onepassingnight | (no subject)

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[New York City is all around him, a mixture of loud noise and constant movement. He's standing in the middle of the sidewalk, holding a piece of paper and scanning the crowd.

And there she is.]

Kate! [He starts running after her, pushing people aside as he goes.] Kate, wait!

[He runs faster and faster, following her through the streets, darting into alleys and making sharp turns but he can never quite reach her, no matter how fast he goes.

His lungs are burning, his legs ache but he keeps moving, taking another quick turn and nearly crashing into a brick wall.

A wall. A wall with no other exits in immediate view and too high to climb.]

...Kate?

[He looks around, expression momentarily helpless.]

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A dream. [He says it slowly, like he's testing out the words, seeing how they feel in his mouth.] This is a dream?

[If he thinks about it, things make a little more sense. It would explain why Kate could just disappear like that, why the world seems fuzzy at the edges, why this girl--Buffy--could just pop up behind him...]

Why am I dreaming about someone I don't even know? I mean, I know why I'd dream about Kate but...but who are you? [Yes, he knows he asked the question already but well, he thinks that he's allowed to repeat himself in his own dreams if that' what he wants to do.]

I can leave... if I'm intruding. I just wanted to tell you before you got tied up all night chasing ghosts. [She ignores his second question. She already told you her name, and the rest... well.]

[He doesn't know what to say, just blinks and considers what she's said, considers how the world is behaving before taking in a deep breath.] Are all dreams as polite as you are?

If I'm getting a gold star in politeness, I'm thinking your standards weren't too high to begin with. [raises an eyebrow] Maybe I just know what it's like, chasing someone who was never there.

Edited 2011-03-07 22:38 (UTC)

Well, you're not totally cryptic, you did give me your name and your nice enough to not call me crazy. Fine, you've not graduated from the school of etiquette but you're better than nothing.

[He considers the last part of what she says, not saying anything for a few moments before speaking] So what, is that a hobby for you then and, hwen that gets boring, you come up and have a chat with people like me?

Something like that. Mostly, I don't have a choice. It's either this or nothing..ness.

You would choose this too.

[He looks at her, confusion evident on his face] Nothingness? What do you mean? Just...nothing at all?

I mean, just me on my own. The solo roadshow.

Who's Kate?

{He nods his head, hands slipping into his pockets] Just someone I need to find. Someone took her and now shes in danger and I have to get her back.

... Can I help?

[He laughs, looking her up and down for a moment.] Sure? Why not, it's not as if I'm doing a marvelous job at getting her back myself. [He would think to be more skeptical but right now he's not too sure of much of anything.]

I lose things a lot. I mean, socks mostly. But people too! ...That didn't come out all of the right.

Where do we start?

[He laughs a little and he's grateful for lat. It's hard for him to laugh at times like this, he knows that, so having her help him do that is kind of nice.] I don't know, I was chasing her down here and then she was just...gone. [He shrugs.] I looked around but there don't seem to be any hidden doors, though I could be wrong.

This is a little metaphor-y don't you think. I mean, a brick wall? That was the best your subconscious could do?

And you do realize this is a dream, right? [She goes to the wall and pushes on it, a small section of it gives way to what else, a hidden door.] You were saying?

My subconscious? [He blinks at her but then his questions get answered with her next statement.

A dream. He laughs.] I don't know. Right now, I'm not really sure of anything. I thought people couldn't disappear, well not without me knowing how they did it.

But he's thinking more and more about it, about ow the city moved, about how nothing felt right and he wonders if what she's saying is the truth. I still don't know why I'm dreaming about someone I've never met before.

Maybe this is a prophetic dream. [she lies.] Or maybe I'm just here to help.

[He looks at her skeptically.] This might come as news to you but I don't get prophetic dreams and if I did, I'd hope they would be a little more... [he gestures at the wall, then at Buffy[ I don't know. prophetic? Instead of telling me what I already know.

[He doesn't acknowledge the second part of her statement. He'd like to think she might be here to help but he highly doubts he's going to find any help in his dreams in finding Kate.

Maybe we should be doing a little less Q&A and a little more looking for Kate, hm?

What's the point? If this is a dream, it's not like I'm actually going to find her. I'm going to wake up and she'll still be gone.

But maybe... you know something you don't know you know. ..You know?

It can't hurt. [crosses her arms across her chest.]

I don't know. [Then he pauses. blinking an d shaking his head.] Poor word choice there.

I guess we might as well. [But his heart doesn't sound like it's in it. He sounds defeated and a little sad.]

[She smiles at that before it drops again, empathetically.]

If you want to do something else, we can. I didn't mean to be Miss Pushy.

[He studies her then smiles a little weakly.[ It's okay. It's not your fault. I just spend half my waking hours trying to get her back, I was just hoping that in my dreams I'd get the chance without having to work so hard at it you know?

I know. I very much... know.

[He laughs a little.] At least my dreams are empathetic.