slayer_fray | [SANDBOX] The united states of Fray (for cantjossme primarily)

[SANDBOX] The united states of Fray (for cantjossme primarily)

She's gotten so used to coming and going through her window/the front door, that Mel pretty much takes it for granted now that she can come and go between Milliways and Haddyn as she pleases. So when she climbs through the window this time round, it takes her a few seconds to realise she's not in Kansas any more.

That's a twentieth century expression. She's been hanging around Mikey too long.

Her slouched posture doesn't change as she glances around this strange formless place, but she does slide her not'scythe out of the sheath on her back, taking the opportunity as she does so to glance at the switchblade inside her wrist. Not glowing, so she's not actually in danger yet.

She stands still, waiting for something new to happen.

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A few moments later and something does happen.

There's a flash of light and a poof of smoke and suddenly there's another Fray in the room. She immediately wobbles and crouches over for about a second too as she tries to keep her stomach from escaping through her mouth.

"Jesu! Geez Will you weren't kidding about that re-entry part," Mel groaned as she tried to get her bearings.

It's the familiar voice that has Mel spiining around, and at the same time stays her weapon hand at an inoffensive level.

This is new.

"Jesu," she echoes. "What the hell...?"

Mel's hand had been reaching for her own axe as she turned around before seeing a version of herself in front of her.

"What the hell..?" she said almost in unison with her doppelganger. "Oh crap. Did I switch powers with that Madrox guy?"

"Switching powers?" Mel repeats, and her expression twists as she gives this actual consideration. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing ever to happen to her.

"Who the hell is Madrox?" she asks, deciding that probably answers the question.

"A mutant who can duplicate himself," Mel said moving her hand away from her weapon. "Which you would know if you were me. Which you aren't. But you are. Ruttin' hell, what's going on?"

"Beat guess?" she says easily, shifting her weight in an indifferent manner. "Alternate timelines. Seen it with other people - not so much with me."

Mel tilts her head ans steps forward, stufying the girl in front of her. "You're... what? Seventeen, eighteen?"

"Seventeen," Mel replied, still boggling at the fact she was talking to herself. "And I'm going to have to have a long talk with Willow when I get back. You get sent here by a spell too?"

"Not any different from the usual landlord toy..." Mel says, then frowns and backpedals. "Was kinda expecting a tav. End of the universe... univer

ses

. Um. It's kinda spun, but you get usedta it."

While talking, her eyes flicker to the other weapon and back, curiously.

"Kinda sounds like my school," Mel said finally giving her other self a closer examination. "Except it's not at the end of anything but someplace called Virginia. Got sent back in time by a bunch of watchers who thought I needed to go there. Will was trying to send me back."

She notices her other self looking at the scythe. "Let me guess. You met Urkonn too? Battle a giant Lizard that was trying to destroy Versi?"

"And the world," Mel fills in with a wry smirk. "Didn't happen 'til I was nineteen, though. Harth, right?"

"Harth," Mel replied in agreement and shuddered slightly. It's the first time she said his name since arriving at Fandom High School.

And you couple with what Harth did right after the death of the giant lizard...

Mel shuddered again.

"Is he still around where you are?"

Mel winces a little in sympathy over memory, and her smile turns almost apologetic.

"Not at home. Dusted him weeks ago. Course, then he turned up in the tav, but he can't hurt anyone there."

"He's still back at home for me," Mel replied trying to mentally get her thoughts around this alternate timeline thing.

You'd think she'd have a handle on it by now with all weird folk from school but...

"Um. This tav doesn't happen to be called Caritas and a Zombie band, does it?" Mel asked carefully. "That's a local place where I go to school."

"No, it's Milliways..." Mel says, having no problem herself. Milliways is strange enough.

"....wait, you said you're at

school

Mel couldn't help but snort as she rolled her eyes. "I know. It's toy for the most part but there are definite things that make up for it," Mel explained. "I've got two watchers who won't set themselves on fire and there's a bunch of people there who are familiar with the slayer thing. Granted there are no lurks there and I spend most of my time patrolling... nothing. So what's this Milliways thing?"

"School?" Mel repeats. "Watchers?" That illicits an actual shudder, before she pulls herself together. "Just a bar, except it's, yanno, magic. And at the end of the universe so you can see stars and toy 'sploding out of the window."

That's less important than, "but there's a lake and woods outside, and you can see the actual

stars

"Yeah. That's one thing about Fandom. Clear skies everywhere," Mel agreed. "Actual daylight on a regular basis is something I'll miss if I ever get back home. Though according to the creeps that sent me back, it won't happen unless I get that whole psychic slayer mojo back."

OK,

that

takes Mel back, blinking hard at her. "You're kidding?"

"About what? The slayer connection thing?" Mel asked. "Um. Why? Did you get it?"

"The sky, no..." Mel says, but shrugs and smiles sheepishly. "Got the dreams and toy when Harth was dusted, though."

"Oh."

Mel dug her toe into the ground a bit at that. Is that what it's going to take?

"Was it hard? Dusting him, I mean."

Mel swallows, hard.

Sure, she can play tough all she likes, but who really know how much it hurts inside better than

herself

.

(Well, Rachel too, but she's special)

And as much as she wants to bravado it all, this one... well, she's

younger

. And it sets off her protective instincts hard.

So instead of saying 'yeah, just dusting a lurk,' she steps forward, looking down at the scuffing toe.

"'Bout as hard as burying Loo."

Another person Mel hadn't thought of... or rather tried not to think of since she went back in time.

"Yeah," she said with catch in her voice. "I bet."

She looked around the "room" trying to get a better idea of where they were and to desperately change the subject. "So you think we're it? Just two Mel's from different timelines?"

Funny you should say that....

Mel - this Mel - had braced herself for a day with the twins, doing nothing more put of the ordinary than sitting in the hotel lobby and playing baby games.

So she'd set them up on that sling that lets Loo ride happy on her back and Hana sit comfortably in front, and headed down from the roof. And when she steps through the door to find herself shifted out of yet

another

world, she stops sharp, drawing them to herself before she bothers to look at the two in front of her.

"What the

rut

Mel was just about to say 'why the hell should we be?' when she was interrupted.

By herself. Again.

Only this time with...

"

Babies?

"

Instantly she feels guilty at that note of longing in her voice.

[SANDBOX] The united states of Fray (for cantjossme primarily)

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