taxonomites | [ Holo | Location: Sanctuary ]

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[ Holo | Location: Sanctuary ]

He was sure something with the ritual had gone wrong. Not that there was much that could go right, he corrected himself, the sick, heavy feeling that had settled in his stomach so many hours beforehand still refusing to let up. He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting and scenery; he had gone from a dark warehouse with the windows boarded up and rusted meathooks hanging from the ceiling to… this. He couldn’t think of how to describe it. It was so different from anything he’d seen before, even since coming to Los Angeles – bright, metallic and utterly foreign.

“Cordy? Can you hear me?” He cringed as the sound of his voice echoed back. He hadn’t been expecting that.

Connor looked up, attempting to process his surroundings. What was that up there? He shook his head, causing his already mussed hair to fall in front of his eyes as he moved forward, almost tripping down the first step before taking the rest down to the floor without incident. He had to find some way out; things were happening back at that warehouse and Angel was due to arrive any minute, he would have to fight him to keep him from interfering – or keep him from getting hurt, he wasn’t sure which now. Maybe he was here because of the ritual, maybe Cordelia had sent him away... except that didn’t make sense. Not after everything she had done to make sure he stayed close.

It must have backfired somehow. … hmph. That was the price of relying so heavily on magic.

“I guess weirder things than this happened,” he muttered to himself, his eyes finally accustomed to the brightness. Another look around revealed there was no exit that he could see. There was, however, a pedestal a few steps ahead of him with some device on it. He frowned as he examined it as best he could from where he was standing.

Usually, it didn’t pay to touch something if you didn’t know what it was. Especially not if magic was involved. It wasn’t quite as foreign as the rest of the room, however, and he took a few steps closer to get a better look at it.

“… kind of looks like a video game,” he thought aloud. The more he talked aloud, the more that heavy feeling in his stomach abated. Maybe it was best not to think about what had happened at the – no. No way. He couldn’t just cut and run like that. “… nevermind. Can’t waste time here. I have to get back.”

It was a great plan, except for the part where there was no door. He scowled and cupped his hands against either side of his mouth to help his voice project, turning his face upwards as he shouted. “Can anyone hear me? Get me out of here!”

If nobody answered, that meant it was just time to start punching walls. He’d punched his way through the barrier of a hell dimension. He could definitely punch his way through a regular wall. … eventually.

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"Uh, no. Most people don't eat adorable, furry pets."

Now the hamster aliens, on the other hand, were fair game.

"If you're looking for the way out, pick up the little gadget on the table. It'll open up the door for you. Is someone coming for you yet?"

"... oh. Pets." Okay. Right. Most people didn't eat those.

He eyed the device as she directed him, now seeing her image projected on it for the first time, looking surprised as he leaned over to examine it. "Yeah. ... Angel's coming."

"Oh. Good. He'll be able to tell you all about Taxon."

More than Willow wanted to deal with right then, anyway.

"And you can tell him that your friendly neighborhood Willow kept you company. He knows me, so it's okay."

Willow? That's right. She was the witch that Fred and Wesley had called in to restore Angel's soul, after gang had the brilliant idea to remove it in the first place. He'd never been onboard with that plan, it was reckless from the start, and if he was counting something as reckless, it had to be pretty bad.

"Willow," he echoed, canting his head at her image, more than a little canine in his actions. "I know you. You gave Angel back his soul."

"Yeah, that's-"

Wait a minute. Wait just a minute. Willow's look turns supremely confused. If Connor didn't remember anything else about Taxon, why would he remember that? And for that matter she didn't even remember if he'd been around for that.

"Uh... yeah, I did... twice. Once at home and once here, but..."

Her confused frown deepens a little more. "But I don't remember you being there for the one here a-and I didn't know you at home."

If this is another case of timeline confusion, she's going to have choice words for the hamsters. And none of them will be "I hope you have a nice life."

Did she not remember him? That made sense, sort of. He'd spent most of her stay at the hotel locked away in Cordelia's room or running "errands," trying to find a way to intervene and stop the spell. Back when he still thought Cordy had been doing the right thing. A lot of doubts had been seeded that day, he remembered that much.

They had definitely met, though. Willow had called him "androgynous." ... he'd been meaning to look that up, come to think of it.

"You came to the hotel and put Angel's soul back, after we removed it to see what Angelus knew about the Beast."

More a case of that-hasn't-happened-to-her-yet. Not that Connor would know.

Willow continues giving him a very confused and wary look. This must be part of her future... Why the hell hasn't anyone else mentioned this?

"Uh... That must've been after I got pulled here." Pause. That probably makes no sense to him. "Okay, first thing about Taxon? Time means nothing. Some people remember things that others don't. This? Good example. You remember something that I guess hasn't happened to me yet. The only time I went to L.A. was to tell Angel that Buffy died. And that was..."

She pauses for just a minute, trying to think. Ignoring the half year she's been here... "Five months before I got pulled here. I think. I'm sorry. I don't remember."

"So even though people are from the same place, they have different memories?"

Connor snorted. Back to the theory of magic being involved. Seemed like a likely side-effected. He disapproved.

"That's gonna get pretty old fast." He folded his arms over his chest, determinedly stubborn. "So if you came here earlier than me..." He paused. Would she take offense to this? Possibly. He didn't stop to consider it further.

"Are you still a witch?"

"Yeah. It's really weird, but... that's what I've seen so far."

Oh if Willow knew what he was thinking, she'd have thrown a fit.

Instead, she shrugs. "You kinda get used to it after a while. There are worse things to deal with."

Offense taken? Definitely. Especially since the whole witch gone bad thing is still so recent. Her face creases in a frown of wariness and annoyance. "That's not something I can exactly turn on and off at will, you know. And for the record, I had nothing to do with any of this." Go ahead, hate all you want, Connor. That still won't change anything.

"I didn't think you did, I just..."

If he were being honest, Willow's use of magic had been the first and only time he'd seen it do any good, without any nasty after-effects. He still didn't trust magic, but it had made him begin to think that in the right hands, it might not be completely terrible.

"I just wanted to know. ... it was helpful, before."

Even if Cordelia had been insisting otherwise. He knew better now.

Yeah, Willow's just defensive about her magic in light of recent events. She's not even sure her hands are the "right hands" in this case, but she knows she has to try.

"Oh..." She pauses, apologetic. "Sorry, I just... got used to people not liking what I can do."

Long story there, Connor.

"If I did something to help, then... I'm glad. That's all I want to do now."

"... that's good," Connor told her with some hesitation, clearly having trouble accepting his own evolving viewpoint on the subject. "As long as you're careful... maybe it can be a good thing."

"Yeah. Definitely careful. Don't need to make a mess of things when the hamsters do that enough for me."

Bitter? Willow? Pffft never.

"... is this place really run by hamsters?" The look that crossed his face was nothing short of quizzical.

"They're aliens, but I'm told they've appeared as giant hamsters once."

The disgusted look on her face should tell Connor exactly what Willow thinks of these hamster overlords.

"Aliens," Connor repeated, as though the word itself tasted utterly foreign on his lips. Demons, he knew. Vampires, he knew. What the hell was an alien?

... well. That wasn't the sort of thing you figured out unless you asked, was it.

"What the sluk is an alien?"

What the hell have they been teaching this kid? Willow just stares at him for a minute. "Creatures from outer space. You know, the demons of the universe that come from the sky? E.T.?"

Come on, the kid's gotta know E.T.

Connor merely stared wide-eyed at the feed, utterly perplexed. "What's an E.T.?"

...Sob.

"Uh, never mind. It's an alien thing."

Pause as she tries to come up with something to say. "Uh, Angel should be coming soon, right? I should probably let you go before he gets there."

He decided to let that one go for now. After all, if he kept asking after every single thing he didn't understand, he would never be done asking questions and he would never get anywhere. He would learn as he went. That had worked well for him so far. His survival instincts were certainly well-honed, and they were more than enough to get him through life without knowing what the hell an E.T. was.

"Yeah. He said he's on his way. Thanks... Willow?" he recalled, testing the name on his tongue. She hadn't introduced herself here, but it hadn't been so long since her visit to the hotel. He wasn't the best at remembering the names of people he met in passing, but decent enough.

Willow nods, offering a smile in return. "You're welcome. Glad I could help." And the fact that Angel's coming makes her feel not so guilty about letting the transmission go. She's got things to do now, unfortunately.

"It was... good to talk to you, Connor. Maybe we'll see each other again soon?"

He nods in reply before diverting his gaze from the video and looking towards the door itself. "Yeah. Maybe I'll see you soon. It was... good to talk to you, too."

"Definitely. See you later, Connor!"

And with one last smile, Willow will cut the feed and let him wait for Angel.

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[ Holo | Location: Sanctuary ]

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