Comments | beyondtherift: you know enough to know the way

goodlording in beyondtherift

you know enough to know the way

Aug 18, 2011 22:41

It's late afternoon when Rupert Giles steps out of the library closest to the Kashtta with a pile of books in his arms. As far as he's concerned, his first day in Chicago has, thus far, been completely successful.

Ten months ago, Giles was in Sunnydale. It was the year 2000.

He's still not exactly sure how it happened-no one ever is, according to ( Read more... )

xander harris, tay barnam, rupert giles, parker, maura isles, buffy summers

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archangelet August 19 2011, 03:13:07 UTC

Tay is not watching where she's going, being more concerned with what's going on with the cellphone she's holding. Were she your average girl, this might not be too dangerous, but she's solid, six feet tall, and walks fast.

She decided, you see, that she was going to get ahold of a cell (which she did) and call Buffy's number from back home. Just on the off chance that the Buffy who'd known her here was still out there, and had the same number.

A lot of ringing later got a rather impersonal voice mail automatic announcement, which Tay doesn't know what to think of, so she leaves a message. Just in case.

"Um, hey. It's Tay. Not your Tay, I'm... I fell through the rift. And... we were friends back home, and I heard we were friends here, too. So... I guess if you want to, come back to Chicago. I miss you. Oh, and if this isn't Buffy--" And that's when she runs into a man carrying a stack of books.

Oops.

goodlording August 19 2011, 03:22:25 UTC

Giles would be lying if he said he didn't see that coming. He heard Tay talking as she approached and he could have easily moved out of the way, but 'Buffy' is not a common name and then his feet stopped cooperating.

He didn't expect the impact to knock the books out of his arms, but there you go.

Immediately: "Sorry. I didn't... see you there."

Okay, so he sometimes lies.

archangelet August 19 2011, 03:36:04 UTC

"Fuck!" That'll probably be the last sound on the voicemail, if it's really Buffy's, if Buffy ever gets it. Tay grimaces and scoops up a couple books. "Sorry. You okay?"

Never let it be said that Tay couldn't be taught to interact with the masses.

goodlording August 19 2011, 03:50:43 UTC

"Yes," he says, adjusting his glasses. "I'm fine. Are you? Here, let me take those-"

Giles takes the books from Tay and sets them back in his arms, rearranging them so they're in the order they were before.

Much better.

archangelet August 19 2011, 03:59:08 UTC

That was stupid. She should watch where she's going so she doesn't accidentally run into someone she doesn't want to see. Like anyone from Boston...

"I'm pretty hard to dent," she replies drily, and casts about for her phone, and groans when she sees it popped apart on the sidewalk a couple feet away. "That thing isn't, though. Shit, and I was borrowing that, too."

goodlording August 19 2011, 04:02:19 UTC

Giles has seen enough to know that he would agree wholeheartedly. There are far too many people walking around with their heads buried in their "smart" phones.

And driving.

He disapproves.

"Terribly sorry about that. Is it... fixable, perhaps?" He glances over at it and cringes. "Nevermind."

archangelet August 19 2011, 04:05:44 UTC

"'S what I get for not watching where I'm going," Tay says with a shrug. "I know some tech people who can probably fix it."

She eyes the stack of books in his arms. That is quite a lot of books. And the guy is obviously not a mundane, she can feel that. "So, uh... d'you live in the Kashtta?"

This would be an introduction of sorts, Giles. We're sorry Tay is worse than Faith at people.

goodlording August 19 2011, 04:10:42 UTC

Ah, yes. The fact that she recognizes her mistake makes Giles grin, just a little. Smart girl.

"No; I'm mostly just visiting. I mean, technically, yes, but I'm only going to be there temporarily."

Probably.

It all depends on what Tay's answer to his next question is. "Sorry, um. I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying. You mentioned someone named Buffy?"

archangelet August 19 2011, 04:17:41 UTC

"Oh... uh, yeah, there was this... it's kind of weird, um," she trails off for a moment, trying to think of how to explain this quickly. "I'm from a Chicago almost exactly like this one. Only not this one. My best friend back where I was from was a girl named Buffy Summers, and, um, there was one who was good friends with the me who used to live here. She got killed. The other me, not Buffy. And then I guess Buffy left, and I just..."

How honest to be?

...Wait, a British guy with glasses, a suit, and books? Didn't Buffy say she'd had a sort of mentor like that?

Right. Honest. Just in case. "I've been having some trouble, and Xander's great and all, but I just thought if I could find her... And it's weird, 'cause there's another Buffy running around but she has no idea who I am, so I've kind of been avoiding her, and I'm really hoping you give a shit and know her 'cause otherwise I just made an idiot of myself."

goodlording August 19 2011, 15:10:49 UTC

It takes Giles a minute to process all of that.

"That's-"

And there go the books. Again. He fumbles with them and tries to keep them from all falling, but fails completely.

He doesn't seem particularly bothered about it this time.

"I certainly do," he says, careful to keep his voice even. "Give a-" He clears his throat. Right. "You've just given me the single best piece of good news I've heard in... close to a year. The only piece of good news, actually-if I've understood you correctly, that is. Just to be clear: Buffy Summers is here in Chicago. Is that what you're telling me?"

archangelet August 19 2011, 16:23:35 UTC

Tay smiles a little at the books and the attempt to sound calm and collected. It's a bit of a wistful smile - she kind of wishes there were someone who'd react like that if they found out she was in Chicago.

Not that she'd actually admit that...

"Yeah," she affirms. "And Xander Harris. They're from different points in the timeline, but..." But they're here, and that's what matters. Obviously. She shakes her head a little and starts picking up books. "Seriously, though, I think you got too many of these, you keep dropping 'em."

goodlording August 20 2011, 01:34:06 UTC

And here it comes-

"Good lord," he mutters. "I can't believe it."

All this time he's been on the wrong continent.

Ridiculous.

He snaps out of his shock when Tay starts picking up his books and quickly bends down to help. "You'd be amazed how many times I've been told that," he chuckles. "I suppose I always underestimate how cumbersome they can be in large stacks."

archangelet August 20 2011, 01:47:59 UTC

"I try to avoid books if I can. They just give me headaches." Tay ends up holding about half of the books and makes no move to give them to Giles. Hey, it's not like the Kashtta is out of her way or anything, considering she lives there now.

"Um, I'm Tay."

goodlording August 20 2011, 02:01:19 UTC

OH TAY WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT. He fixes her with a slightly horrified look, unsure of whether or not to reach for the rest of the books. What if she wants to do malicious things to them?

"I'm Giles. Um. Rupert Giles. Buffy may have mentioned me."

archangelet August 20 2011, 03:03:46 UTC

No no, Giles, she means no harm to your books - she just never progressed past an elementary reading level growing up because of the more militant focus of her family. And look how she's holding the books! Firmly but with some care, at least. They're library books.

"Yeah, stuffy British dude who worked in the library. She missed you a lot. My Buffy, anyway."

goodlording August 20 2011, 05:44:56 UTC

He sees how she's handling them.

It's... slightly comforting.

And then he looks affronted. He's lost count of how many times that word has been used to describe him. In fact, he'd wager a guess that thanks to him and all the other stuffy British gentlemen out there, "stuffy" and "British" are now synonyms.

"Yes, well. I'm her Watcher."

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