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by Chris Kenworthy (scoobyhq@fcmail.com)
Disclaimer: If it's been on TV, I didn't make it up!
"This is nice," Leslie commented, as they walked along Inspiration point, watching the ocean. "Uh, what's it like where you are, Oz??"
"Hmm?" Oz lifted his head to look over at her. "Um, sorry. Was I tuning you out??"
"I dunno," Leslie admitted, shrugging. "It's okay if you want to be quiet. I just... like to know what you're thinking."
Oz had to laugh at that. "I'm sorry, it's just... I'm not one for sharing. You hadn't noticed?"
"Of course I noticed, silly," Leslie said with a wide smile, "I just... wanted to be the one to change that. The person that you could open up to. It sounds silly, I know..."
"No, it doesn't," Oz said before he had realized he would. "I mean, a little weird, yeah, and slightly scary as a prospect, but also kinda cool." Pause. "Not that I'm into changing who I am for other people, 'cause, you know, so totally *not*..."
"Of course," Leslie shot back, all pixie smile.
"...But I have thoughts sometimes. Things that I'd like to talk about, except I can't seem to find the words, y'know? It'd be nice to have someone to talk with, like that." A thought ran through his brain, and under the circumstances, he decided to try saying it. "Willow could do that, sometimes."
To her credit, Leslie didn't seem unduly concerned that Oz had just brought up his ex-girlfriend. "Yeah... I could see that. She's a really open girl herself... very trusting. It'd be easy to count on someone like that."
Oz thought about what he should say for a few seconds before realizing that he really didn't need to say anything.
So they walked on in silence, side by side.
(Back at Celia's apartment.)
"Okay, now, remember girls," Celia said solemnly. "I can't really do this, so far as I know, so we'll call this 'for entertainment purposes only,' right?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Buffy said, grinning. "Legal disclaimer isn't really required - we're not gonna sue you or hold you to this. All for fun - your butt's covered."
"Not as much as usual, actually," Celia shot back, laughing. At half past ten in the evening, everybody had changed into their pajamas, according to the 'sleepover schedule.' Celia was wearing a fairly short nightgown that went down to mid-thigh, but Buffy had to admit it was a good deal less substantial than everyday clothes. "Well, give 'em a good shuffle."
"Don't you need to use special cards for this kind of thing?" Willow pointed out. She was wearing a pretty cotton nightshirt with a scoop neckline, and comfy short shorts. Buffy was wearing her sushi pajamas, and Faith was still feeling somewhat left out in her own t-shirt and shorts. "Tarot??"
"Not really," Celia opined. "It's become traditional lately, since the Tarot decks have more mystique and cachet than the playing deck. But I've had my fortune read by a real cartomancy diviner with orginary cards just like these ones." She took the deck of cards back from Buffy. "Okay, let's see... your significator would have to be the queen of clubs, Buffy."
"Yeah," Faith joked in. "So she can hit Cole on the top of his head and drag him off to her cave."
Celia purposefully ignored that. "By analogy with the Tarot, clubs are the analog of wands, and both certainly can be seen as alternate faces of the wooden stakes you use, Buffy. More personally, the wands indicate an individual of quiet strength, good-hearted but unsure of her path in the world."
"Yeah, that does sound like you, Buffy," Willow pointed out.
Meanwhile, Celia was already dealing the cards out to four piles in alternation, until the queen of clubs turned up. "First pile, do," she announced. "This means that the reading is focused on action, instead of concept, emotion, or... well, I'm not sure how to translate 'have' into that framework."
"Sounds good," Buffy said, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. "What next??"
"Now we cover it, subdefining what the cards are telling us about you," Celia said. "Nine of spades. This represents truth..."
(At the Bronze.)
"Oh, hey there, Cole," Xander said, realizing that he had ended up right next to Buffy's new beau at the bar. "What's up? You feeling the lonely of 'girl's night in' too??"
"Hehe," Cole said, smiling. "Gotta admit, I've only been hanging with Buffy for a few days, but I'm missing her already. You and Willow??"
"Complicated, as you might imagine," Xander said with a smile. "Since we've known each other for ever, but only been dating for... well, I guess it's a week tonight, huh?"
"Uh-oh." Cole laughed. "You'd better have a present ready by the time she gets back from the sleepover, hadn't you?"
"Yeah," Xander said, frowning. "Oh, boy." He shook that problem to one side for now. "Ah, well, there'll be shopping time tomorrow morning. Um, by the way, Cole." Xander dropped his voice and moved his head a little closer to Cole's. "I was meaning to thank you. For... you know, what you did, the night of the dance."
"Oh, don't mention it," Cole whispered back. "That's just something that I can do. I don't know why, but I don't deserve praise for it."
"No, really," Xander murmured back. "I mean, you risked your own life with those vampires to get a chance to heal me, and thanking you is the least that I can do."
"Okay, thanks," Cole said, smiling. "By the way, that Willow's a nice girl. You treat her right."
"I do my best," Xander muttered shyly. "Care for another soda?"
"Hmm... cool!"
(Back at Celia's one more time.)
"Okay," Buffy declared. "Considering how sleepy and giddy I'm getting, if we're going to talk serious business, this is probably last chance. Whatcha got, Celia?"
"Hmm... not really much," Celia said with a smile. "This was mostly a get-to-know-you thing. I wanted to run general ideas off of you Slayers about my role in your training... basically, trying to do a few things to liven up your practice sessions."
"Sounds good to me," Faith put in.
"What about, um, me?" Willow asked. "I mean, you were talking to me about training to become a Watcher, weren't you??"
"Yes," Celia said calmly. "Have you come to any decision about that?"
Willow started to giggle nervously, realizing that she had expected Celia to present her with more of an additional sales talk before leaving the decision up to her at this point. "Umm... I'm not sure. I think I'd like to... I mean, it's a really important job, and something that I've already got some experience with. But how hard is the training going to be? I mean, I've still got classes, senior year, and a new boyfriend, and I don't want to overextend myself or let anything get shortchanged."
"Well, I'm not going to push you too hard," Celia said with a smile. "Actually, I've spoken to Mister Snyder, and there's a little-known independent study program that we could take advantage of. Make up a project in mythology or something to satisfy the technical requirements, (I doubt that anyone will really care,) and you'll be able to work with Giles and I in place of some of your classes for next semester. If you're interested."
"Hmm..." Willow thought about that. "Maybe, yeah, that could work."
"And I certainly wouldn't want to do anything to disrupt your relationship with Xander. It'd be pretty hypocritical, for one thing," Celia laughed.
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