Jon's manner and demeanor shifted at the Captain's approach. The atmosphere around them shifted with him, light currents of air swirling and whispering into their ears to underscore what Xander could see with his one good eye. It wasn't just Jon's shift from relaxed to standing at attention, but also a virtual handwave that said the previous conversation was over, however temporarily.
That alone told Xander that Captain Boone wasn't party to information regarding Jon's origination.
The next words out of the man's mouth took Xander -- and his companions, if the looks that washed over the women's faces were any indication -- by surprise.
"Huh? Wha -" Xander stopped before he sounded like a babbling idiot.
Fortunately Faith covered his bumbling with a soft, "Left side," of warning before pressing into his blind side. He appreciated the warning because it stopped him from giving a start when she nudged her way past him, the set of her shoulders concerned. Not yet worried, wary or even protective, but to those who knew the signs there was definite concern.
"Looks like somebody's got some alternate reality crack connections," Faith intoned. Her voice lilted with playful flirtation, but Xander heard and felt the edge beneath it. No one else, except maybe Chloe or Cassandra would, because no one else knew Faith as well as he did. No one knew exactly how quickly and easily she could shift from flirty to deadly and be a force to be reckoned with. She elbowed Xander, "Looks like you got to play soldier boy in this world, Xan."
"Yeah," Xander made a sound. It was supposed to be a laugh but was more of a forced, half-hearted chuckle. He knew this would happen eventually, it only made sense traveling to alternate realities, and that wasn't what bothered him. It wasn't even the famliarity of the address that raised his hackles, though that was what raised Faith.
It was the eye thing. He really didn't like talking about the eye thing to strangers. Hell, he didn't like talking about the eye thing to non-strangers unless Xander was the one who brought it up first -- usually just to avoid the questions and the stares, and to head off such at the pass with comical whit.
"A deal with the sea witch went south, and all for a pair of Armani sunglasses. Also, didn't get the girl of my dreams." That was hint and a pretty strong one that this wasn't a topic Xander was going to broach right now. If ever. Especially when most people couldn't handle the truth about psychotic evil preachers, super vampires, and the girls who slay them.
Faith interrupted, jerking her head toward Jon, "Aren't you supposed to tell Flyboy over there 'at ease' or 'stand down' or 'as you were, soldier' or some crap like that? Or you got power issues too?"
That alone told Xander that Captain Boone wasn't party to information regarding Jon's origination.
The next words out of the man's mouth took Xander -- and his companions, if the looks that washed over the women's faces were any indication -- by surprise.
"Huh? Wha -" Xander stopped before he sounded like a babbling idiot.
Fortunately Faith covered his bumbling with a soft, "Left side," of warning before pressing into his blind side. He appreciated the warning because it stopped him from giving a start when she nudged her way past him, the set of her shoulders concerned. Not yet worried, wary or even protective, but to those who knew the signs there was definite concern.
"Looks like somebody's got some alternate reality crack connections," Faith intoned. Her voice lilted with playful flirtation, but Xander heard and felt the edge beneath it. No one else, except maybe Chloe or Cassandra would, because no one else knew Faith as well as he did. No one knew exactly how quickly and easily she could shift from flirty to deadly and be a force to be reckoned with. She elbowed Xander, "Looks like you got to play soldier boy in this world, Xan."
"Yeah," Xander made a sound. It was supposed to be a laugh but was more of a forced, half-hearted chuckle. He knew this would happen eventually, it only made sense traveling to alternate realities, and that wasn't what bothered him. It wasn't even the famliarity of the address that raised his hackles, though that was what raised Faith.
It was the eye thing. He really didn't like talking about the eye thing to strangers. Hell, he didn't like talking about the eye thing to non-strangers unless Xander was the one who brought it up first -- usually just to avoid the questions and the stares, and to head off such at the pass with comical whit.
"A deal with the sea witch went south, and all for a pair of Armani sunglasses. Also, didn't get the girl of my dreams." That was hint and a pretty strong one that this wasn't a topic Xander was going to broach right now. If ever. Especially when most people couldn't handle the truth about psychotic evil preachers, super vampires, and the girls who slay them.
Faith interrupted, jerking her head toward Jon, "Aren't you supposed to tell Flyboy over there 'at ease' or 'stand down' or 'as you were, soldier' or some crap like that? Or you got power issues too?"
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