taxonomites | 001 [Holo]

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001 [Holo]

There's a loud thump and a pained groan as Dawn does a bellyflop-- without the whole 'into water' part, which is both better and so very much worse-- onto the platform. Groaning again, she rolls onto her back then slowly sits up, stretching her neck and rubbing at her face.

"Did I mention that 'hey, sure I'll help with baby Slayer training today' is not secret code for 'time to try to break Dawn'? I may not be able to squish you with my huge giant-y feet anymore, but that doesn't mean it's open season. Seriously, you didn't have to hit me that--"

She breaks off mid complaint as she actually looks around, taking in her surroundings and realizes that wherever she is, it's not Scotland. And unless one of the baby slayers hit her hard enough she passed out and this is all a wacky coma dream, things are seriously wrong.

"--Hard. What's going on?"

She pushes up off the ground, wincing as her knees sting a little thanks to the whole 'scraped from crashing into the ground' angle. Grabbing the weird fake Blackberry thing is priority number one, then heading down the stairs and out the door.

...The door which promptly disappears behind her. Dawn's eyes get wider, and she presses a hand against the space where a door should be. "Oh, this cannot be good. Buffy? Oh, my God, I'm so dead. Buffy's gonna kill me if I got kidnapped again. I just got all normal Dawn-sized and not half horse or creepy doll-like. I can't be kidnapped." She runs a hand through her hair, trying to calm down. "It's okay. There is obviously a perfectly logical reason for this. A reason which is just... eluding me for a second. I just need to calm down. No freaking for Dawn Summers, for I'm an adult-type responsible person with coping skills that help in these situations."

She rolls her eyes. "And I'm talking to myself. Which is not at all a sign of freak out-ness. Nope." Looking around again, moving past freaked to 'let's work this out'. "Can anyone hear me? Willow? Xander? Even Andrew. Andrew would be okay right now. In fact, I would be really glad to see Andrew, which usually doesn't happen until I need an ANTM marathon buddy or some funnel cake, but... yeah, I'd be happy to see Andrew right now."

Dawn bites her lip and looks down, swallowing hard. Tiny Watcher is officially a little more worried than she would like to be. "...Anybody?"

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"What is this irrational fog prejudice, Dawn? Also, since they started giving out free berets."

It's true-- besides, ridiculous arguing is a fine distraction from 'why won't my legs go faster?' and 'I wish I had a car and could drive without risk of injury', two thoughts Buffy is currently having.

"I'm sadly lacking in white horses. I think I left them in my other stable. I have two arms though? For said hugging. I'll be there soon."

"I stand against fog. Someone has to. And did you get one of the purple ones? Oooh, and the tiny cups of coffee and maybe a baguette?"

To anyone else, this might sound like useless, idle chatter. But in the secret language of Buffy and Dawn, it means things like 'I'm glad you're here' and 'I knew you wouldn't let me be alien abducted by myself' and 'Dawn, I am buying you a pony'.

...That last one might be wishful thinking.

"I think I can forgive the lack just this once. Also, while I don't discriminate against the one-armed unless they killed Harrison Ford's wife, I'm glad you have both. One might make the lung squishing, rib creaking Slayer hug harder, and we can't have a meaningful reunion without one of those."

"Very noble of you. And I did-- and one of those chairs that's portable and folds up."

Buffy is never buying Dawn a pony, even if she can totally afford it with all her insane bank robbery shenanigans, but she's definitely down with the secret Buffy and Dawn code, though in her case she'd add 'I have missed you drastically' and 'oh dear I may possibly cry' to that list.

"True, true, though I'll try and keep the internal injuries to a minimum. I can't make any promises of course, but..."

Okay, so after a marvellous display of multi-tasking (conversing and running really fast at the same time!) Buffy will now be racing into the Sanctuary with very little regard for doors and furniture and the like, until she finds where Dawn is, at which point the tablet goes away and it's epic hugging time, hi little sister.

"I am the Dawnax. I speak for those affected by the evil that is fog. And did you get your name painted on it? Because you totally should."

...A terrarium full of tree frogs? Dawn can be flexible. And also, she reads you loud and clear, Windtalker. And promises not to tease you about any crying that may or may not happen.

"I object to internal injuries even more than fog, Buffy. I like my insides unsquished and in good working order."

Epic hugging time is a go! Dawn holds on tight, not even complaining when her ribs creak just the tiniest bit. She maybe stands a little taller in protest-- hi, Buffy, your little sister is taller than you and will never ever let you forget it-- but since she's hugging Buffy back just as fiercely, there will be no kvetching.

"Hi, Buffy. Miss me?"

"The 'Dawnax'? Isn't that an industrial stain remover? And yes. In gold sparkly lettering for that added class and elegance."

Buffy has long since resigned herself to Dawn just slightly towering over her (emphasis on the slightly) so she doesn't even mind-- but will maybe stop squeezing quite so tightly, after a suitable amount of time-- at which point she pulls back, with a laugh that borders on shaky. No, she's not brushing tears away with the back of her hand, that's crazy talk.

"No..." (obvious lies) "...Yes. God, it's so good to see you. Are you okay? Other than the obvious disorientation I mean."

"The Lorax is copyrighted, and it so is not. And with little embroidered hearts and stars?" Just watch, once Dawn gets the hang of the hatches, she'll make Buffy this hideous chair for her very own.

Dawn is the taller sister forever, end of story. And in her very favorite impractical heels, she's even taller. (New order of business: create shoes, directly post ugly folding chair.) But the 'ha ha ha, I'm taller than you, Buffy' can wait; right now, she's giving Buffy one last squeeze, then darting in to kiss her cheek quickly.

"I knew it. And the knee situation is... slightly tenderized, but nothing that some Neosporin and a bandaid won't fix. Plus, you're here, so okay is automatically accomplished."

"Hmmm, if you say so. And yup! And a beverage holder. To put the little coffee cups in." Oh, the fun to be had with hatches. Buffy had at first lamented the lack of a mall (at great length) when she arrived, but after she found out that the hatches are like mail-order sans actual mail she quickly recovered.

"Very astute." She smiles, and then she's frowning and eyeing Dawn's knee-- oh yep, so already we're into concerned overprotective territory, and in record time too! She clearly has compensating to do.

"What were you even doing, anyway? 'Human punchbag' was not one of your duties last time I checked. That's why we have actual punchbags. You're not squishy or cylindrical enough."

"...This is officially the ugliest imaginary chair ever." Dawn laughs a little, brushing at her cheek with the back of her hand. After hearing Tara's voice again, she's both joyful and emotionally overwhelmed.

Oh look, it's Dawn rolling her eyes at Buffy's over-protectiveness! All is as it should be.

"Helping? In a way."

Buffy's right there with the joyful and emotionally overwhelmed, she's vaguely trying to do her collected and composed thing though. Still, she reaches for Dawn's hand, which is the next best thing to another hug, and is also a precaution to stop her from going poof.

"I disapprove of this kind of helping. I think there are many non-violent means of helping that would be be far more helpier. Or... helpful, even." Her grasp of the English language is not all that graspy at the moment, apparently. She takes a steadying breath.

"So I guess I should probably explain everything now, huh?"

Dawn squeezes back, just as tight. Buffy may be a marshmallow defamer and occasional pain in the butt-- not to mention, apparently on a quest to make sure Dawn hardly ever dates anyone ever (not that her attempts away from Buffy went all that well, either)-- but she's Dawn's marshmallow defamer and pain in the butt.

"Helpier works. And also, among the things that work are explanations."

"Did somebody just say the E word?"

...and lo, there is a Xander jogging down the corridor at this well-timed moment, wearing a very large grin. Also, heading straight for Dawn, to give her one of those bear-lifting-a-couple-of-inches-off-the-floor hugs (Buffy you can have her back in a second, he swears). "Hey Dawn!"

"Xander!" Dawn fully expects that lifting hug, and in fact would not even mind if it involved a small-- or large-- amount of twirling. "Hi."

When he tries to set her down, she clings a little longer, just... taking this in. Her whole family is here, almost. Kidnapping and word dimensions aside, this development? Is so very okay with her.

Despite harboring similar 'am I a terrible person for being so happy to see Dawn here?' feelings to Buffy, Xander has pretty much decided to ignore them. Because it's Dawn! And they're not in any immediate danger, therefore being happy is allowed-- and clinging is encouraged.

"It's good to see you. And all in one non-horsey-giant-doll-shaped piece, I'm so very pleased to note." He observes cheerfully, before throwing Buffy a smile, belatedly. Dawn-hugging requires full attention.

"Hey Buff. I interrupted the explaining, didn't I?"

Buffy watches the proceedings with what is approaching the closest to being content that she's felt since arriving at Taxon. Okay, so she still wasn't loving the kidnap situation, but at least the evil aliens or pirates or demons or ninjas or ewoks were bringing her the people she cared about most.

She smiles back, replying mock-reproachfully. "Oh absolutely, but I'll let you off this one time."

...Dawn would so pay money to see Buffy fight an evil ewok. The alliteration possibilities alone are cool, not to mention: ewok.

"You too, Xander. And I'm normal Dawn size and shape! I have been for like..." She wrinkles her nose thoughtfully. "One week, two days, six hours and fifteen and a half minutes. Approximately."

Not that she's been counting, or anything.

"Now it's like a full party of explanations. With color Scooby commentary!"

...So would Xander, for the record.

"Oh, that's not only impressively accurate but also good, that means we're from roughly the same time-span..." There's a pause as he realises that might not make much sense to Dawn, and he holds up a finger, because that aids the explaining process.

"...which is a thing we'll elaborate on, but basics first right?" He looks to Buffy for confirmation.

"Yeah, starting from the start is probably a good plan." Buffy nods, mentally working out where the start even is.

"Okay. We're in a place called Taxon. It's an underground city. We have no idea where it is, or who brought us here-- so far whoever it is hasn't been large with the public appearances. There are forcefields to keep people from leaving though. Xander and I have both been here for a few months now. Willow arrived a little bit after us-- then there was Giles, and..."

She pauses, unsure of exactly how to tell Dawn this, or if Dawn might have already spoken to Tara herself. Her voice switches from practical and matter-of-fact to a gentler tone. "...and well, I know how crazy this sounds, but Tara."

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001 [Holo]

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