voice + action ✪ there must be some way to bring the hero home

[herotypical]

[ after a week of agonizing combat, buffy summers returns home with only exhaustion on her mind. despite all the excitement and crisis, there's little left to do other than collapse onto her bed and fall into a sleep fit for a weary, worn-out soul. morning sees her feeling no less -- shudder -- zombieish. the horror of the last week is bone-and-marrow deep and has yet to fully make itself known in her system. the slayer is running on auxillery humanity, stringing herself along from second to second until she can find a friendly face. find willow and...

and all she finds is an empty room. an empty closet. empty drawers. her best friend is gone. deported while she wasn't even looking. come the afternoon, after she's gotten the first onslaught of emotions out of her system, buffy sits alone on the empty bed. she addresses her journal: ]

Willow and I have this game we like to play. Willow Rosenberg. She was in town...but now she's not. [ a pause allows buffy to catch her breath. to stay strong. ] We call it 'Anywhere But Here' -- self-explanatory, really. Pick a fantasty-elsewhere to be and a fantasy-someone to share it with. I'm not talking about the obvious ones: home or family or anything even remotely whiffing of responsibility. I'm talking about fun. I'm talking about pure escapism. I'm talking Daniel Craig on the beach or Amy Yip at the waterpark.

I'll go first. Show you how it's done. [ but which escape route from reality should she take? ] The '88 Winter Olympics. The Saddledome. Calgary, of all places. Brian Boitano is taking the time to personally skate me through his gold medal routine. Perhaps there's hot chocolate involved. I, being made entirely of my own imagination, copy each move perfectly.

Got it? Good. Because now it's your turn.

[ when her broken little tribute to an absent friend is finished, she'll be searching out her injured pirate (wherever he may be convalescing) and it's off to good spirits, where she can be found working a shift behind the bar. ]

Comments

[herotypical]

...Spitballs?

[ now? she might be teasing. ]

[asthehawkflies]

Yeah, you figured it out. That's me. The Great Spitball Assassin. Feared through classrooms everywhere.

[herotypical]

Teachers must have hated you.

[asthehawkflies]

I was a menace, but my legend shall live on forever.

[herotypical]

I'm afraid that I was mostly only ever known for cutting classes and getting into school-yard fights.

[asthehawkflies]

I can think of worse ways to spend school years.

[herotypical]

Yeah. Me too. Actually spending them in class.

[asthehawkflies]

Agreed. I am glad we had this bonding experience over mutual dislike of school.

[herotypical]

It's always gotta be something here. To bond over. Or you're kinda screwed.

[asthehawkflies]

I can imagine. None of the usual support systems around here. And way too many new people for my comfort.

[herotypical]

Depending on how long you stay? You start to see the usual crowd and only a few newbies every too much. It's almost too cosy. Too much like Cheers.

[asthehawkflies]

That doesn't sound too different to what I'm used to, honestly.

[SHIELD could be pretty insular, especially if you got stuck on one of the bases for long periods of time.]

Although if theme music starts playing and my life turns into a sitcom, I may revise my attitude.

[herotypical]

...Would it be a jaunty tune, y'think?

[asthehawkflies]

Possibly. Maybe an inspirational 80s power ballad. Depends on the mood.

[herotypical]

I think...I think I'd want something with roaring guitars, myself. And no words.

[asthehawkflies]

Not one for vocals?

Maybe if we got to choose the background music... you could just throw the soundtrack to whatever movie you wanted on.

[herotypical]

I like vocals well enough but...for a show's opening? Please. You'll pigeon-hole yourself by the first season.

[asthehawkflies]

Huh, that's a good point. It is best to be flexible.

[herotypical]

...That's the way of the world. Be able to bend or be able not to break. There are no other options.

[asthehawkflies]

[It's a solemn thought, but he an't deny the truth in it.]

Well, I've been pretty good at being able to bend up until now. Think I'll keep up my winning streak.

[herotypical]

They can't last forever, you know. Winning streaks.

[asthehawkflies]

Something I came to terms to a long time ago. I wasn't really expecting to last this long.

[herotypical]

You too, huh? Why? When was your projected expiration date?

[asthehawkflies]

I dunno. Anytime between about seventeen and now.

[Maybe earlier. But that was when he'd really thrown himself deliberately into this kind of life.]

[herotypical]

Well. You certainly don't look like you've passed it. Not yet, at least. But you know what they say about the good and dying young, right?