The Preserve: Evening
It's a short hike out to the oak grove and even though Mel had been through the preservation multiple times on patrol, tonight it just seemed different. Deep down she knew it was just her mood and mind playing tricks on her but that didn't stop her from looking and feeling jumpy.
"So. How does this work?" she asked.
"I shake my spicy maracas." Xander tilted his head at the seed-filled gourd in his hand (which was neatly labeled "Xander's gourd for use with Mel - 3/17/07"). "Or, uh, just the one."
Dawn looked at him. "Can you please not say spicy maracas anymore?"
Xander shook the gourd at her nose. "Why for not?"
"Because it just sounds weird?" Dawn looked to Willow and Mel for help and support.
"And now I have a strange craving for tacos," Mel grumbled. "Maybe we should do this another night and get Mexican food."
"Or we could do that after," Xander pointed out. "I kinda want one of those Burritos-as-big-as-your-head, myself."
That sound you heard wasn't thunder. It was Mel's stomach growling.
"Okay. Fine. Let's do this before I lose my nerve."
"Want a cracker before you go?" Willow asked. She looked dubiously at Xander. "Should she be spirit walking on an empty stomach?"
"I don't think she'll be walking on her stomach. Unless she turns into a snake or something."
"And we are ruling this out of the realm of possibility because...?"
"Okay. Now I'm going from hungry to just plain nervous," Mel said shuffling her feet.
"Don't worry," Dawn tried to be reassuring as she tripped over a branch, "when Buffy did this, she came out completely physically unharmed." She was reserving judgment on the emotional and mental harm, since Buffy had never said.
"Huh. Okay," Mel said taking a deep breath. "What now?"
"Spicy maracas?" Xander said, and ducked out of Dawn's reach. "And also there's chantiness."
Dawn almost swung the book she was carrying at Xander, but remembered there were spells inside and she didn't want him turning into something non-Xandery. She practiced her Swahili as they entered the oak Grove together.
"All right," Mel said with a small smirk. "Then let's get this thing started."
Xander slung a black knapsack off his shoulder, and pulled out a bundle of twigs of various sizes, tied together with...well, duct tape. Watcher's Secret Weapon. He unstuck the tape and scouted around for a bare enough place in the clearing.
"So I make a circle out of sticks, do some maraca-shaking, and it makes this spirit guide into Watcher Junior Junior, right?" Xander said as he started laying out the circle, glancing at Dawn for confirmation that she'd read it the same way.
"Yeah, I think so," Dawn said, squinting over some of the translations, "but I don't know what happens to Mel once that happens."
"Yeah, I was never totally clear whether Buffy actually walked off somewhere with her guide, or she just kind of dreamed it. I guess she left the circle at least, since Giles saw her go."
"Or thought he did," Willow pointed out.
"Either way I hope my spirit guide just takes me to the local cantina," Mel said trying to be glib.
"Well, if it takes you for burritos you'll bring some back for us, right?" Xander asked as he finished the circle, then stood up, brushing dust off his jeans.
"Sure. Anyone else got an order?"
"I could go for some nachos," Dawn said, then looked over at Xander. "Isn't there supposed to be gourd shaking?"
"Spicy gourd shaking, yep. But first I have to do the Hokey-Pokey."
"Hokey-what?"
"You'd think I'd have learned my lesson about pop-culture jokes and people from the future with Bridge, but nooooooo..." Xander, who was actually standing inside the circle, stuck his arm out. "You put your left arm in, you put your left arm out. You put your left arm in and you shake it all about..."
That'd be the one holding the gourd, yes.
Mel just kind of stared at Xander like he was nuts.
Dawn tried to get the giggles under control before she started in on the ritual, but wasn't having much luck. "And that's what it's all about."
"Is there where I turn into a puff of smoke?" Mel asked as she looked out into the wood.
"Or a snake, maybe," Dawn said helpfully, then started reciting the Swahili ritual.
Mel snickered slightly and turned away from her friends to look out into the forest.
She tilted her head slightly and listened to Dawn's voice before walked forward into the woods.
Mel made her way through the forest, not exactly sure where she was going or if she was even supposed to be going.
Was something supposed to come to her? Or was she supposed to come to it?
"Okay. Maybe I should eaten before I started this thing."
Suddenly, there was a flurry of wings as something brushed by her head and landed on a branch next to her.
Mel looked over to see a magpie looking at her. Almost expectantly.
Mel cocked and eyebrow and looked back at the bird. "What? Are you supposed to be my-?"
The bird squawked in response and took flight flying a few feet in front of Mel to another branch and then stopped to look back her.
"All right then," Mel said with a nervous sigh. "Let's do this."
Mel followed the bird as it made its way through deeper and deeper into the forest, through another grove and then between an outcropping of rocks until she had reached..
The desert.
"Okay," Mel said as she sat down on the sand. "This looks kind of familiar."
As she turned her head she suddenly realized she was now sitting in front of a campfire and from the other side of the fire a girl dressed in rags appeared somewhere towards the edge of light that the fire cast.
"Um. Hi," Mel said, unsure of how this was supposed to work.
"You summoned me," the girl said in reply.
"Yeah," Mel replied sitting up straight for some reason. "I've seen you before."
"Not me," the girl replied shaking her head. "This is a form. I am the Guide."
"Oh. Then I guess.. I don't know," Mel replied. "A while ago the first slayer attacked my friends and... I'm not sure what I need to do from letting that happen again.
The guide stepped around the fire ring and as she did her image changed. "You want to know how to obtain your connection to the previous slayers," she replied. "You want something that was supposed to be yours."
Mel blinked and nodded. "Yeah. I guess. I don't even know where to start."
"The connection was never yours," The guide replied. "When your essence split, he received it."
"I knew that," Mel said slightly annoyed.
"There will be an emergency," The guide continued. "When the time comes you must go back to the beginning. There you must make a choice. However that is not why you are here or why the Slayer tried to reach you."
Mel blinked again. "How is that?"
The guide's form shifted again. "Your path has been diverted. While you still must find your connection, you must now correct what has gone wrong."
Mel frowned. "I don't understand."
"Destiny has shifted," The guide said quietly as she let her hand play in the flames. "And in the wrong direction for one of the realities."
Mel shook her head in confusion. "Me? How am I supposed to know what to do?"
"Like every path there will be signs. You will know them when you see them."
"What do I have to do to fix this thing?" Mel asked.
The guide gave her a creepy grin. "Take her place."
That was enough to send chills down her spine. "What... What about-"
The guide turned and walked back into the darkness. "You will face him again. And again. But victory will not be yours.
Mel said nothing as the guid disappeared and the fire that was roaring died down into tendrils of smoke.
Slowly she turned around and went back the way she came, heading for the oak grove. The trip for some reason didn't seem to take as long on the way back and she wasn't sure how she knew how to find her way back either.
She slowly walked back into the grove with a confused expression on her face.
"You have no burritos, and you look perplexed."
"Sorry gang," Mel said softly. "Apparently the Spirits don't allow take-a-ways."
"You find out what you needed to hear?" Xander asked, concerned but not sure what he should be concerned about.
Mel looked up. "Well... It was..."
Mel shrugged and forced a grin. "It was cryptic. C'mon. Let's go get a taco."
[ooc: Preplayed with the fabulous lilpunkinbelly, willbedone and needsaparrot. No interaction possible but OOC comments are more than welcome.]
"So. How does this work?" she asked.
"I shake my spicy maracas." Xander tilted his head at the seed-filled gourd in his hand (which was neatly labeled "Xander's gourd for use with Mel - 3/17/07"). "Or, uh, just the one."
Dawn looked at him. "Can you please not say spicy maracas anymore?"
Xander shook the gourd at her nose. "Why for not?"
"Because it just sounds weird?" Dawn looked to Willow and Mel for help and support.
"And now I have a strange craving for tacos," Mel grumbled. "Maybe we should do this another night and get Mexican food."
"Or we could do that after," Xander pointed out. "I kinda want one of those Burritos-as-big-as-your-head, myself."
That sound you heard wasn't thunder. It was Mel's stomach growling.
"Okay. Fine. Let's do this before I lose my nerve."
"Want a cracker before you go?" Willow asked. She looked dubiously at Xander. "Should she be spirit walking on an empty stomach?"
"I don't think she'll be walking on her stomach. Unless she turns into a snake or something."
"And we are ruling this out of the realm of possibility because...?"
"Okay. Now I'm going from hungry to just plain nervous," Mel said shuffling her feet.
"Don't worry," Dawn tried to be reassuring as she tripped over a branch, "when Buffy did this, she came out completely physically unharmed." She was reserving judgment on the emotional and mental harm, since Buffy had never said.
"Huh. Okay," Mel said taking a deep breath. "What now?"
"Spicy maracas?" Xander said, and ducked out of Dawn's reach. "And also there's chantiness."
Dawn almost swung the book she was carrying at Xander, but remembered there were spells inside and she didn't want him turning into something non-Xandery. She practiced her Swahili as they entered the oak Grove together.
"All right," Mel said with a small smirk. "Then let's get this thing started."
Xander slung a black knapsack off his shoulder, and pulled out a bundle of twigs of various sizes, tied together with...well, duct tape. Watcher's Secret Weapon. He unstuck the tape and scouted around for a bare enough place in the clearing.
"So I make a circle out of sticks, do some maraca-shaking, and it makes this spirit guide into Watcher Junior Junior, right?" Xander said as he started laying out the circle, glancing at Dawn for confirmation that she'd read it the same way.
"Yeah, I think so," Dawn said, squinting over some of the translations, "but I don't know what happens to Mel once that happens."
"Yeah, I was never totally clear whether Buffy actually walked off somewhere with her guide, or she just kind of dreamed it. I guess she left the circle at least, since Giles saw her go."
"Or thought he did," Willow pointed out.
"Either way I hope my spirit guide just takes me to the local cantina," Mel said trying to be glib.
"Well, if it takes you for burritos you'll bring some back for us, right?" Xander asked as he finished the circle, then stood up, brushing dust off his jeans.
"Sure. Anyone else got an order?"
"I could go for some nachos," Dawn said, then looked over at Xander. "Isn't there supposed to be gourd shaking?"
"Spicy gourd shaking, yep. But first I have to do the Hokey-Pokey."
"Hokey-what?"
"You'd think I'd have learned my lesson about pop-culture jokes and people from the future with Bridge, but nooooooo..." Xander, who was actually standing inside the circle, stuck his arm out. "You put your left arm in, you put your left arm out. You put your left arm in and you shake it all about..."
That'd be the one holding the gourd, yes.
Mel just kind of stared at Xander like he was nuts.
Dawn tried to get the giggles under control before she started in on the ritual, but wasn't having much luck. "And that's what it's all about."
"Is there where I turn into a puff of smoke?" Mel asked as she looked out into the wood.
"Or a snake, maybe," Dawn said helpfully, then started reciting the Swahili ritual.
Mel snickered slightly and turned away from her friends to look out into the forest.
She tilted her head slightly and listened to Dawn's voice before walked forward into the woods.
Mel made her way through the forest, not exactly sure where she was going or if she was even supposed to be going.
Was something supposed to come to her? Or was she supposed to come to it?
"Okay. Maybe I should eaten before I started this thing."
Suddenly, there was a flurry of wings as something brushed by her head and landed on a branch next to her.
Mel looked over to see a magpie looking at her. Almost expectantly.
Mel cocked and eyebrow and looked back at the bird. "What? Are you supposed to be my-?"
The bird squawked in response and took flight flying a few feet in front of Mel to another branch and then stopped to look back her.
"All right then," Mel said with a nervous sigh. "Let's do this."
Mel followed the bird as it made its way through deeper and deeper into the forest, through another grove and then between an outcropping of rocks until she had reached..
The desert.
"Okay," Mel said as she sat down on the sand. "This looks kind of familiar."
As she turned her head she suddenly realized she was now sitting in front of a campfire and from the other side of the fire a girl dressed in rags appeared somewhere towards the edge of light that the fire cast.
"Um. Hi," Mel said, unsure of how this was supposed to work.
"You summoned me," the girl said in reply.
"Yeah," Mel replied sitting up straight for some reason. "I've seen you before."
"Not me," the girl replied shaking her head. "This is a form. I am the Guide."
"Oh. Then I guess.. I don't know," Mel replied. "A while ago the first slayer attacked my friends and... I'm not sure what I need to do from letting that happen again.
The guide stepped around the fire ring and as she did her image changed. "You want to know how to obtain your connection to the previous slayers," she replied. "You want something that was supposed to be yours."
Mel blinked and nodded. "Yeah. I guess. I don't even know where to start."
"The connection was never yours," The guide replied. "When your essence split, he received it."
"I knew that," Mel said slightly annoyed.
"There will be an emergency," The guide continued. "When the time comes you must go back to the beginning. There you must make a choice. However that is not why you are here or why the Slayer tried to reach you."
Mel blinked again. "How is that?"
The guide's form shifted again. "Your path has been diverted. While you still must find your connection, you must now correct what has gone wrong."
Mel frowned. "I don't understand."
"Destiny has shifted," The guide said quietly as she let her hand play in the flames. "And in the wrong direction for one of the realities."
Mel shook her head in confusion. "Me? How am I supposed to know what to do?"
"Like every path there will be signs. You will know them when you see them."
"What do I have to do to fix this thing?" Mel asked.
The guide gave her a creepy grin. "Take her place."
That was enough to send chills down her spine. "What... What about-"
The guide turned and walked back into the darkness. "You will face him again. And again. But victory will not be yours.
Mel said nothing as the guid disappeared and the fire that was roaring died down into tendrils of smoke.
Slowly she turned around and went back the way she came, heading for the oak grove. The trip for some reason didn't seem to take as long on the way back and she wasn't sure how she knew how to find her way back either.
She slowly walked back into the grove with a confused expression on her face.
"You have no burritos, and you look perplexed."
"Sorry gang," Mel said softly. "Apparently the Spirits don't allow take-a-ways."
"You find out what you needed to hear?" Xander asked, concerned but not sure what he should be concerned about.
Mel looked up. "Well... It was..."
Mel shrugged and forced a grin. "It was cryptic. C'mon. Let's go get a taco."
[ooc: Preplayed with the fabulous lilpunkinbelly, willbedone and needsaparrot. No interaction possible but OOC comments are more than welcome.]