like a possession.
Buffy: So, what do we need, an exorcist?
Giles: The ghost of the... victim who can't rest.
Dawn: *stares straight ahead thoughtfully*
Giles: Possibly. Or perhaps she's trying to tell us something...
Dawn: Her name's... Nicky, or something that sounds a lot like that.
Buffy: Nicky?
Giles: Needs Dawn to help her rest.
Buffy: Nique?
Dawn: Nique! Maybe that's why the song! A nickname for Dominique?
Buffy: Hey, look at me, I'm figure it out girl.
Giles: That would make sense. And it gives us a place to start. I can ask Kim to go on the computer and research city records of old murders for a girl named Dominique.
Giles: *smiles at Buffy*
Buffy: *smiles back*
Buffy: And in the meantime... *turns to Dawn, a serious expression on her face* You're moving into the second bedroom up here.
Dawn: That's fine with me. Feel free to lock me in or something.
Giles: And I think it would be prudent for you and Dawn to take a tour of the places she's visited in her sleepwalking state... during waking hours of course.
Dawn: I'm tired of waking up with my feet blocks of ice, scared and all by myself in the freaking middle of the night!
Buffy: *nods* Sounds like a plan for tomorrow. Do you have any tests tomorrow afternoon or anything?
Dawn: Nope. It was a light homework night. *smiles*
Buffy: Good. I'll check you out around lunchtime, we'll go eat, and then we'll go check out this alley.
Giles: And Buffy, perhaps we should take turns watching over Dawn as she sleeps, to make sure she doesn't hurt herself if she begins sleepwalking again...
Buffy: *glances at him* Hence the whole sleeping up here thing.
Giles: Yes, but even if we lock her in, in a state of waking dreams she could either find a way out or harm herself trying.
Buffy: (said with a valiant struggle not to have a 'duh' expression) I'll watch her.
Giles: As for the possession itself... Dawn, did you come into ownership of any odd objects of late? Usually these events have a catalyst.
Dawn: All my stuff is pretty boring and standard issue. Except, well--.
Buffy: *looks at her*
Dawn: When Astrid and I went shopping one day several weeks ago, we got voodoo masks from Madame Laveau's.
Giles: Voodoo masks?
Giles: *looks at Buffy*
Dawn: Just because they looked neat. Mine's hanging up over my desk in my room.
Buffy: *looks at him* Astrid's got the one that can see ghosts. Remember?
Dawn: Ghosts? I've so missed something.
Dawn: *rubs her eyes again*
Buffy: Am I the only one that's heard about this?
Giles: Yes dear, I'm afraid you are.
Buffy: Well, hell. Sorry. Astrid has one of these voodoo masks, too. If you look through it, you can see ghosts.
Dawn: Astrid doesn't talk to me much lately. I was thinking she was still just bummed about Ingrid going home.
Giles: However, we may be able to use Astrid's mask as a ... viewfinder. If Dawn is being possessed, it may show us something.
After I told them everything that was going on and about the voodoo masks Astrid and I bought, Buffy went to get the masks and Giles looked them over. I know he'll figure something out. I wish I'd said something sooner. Before I had that dream. I can still see it all, in my head. It's so--. I mean, I never thought about what it would be like to have someone hurt you that way. I do now.
I'm going to sleep now. I hope.