All hail Joss Whedon, he owns these characters, the town of Sunnydale, hack, probably even the way the characters talk! So, um, yeah, just borrowing!
***"Bunch of wanna-blessed-be's. Nowadays, every girl with a Henna tatoo and a spice rack thinks she's a sister to the dark ones." --Willow ***
"Uh, hi?" Five seconds ago, the doorbell had rung, Willow answered. The world made sense. Now, there was a girl standing on her doorstep, a girl with fishnets and big boots who was crying so hard her dark eye makeup was all over her face.
The girl said something indecipherable.
"I'm sorry?"
The girl took a deep breath. "I'm Maryn."
Willow shook her head, drawing a blank.
"Maryn Rosenberg. I--I--my . . ." her words faded into convulsive sobs again.
"Oh. Oh! Come in." What was Maryn doing here? She was her father's uncle's . . . anyway, she was a cousin, but they lived in Berkley. And she was so different. The girl Willow used to know had been smart and shy, kind of, like, well, herself.
Maryn sat down on the couch, while Willow went and got her a glass of water and a box of tissues, then sat down beside her until she calmed down.
The girl slowly stopped crying while blackening several tissues with her definitely not waterproof eyeliner.
"Wh--what's wrong, Maryn?"
She sniffled a bit, then answered in a quavery voice. "He kicked me out."
"Who?"
"Jordy."
"Your brother? How did he kick you out?"
Maryn looked up, her green eyes wide. "You mean you don't know?"
Willow shook her head.
"Mom and Dad . . . They, um, died." She looked away. "Since I was sixteen, and Jordan was twenty, they let him be my guardian."
"Well, that's good, right? I mean, you didn't have to go live with foster parents."
"Wrong. Jordy . . . He doesn't like me."
"But he's your family. That's got to mean something."
"Family is who loves you. Jordy just wanted me to go away. He hated that Mom and Dad died, and that he was stuck with me. He said he wasn't ready for all that responsibility, that he didn't deserve to be stuck with me."
"Oh. I'm so sorry."
Maryn gave Willow a little smile. "At first I tried to be really good. I cleaned up when I wasn't asked, I was always home really early, and I paid attention in school."
"So what happened? You were being good."
"But I guess not good enough. He still . . . resented me. So then I was not-so-good. I mean, it didn't seem to matter." She paused for a moment, biting her bottom lip. "Then he . . . caught me."
"Being not-so-good?"
"Yeah," Maryn said quietly.
"Oh. And then he . . . kicked you out?"
"Yeah." It was barely a whisper. They shared a moment of silence. "So, are your parents home?"
"No, they're out shopping. You can put your stuff in the guest room, though. I'm sure they won't mind. They always say you're their favorite cousin."
Maryn laughed at the obvious improbability, and Willow noticed something shiny in her mouth.
"You got your tongue pierced? Didn't that hurt?"
Maryn just laughed again.
"It was really cool. Like having a sister, except we didn't fight." Willow sat talking to Buffy and Xander in the common room.
"Not even a pillow fight, in skimpy pajamas?" Xander asked. "Or, a tickle fight?" He reached over and tickled Willow. In her struggle to get away, her shirt scrunched up a little, revealing a little of her tummy.
"Whoa, what's that?" Buffy asked, staring at what looked to be a tattoo like a snowflake around her navel.
Willow looked down, like she was surprised herself. "Oh. Oh! That's a . . ."
"Rune." Giles appeared over Buffy's shoulder.
Xander jumped. "What's up with the Angel act?"
"Willow, I must ask what you're doing with a Kabbalistic Rune tattooed on your navel."
Willow pulled her shirt down quickly. "I--It's not a tattoo, it's just henna. Maryn, uh, actually, she wants to be called Adva now, she did it for me."
"And Adva is?" Giles seemed slightly perturbed.
Xander smiled. "The best way to cure a headache?"
"My cousin. From Berkley."
Buffy frowned. "Hold up. Rune? Kabbal-- kabbalis-- kabbally things? What are we all talking about?"
"How Willow and her-- Adva are messing around with things they can't possibly understand." he walked away as the bell rang.
After the next class, Willow and Buffy walked down the hall together.
"I can't believe I let Giles see it. This is so embarrassing," Willow scrunched her face worriedly.
"Why is it embarrassing? It's just a little temporary runeage."
"Well, it's kind of complicated." she paused. "Okay, so it's not. Maryn and I were talking about girl stuff, you know, trying to get her mind off her parents and her brother. And we got on the topic of, well, Xander, and um . . ." Willow thought she was going to die from embarrassment. "She told me how she had been learning about Kabballah from her ex-boyfriend. Jewish Mysticism. That she might be able to help."
"So, instead of doing each other's hair and painting your nails you gave each other witchy mystical Jewish tattoos. Perfectly understandable, Will, especially in Sunnydale." Buffy did the combination to her locker and opened it.
Willow leaned against the lockers with her eyes on the ceiling. "It's not that simple. I think Giles got all grumpy because it's kind of like a love spell."
Buffy slammed her locker and stared point-blank at Willow. "Love spell?"
"No, it's not like that. It was just a little fun thing, not a big magicky thing. Runes aren't big make-people-fall-in-love-with-me things. They're just . . . like perfume. They create a little aura around you, make people notice a little more."
"Will, how many times . . ." Buffy paused, two fingers on her temple, collecting her thoughts. "Okay, well, it hasn't caused any trouble yet, right?"
"Right. No trouble." Willow started a little grin. "But Xander did tickle me. And imagine me in skimpy pajamas."
Buffy shook her head and grinned. "For your sake, I hope that rune stays trouble-free. Meanwhile, if your explanation of things is on the up-and-up, Giles got seriously wiggy over practically nothing. There's something up." she shouldered her backpack, putting on her determined face. "And I'm going to find out what."
"Ooh, can I help? I want to help."
Buffy smiled sympathetically. "I know. But I don't think it's a good idea for you to be around Giles right now. Besides, you've got an Adva to take care of at home. She needs you more than I do right now."
"Yeah." Willow smiled.
***"Bunch of wanna-blessed-be's. Nowadays, every girl with a Henna tatoo and a spice rack thinks she's a sister to the dark ones." --Willow ***
"Uh, hi?" Five seconds ago, the doorbell had rung, Willow answered. The world made sense. Now, there was a girl standing on her doorstep, a girl with fishnets and big boots who was crying so hard her dark eye makeup was all over her face.
The girl said something indecipherable.
"I'm sorry?"
The girl took a deep breath. "I'm Maryn."
Willow shook her head, drawing a blank.
"Maryn Rosenberg. I--I--my . . ." her words faded into convulsive sobs again.
"Oh. Oh! Come in." What was Maryn doing here? She was her father's uncle's . . . anyway, she was a cousin, but they lived in Berkley. And she was so different. The girl Willow used to know had been smart and shy, kind of, like, well, herself.
Maryn sat down on the couch, while Willow went and got her a glass of water and a box of tissues, then sat down beside her until she calmed down.
The girl slowly stopped crying while blackening several tissues with her definitely not waterproof eyeliner.
"Wh--what's wrong, Maryn?"
She sniffled a bit, then answered in a quavery voice. "He kicked me out."
"Who?"
"Jordy."
"Your brother? How did he kick you out?"
Maryn looked up, her green eyes wide. "You mean you don't know?"
Willow shook her head.
"Mom and Dad . . . They, um, died." She looked away. "Since I was sixteen, and Jordan was twenty, they let him be my guardian."
"Well, that's good, right? I mean, you didn't have to go live with foster parents."
"Wrong. Jordy . . . He doesn't like me."
"But he's your family. That's got to mean something."
"Family is who loves you. Jordy just wanted me to go away. He hated that Mom and Dad died, and that he was stuck with me. He said he wasn't ready for all that responsibility, that he didn't deserve to be stuck with me."
"Oh. I'm so sorry."
Maryn gave Willow a little smile. "At first I tried to be really good. I cleaned up when I wasn't asked, I was always home really early, and I paid attention in school."
"So what happened? You were being good."
"But I guess not good enough. He still . . . resented me. So then I was not-so-good. I mean, it didn't seem to matter." She paused for a moment, biting her bottom lip. "Then he . . . caught me."
"Being not-so-good?"
"Yeah," Maryn said quietly.
"Oh. And then he . . . kicked you out?"
"Yeah." It was barely a whisper. They shared a moment of silence. "So, are your parents home?"
"No, they're out shopping. You can put your stuff in the guest room, though. I'm sure they won't mind. They always say you're their favorite cousin."
Maryn laughed at the obvious improbability, and Willow noticed something shiny in her mouth.
"You got your tongue pierced? Didn't that hurt?"
Maryn just laughed again.
"It was really cool. Like having a sister, except we didn't fight." Willow sat talking to Buffy and Xander in the common room.
"Not even a pillow fight, in skimpy pajamas?" Xander asked. "Or, a tickle fight?" He reached over and tickled Willow. In her struggle to get away, her shirt scrunched up a little, revealing a little of her tummy.
"Whoa, what's that?" Buffy asked, staring at what looked to be a tattoo like a snowflake around her navel.
Willow looked down, like she was surprised herself. "Oh. Oh! That's a . . ."
"Rune." Giles appeared over Buffy's shoulder.
Xander jumped. "What's up with the Angel act?"
"Willow, I must ask what you're doing with a Kabbalistic Rune tattooed on your navel."
Willow pulled her shirt down quickly. "I--It's not a tattoo, it's just henna. Maryn, uh, actually, she wants to be called Adva now, she did it for me."
"And Adva is?" Giles seemed slightly perturbed.
Xander smiled. "The best way to cure a headache?"
"My cousin. From Berkley."
Buffy frowned. "Hold up. Rune? Kabbal-- kabbalis-- kabbally things? What are we all talking about?"
"How Willow and her-- Adva are messing around with things they can't possibly understand." he walked away as the bell rang.
After the next class, Willow and Buffy walked down the hall together.
"I can't believe I let Giles see it. This is so embarrassing," Willow scrunched her face worriedly.
"Why is it embarrassing? It's just a little temporary runeage."
"Well, it's kind of complicated." she paused. "Okay, so it's not. Maryn and I were talking about girl stuff, you know, trying to get her mind off her parents and her brother. And we got on the topic of, well, Xander, and um . . ." Willow thought she was going to die from embarrassment. "She told me how she had been learning about Kabballah from her ex-boyfriend. Jewish Mysticism. That she might be able to help."
"So, instead of doing each other's hair and painting your nails you gave each other witchy mystical Jewish tattoos. Perfectly understandable, Will, especially in Sunnydale." Buffy did the combination to her locker and opened it.
Willow leaned against the lockers with her eyes on the ceiling. "It's not that simple. I think Giles got all grumpy because it's kind of like a love spell."
Buffy slammed her locker and stared point-blank at Willow. "Love spell?"
"No, it's not like that. It was just a little fun thing, not a big magicky thing. Runes aren't big make-people-fall-in-love-with-me things. They're just . . . like perfume. They create a little aura around you, make people notice a little more."
"Will, how many times . . ." Buffy paused, two fingers on her temple, collecting her thoughts. "Okay, well, it hasn't caused any trouble yet, right?"
"Right. No trouble." Willow started a little grin. "But Xander did tickle me. And imagine me in skimpy pajamas."
Buffy shook her head and grinned. "For your sake, I hope that rune stays trouble-free. Meanwhile, if your explanation of things is on the up-and-up, Giles got seriously wiggy over practically nothing. There's something up." she shouldered her backpack, putting on her determined face. "And I'm going to find out what."
"Ooh, can I help? I want to help."
Buffy smiled sympathetically. "I know. But I don't think it's a good idea for you to be around Giles right now. Besides, you've got an Adva to take care of at home. She needs you more than I do right now."
"Yeah." Willow smiled.