Antilogy
"Hello?"
"Dawn?"
"Yep. Oz?"
"The only."
"Hey, how you been?"
"Pretty good. You like what I sent you?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"I thought you might."
"Well, it's not everyday you get something signed by one of your favorite bands, you know. How'd you get a hold of it?"
"I traded some guy one of our less good amps for it. It was a pretty good deal."
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted to. How you holding up?"
"With Glory and all that junk? I just ignore it unless something bad happens. Then I just try and stay away from everything."
"Sounds like a good plan."
"If I want to stay alive it is."
"Staying alive is good, except when it involves John Travolta and a white suit."
"It's good to laugh. I haven't done that in awhile."
"You should."
"I don't really have much to smile about."
"I know."
"Well, my dramatic sister is making wild motions for me to give her the phone. Or she wants me to throw her a bone - Hey, rude, much?"
"Yes, thank you. Hey, Oz."
"Hey."
"I hope she traumatize you too much."
"Nah, we just about some stuff … Is it really that bad there Buffy?"
"Truth?"
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes to both questions."
"How are you doing?"
"On a scale of one to ten, ten being not at all? An eleven point seven."
"Ouch."
"Yeah."
"Do you need some backup?"
"No, I think we're doing okay. Giles is going to take me to do some Slayer thing in the desert. It's supposed to help with … something."
"Sounds like fun."
"Mounds and mounds of fun. Mountainous fun."
"Mountains are cool. I finally got to see the Rocky ones close."
"Was it nice?"
"Yeah. Not as nice as watching the sunrise on the beach in South Carolina."
"I bet that was beautiful."
"It was. It was like watching the sky and the earth meet. And when the light hit the waves just right, it made you feel alive, you know. It's breathtaking. But in a way humbling. You realize there is so much out there."
"What's it like beyond Sunnydale?"
"You don't remember?"
"All the times I was away, I wanted to forget. And my past … That is embarrassing. I was such a ditz."
"When you're out of Sunnydale, there's still death and destruction. But it's sadder. It's like, people are doing it, not demons. It makes me glad that I knew you guys. It gives me hope that the world is still good somewhere."
"And here of all places."
"Ironic."
"Very."
"Would you miss it?"
"Sunnydale? Maybe. It depends where I was, who I was with, why I left. All those questions."
"If you could just walk away from it, right now, would you miss it?"
"The place? It's home, I'll bitch about it but I still love it. The people? I'd die with out them. Even Spike. What about you? Do you miss it?"
"Yeah. Even the demonic stuff. Which is morbid but true. Sunnydale's innocent in a way. The people still want to go on living even if they know about all the things that go bump in the night. Granted, it gets most of them killed but they still want to be normal. Everybody else out there wants to be the opposite of normal. And they live their lives waiting to die. And in Sunnydale, they don't. Want to die, but they still do."
"And the people that want to die, they get lucky and don't. Die that is."
"My kingdom is a paradox." Hushed.
"That it is."
"It's best that way. Surprises you."
"Sometimes surprises aren't good."
"Yeah. They sneak up you and yell 'surprise.' Scary."
"Mocker."
"I am not Ringo. I'm the Lennon."
"Poetic and charming."
"So some say."
"Some?"
"Jealous?" Waggish.
"Nah because I'm sure it's Chad that tells you these things."
"More than you know."
"I definitely have to meet him."
"He'd get along with Xander."
"Scary thought, almost as bad as surprises."
A knock on Oz's door interrupted what he was about to tell her.
"Gig in ten, man," Chad told him. He took a step back towards the door, then turned around to face him.
"Buffy?" he mouthed. Oz nodded. Chad flashed him a thumbs-up sign and retreated from the room. Oz shook his head.
"Looks like my cue to go," he said.
"Yeah, I don't want to keep your adoring fans waiting," she teased.
"I thought you were my adoring fan," he joked.
"What made you think that?" she asked.
"Well, you did call me charming…" he began.
"Yeah, yeah, I want you, let me strum your guitar, I need you, oh baby, oh baby," Buffy deadpanned.
"I thought so," Oz laughed.
"I'll let you go. Knock 'em dead, Ozzy."
"Same to you," he said half amused.
"I miss you, you know," she said quietly.
"I know…" at first she thought he was going to leave it at that but she heard him say, "I love you."
"Bye, Oz," she said and smiled.
"Bye, Buffy," he said.
They disconnected and Buffy sat at the counter thinking. She had realized how much Oz had changed a few minutes ago. He was more open about things. And there was something else. He sounded happy and she couldn't help but think it had to do with not being around the Hellmouth.
Now, she was torn between wanting to be where he was or having him with her in Sunnydale.
"Hello?"
"Dawn?"
"Yep. Oz?"
"The only."
"Hey, how you been?"
"Pretty good. You like what I sent you?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"I thought you might."
"Well, it's not everyday you get something signed by one of your favorite bands, you know. How'd you get a hold of it?"
"I traded some guy one of our less good amps for it. It was a pretty good deal."
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted to. How you holding up?"
"With Glory and all that junk? I just ignore it unless something bad happens. Then I just try and stay away from everything."
"Sounds like a good plan."
"If I want to stay alive it is."
"Staying alive is good, except when it involves John Travolta and a white suit."
"It's good to laugh. I haven't done that in awhile."
"You should."
"I don't really have much to smile about."
"I know."
"Well, my dramatic sister is making wild motions for me to give her the phone. Or she wants me to throw her a bone - Hey, rude, much?"
"Yes, thank you. Hey, Oz."
"Hey."
"I hope she traumatize you too much."
"Nah, we just about some stuff … Is it really that bad there Buffy?"
"Truth?"
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes to both questions."
"How are you doing?"
"On a scale of one to ten, ten being not at all? An eleven point seven."
"Ouch."
"Yeah."
"Do you need some backup?"
"No, I think we're doing okay. Giles is going to take me to do some Slayer thing in the desert. It's supposed to help with … something."
"Sounds like fun."
"Mounds and mounds of fun. Mountainous fun."
"Mountains are cool. I finally got to see the Rocky ones close."
"Was it nice?"
"Yeah. Not as nice as watching the sunrise on the beach in South Carolina."
"I bet that was beautiful."
"It was. It was like watching the sky and the earth meet. And when the light hit the waves just right, it made you feel alive, you know. It's breathtaking. But in a way humbling. You realize there is so much out there."
"What's it like beyond Sunnydale?"
"You don't remember?"
"All the times I was away, I wanted to forget. And my past … That is embarrassing. I was such a ditz."
"When you're out of Sunnydale, there's still death and destruction. But it's sadder. It's like, people are doing it, not demons. It makes me glad that I knew you guys. It gives me hope that the world is still good somewhere."
"And here of all places."
"Ironic."
"Very."
"Would you miss it?"
"Sunnydale? Maybe. It depends where I was, who I was with, why I left. All those questions."
"If you could just walk away from it, right now, would you miss it?"
"The place? It's home, I'll bitch about it but I still love it. The people? I'd die with out them. Even Spike. What about you? Do you miss it?"
"Yeah. Even the demonic stuff. Which is morbid but true. Sunnydale's innocent in a way. The people still want to go on living even if they know about all the things that go bump in the night. Granted, it gets most of them killed but they still want to be normal. Everybody else out there wants to be the opposite of normal. And they live their lives waiting to die. And in Sunnydale, they don't. Want to die, but they still do."
"And the people that want to die, they get lucky and don't. Die that is."
"My kingdom is a paradox." Hushed.
"That it is."
"It's best that way. Surprises you."
"Sometimes surprises aren't good."
"Yeah. They sneak up you and yell 'surprise.' Scary."
"Mocker."
"I am not Ringo. I'm the Lennon."
"Poetic and charming."
"So some say."
"Some?"
"Jealous?" Waggish.
"Nah because I'm sure it's Chad that tells you these things."
"More than you know."
"I definitely have to meet him."
"He'd get along with Xander."
"Scary thought, almost as bad as surprises."
A knock on Oz's door interrupted what he was about to tell her.
"Gig in ten, man," Chad told him. He took a step back towards the door, then turned around to face him.
"Buffy?" he mouthed. Oz nodded. Chad flashed him a thumbs-up sign and retreated from the room. Oz shook his head.
"Looks like my cue to go," he said.
"Yeah, I don't want to keep your adoring fans waiting," she teased.
"I thought you were my adoring fan," he joked.
"What made you think that?" she asked.
"Well, you did call me charming…" he began.
"Yeah, yeah, I want you, let me strum your guitar, I need you, oh baby, oh baby," Buffy deadpanned.
"I thought so," Oz laughed.
"I'll let you go. Knock 'em dead, Ozzy."
"Same to you," he said half amused.
"I miss you, you know," she said quietly.
"I know…" at first she thought he was going to leave it at that but she heard him say, "I love you."
"Bye, Oz," she said and smiled.
"Bye, Buffy," he said.
They disconnected and Buffy sat at the counter thinking. She had realized how much Oz had changed a few minutes ago. He was more open about things. And there was something else. He sounded happy and she couldn't help but think it had to do with not being around the Hellmouth.
Now, she was torn between wanting to be where he was or having him with her in Sunnydale.