Buffy never answered her calls; she always let it go to voicemail. So Dawn called Xander. He always picked up on the first ring, for her.
This passage, to me, is really indicative of ~why~ Dawn and Xander work out well. And it's definitely interesting to note how even after all of these years, Dawn is still cognizant of Buffy's tendencies to relegate her (Dawn) to a backseat kind of role. Buffy can still be cold and focused as ever.
Really love the comparisons to childhood toys and relics. It seems like one of the reasons the Scooby Gang still remains and it's a nice indication of how this situation renders all of them helpless.
Thank you so much for sharing the update. Hope you'll have a good weekend and let us into what happens, "in a little while," when, while they'd disappear into the tower and remain invisible for a long time.