[OOM] let's do the time warp again

[stillbecoming]

Scottish castles are drafty. Or at least this one is. Buffy squirts some soap onto her hands, and thinks about heat lamps, and the installation thereof, and budgets (and explaining budgets to Willow), and also, sidebar, the sad pale condition of her hands, which haven't seen real tanning sessions in waaay too long because even the sun in Scotland

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[walksthebounds]

"You've got to be kidding me," says Jamie, in utter disbelief.

[stillbecoming]

Buffy blinks again.

"You're not a Slayer," she says, observantly.

[walksthebounds]

"Ah. Jamie shifts his bag of groceries to the other hand. "No. I - look," he says, deciding offense is the best form of defense, "it's not my fault you built your bathroom on top of a door between worlds, all right?"

[stillbecoming]

"Well, no, because I didn't build this bathroom at all." Buffy's hands are still sudsy. She sticks them back under the water, in case combat becomes necessary (there's a bag in his hand -- spell ingredients?). "And if this is a door between worlds, it's a door with one of those little signs of a silhouetted person wearing a skirt hanging over it, and -- and why do you look so familiar, and -- is that peanut butter?"

[walksthebounds]

"I was at the grocer's earlier," Jamie explains - unhelpfully, under the circumstances. "And -"

He trails off, as the earlier question registers. She doesn't remember him?

. . . wow, does he ever hope she doesn't remember him. Considering.

[stillbecoming]

Too late.

"-- Jamie?"

She tries to think of something to say. Like: long time no see! Or: how's it hanging at that wacky magical bar these days? Or: you haven't changed a bit! Really, not a bit! It's creepy and unnatural!

What comes out: "You're bringing your dinner into the ladies' room now?"

[walksthebounds]

Jamie sighs inwardly.

There goes that plan.

"Well, I didn't know where I was going to end up," he says, quite reasonably, he thinks. "I could have been stuck on a desert island for a month, for all I knew. Which brings me back to mentioning, by the way, that I did not mean to end up in your loo. Or - this loo, which might or might not be yours, I don't know, but anyway you see my point."

[stillbecoming]

"It's sort of mine?" She dries her hands, frowning. "I mean, it's -- well, our status is It's Complicated. And if you didn't mean to show up here, why are you...still here?"

Are those cookies in his grocery bag? God, she is hungry. She should have eaten before washing up, no matter what Satsu said about hygiene and food safety and health departments.

[walksthebounds]

They are cookies! Also bread and apples, and the aforementioned peanut butter. Jamie is a classy eater.

"It's the next world on my route, looks like. Ah - I probably ought to spend some time in the world, but I'm happy to get out of your loo."

[stillbecoming]

"Great," says Buffy. "Thrilled to hear it." She gestures at the door. "Gentlemen first."

[walksthebounds]

Jamie heads for the door, and then pauses.

"- just for the record, am I going to walk straight out into twenty more judgy girls?"

He'd just like, you know. To be prepared.

[stillbecoming]

"You won't know till you try it." A split second later, she takes pity on him. A little pity. "They're probably not right out in the hallway, if it makes you feel any better."

Maybe she can snag the box of cookies while he's distracted.

[walksthebounds]

"It does, a bit," Jamie admits.

- and then grins. "Especially since they'll probably be judging you, too, if you walk out right after me."

[stillbecoming]

The smug look crashes off her face.

"Oh my god, you're like twelve."

[walksthebounds]

"Oi!" says Jamie, offended. "Three hundred sixteen, actually, whippersnapper."

[stillbecoming]

"Oh, like that counts when you're not even post-pubescent --"

She stops short, fumbling at the thin silver chain around her neck. And pokes him with the cross that's hanging from it.