(Untitled)

[stillbecoming]

Exciting things about Milliways, #342: summer is ending in Sunnydale, but it's just starting here. Like a buy one get one free (and inexplicably Scottish) deal.

Buffy settles down at the bar with a glass of apple juice and an early August tan, and proceeds to people-watch. And...alien-watch. And robot-watch. And sheep-watch.

Why is there always a

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[isaysimplewords]

Cal has learned not to see the sheep.

He does see the young woman at the Bar, though, especially since he's paused right next to her to get a cup of coffee.

"Hi."

[stillbecoming]

Buffy surreptitiously checks to make sure he's talking to her, and not (for example) a barnyard animal behind her. Luckily, this only takes a moment, and then she says, "Hi," and scoots her smoothie sideways to make sure he has room.

[isaysimplewords]

Cal's coffee appears without his even having to ask. Discerning onlookers might note that the color is closer to that of coffee ice cream than actual coffee. He takes a sip anyway.

"I've seen you around here a few times before," Cal remarks. That happens when a person is Bound for months at a stretch.

He pauses.

"Only in Milliways is that not automatically a pick-up line," he adds in amusement.

[stillbecoming]

"Well, and the morgue," says Buffy, with all the aplomb of somebody who has sudden onset smoothie brain freeze. She rewinds. "I mean...yes. Only in Milliways."

On the one hand, he is an attractive man. On the other hand, Riley. She decides that it's probably a good thing it wasn't a pick-up line.

[walkerofworlds]

Well, there's a tall guy in leather trousers and a linen shirt that looks more at home in one of those 'historical' movies, quietly sewing the pieces of a boot together at a nearby table. Surely that's more interesting than sheep.

Every so often he looks up and scans his immediate area.

[stillbecoming]

Maybe he takes commissions. Buffy likes boots.

She also likes leather trousers. Definitely more interesting than sheep.

(Eventually, he might notice the surveillance.)

[walkerofworlds]

She can always ask; the worse he'd do would be to say no, amirite?

Most things are more interesting than sheep unless they talk and tapdance.

He glances up a minute or two later, nodding politely in her direction.

[stillbecoming]

Well, I mean, technically the worst he could do would be to leap up and murder her, or something like that. But it's not very likely.

Er, probably.

Buffy smiles back. A moment later: "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

[morethanwatcher]

And here's a familiar face for you--if he looks a liiittle too young, say... from the first few months she knew him? Well, maybe she won't notice.

"...Buffy?"

[stillbecoming]

That's a familiar sound. "Giles!" says Buffy, by way of greeting.

...Giles is here?

"Giles!" says Buffy again, this time with a look of guilty alarm. "I was just, um -- training. This is a training smoothie. Did you cut your hair?"

[morethanwatcher]

. . .

"Buffy, don't try to lie unprepared like that. You're incredibly transparent." He sighs and takes his glasses off to clean them. But he's smiling. "...Ah... no? Why would you ask that?"

[stillbecoming]

Buffy deflates.

...Not literally.

"I don't know," she says, moving swiftly away from the subject of her ability to lie. (And the subject of how she isn't training.) "Something about it looks different. New conditioner?"

[not_lupine]

Possibly her attention will be caught by the fair-haired young chap in Gryffindor robes.

Then again, perhaps not. You never know.

[stillbecoming]

She does have a lot of attention to go around, if not always in the longest spans.

So eventually, inevitably, it does land on the guy in the...what?

Buffy studies his robes. Possibly he's involved in some kind of collegiate graduation ceremony. At...this very moment.

[not_lupine]

Remus is a friendly thing and sends a friendly, if slightly puzzled, smile her way when her attention lands on him.

(Oh, look, a Muggle!)

[stillbecoming]

Buffy returns the smile, a little sheepishly. People-watching: less embarrassing when the people don't watch back.

"Graduation ceremony?" she says, nodding at his outfit.