It's a Nervous Tick Motion of the Head to the Left
Characters: Xander Harris and YOU
Rating: PG
Time Period:Modern
Location: Castle Grounds
Relative Date: Current
Status: Open
So much for being the big damn hero.
"Okay Xander, self, me! Time to do that thinking thing we're not so good at. Think, think, okay, on a scale of one to ten of stupid, this is about an eleven, well that's enlightening. " He bit back in frustration, aiming a sneaker-clad kick at a clump of snow, which scattered in a fluffy spray without resistance. It was surprisingly uncathartic. The helicopter roar above disappeared into the clouded sky, and it was all silent again.
Alright, so following a mysterious note that had been slipped through his window had not been the best move, for sure. Not hesitating when that trail led to a helicopter on the edge of town, also, maybe not a good choice. But the one thing that was driving Xander Lavelle Harris up the wall was the snow. Sunnydale was a very long way from snow to begin with, that, and it was April. Sure, he'd rested his eyes a bit on the ride, a minute here, a snooze there, but he hadn't been asleep that long. Couldn't have been.
He pulled the crumpled note out of his jeans pocket, crushed under the sort of compact walkie talkie the pilot had given him, and unfolded it. Here, in the grey wintry light the neatly written scrawl seemed to mock him even more,
The Slayer cannot fight this battle alone, the Mayor is too powerful, if you want to help her, come to this address at the enclosed time. Tell no one, and come alone.
He'd clearly skipped the part where it had said, "by the way, it's a trap." Four years of high school english and he was still awful at subtext. The note was shoved unceremoniously back into his packet, nestling alongside a melting snickers bar.
He trod sluggishly through the foot or so of snow, eyes downward, with no real direction, or any idea what he was walking towards. But when he did look up, what he say quite literally stopped him in his tracks.
Because even if it did snow in southern California, Xander was pretty sure you'd have to go a lot farther to find a Castle like the one that was looming before him.
"No. Way."