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Tweak says, "*blabs on in prudish manner*"

Daniel "Oz" Osborne (got_bit) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-10-13 14:05:00

Entry tags:

!active, daniel "oz" osbourne, day 26, location: in town, shannon rutherford

Who: Oz and OTA
What: Exploration
Where: Starting at the Clock Tower and continuing onward
When: Day 25, 930-ish am
Status/Rating: Active/Low PG

It had been an interesting sort of morning already. And, coming from a resident of Sunnydale, that was saying something. That was a strange sort of statement, Oz thought, considering that no one really knew what that something was that it was talking about. And it wasn't really saying anything; it was the person who said 'That was saying something' who said something. And what if the person wasn't terribly talkative? Then they weren't saying anything, in spite of the fact that events were still making the comparisons. Huh. Strange.

It was with these thoughts that the unfettered Oz was roaming the area. He liked to get to know where he'd be hanging out, after all. And was going to keep an eye out for any secluded sort of places that he could put up the sign for. Furry Club, Population Oz. He had thought about hanging out with English and Reid (safety in numbers) but decided that it was probably a good time to do his exploring before whoever ran this hootenanny decided they wanted to throw Oz fully into the party.

While walking, the redhead got to thinking about different things. Like the scents around the area, and Willow, and Sunnydale. And Willow. He hoped that she was alright. And that she wouldn't ever show up here. He was also wondering about this little place, rundown and ramshackle. But the lights were new. Odd. He stopped then, head cocking to one side just slightly. One arm crossed over his chest loosely, the other's elbow resting in cupped palm while he stroked a non-existant beard. Oz was regarding one of the buildings, contemplating the architecture.

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-14 04:55 pm UTC (link)

Color me impressed, Red... Shannon thought to herself as her eyebrows arched in interest at his use of the English language. "I agree. Although, I think you're probably closer with the latter theory," she replied. "They're probably just messing with us. That's all they ever do is mess with us." At that, Shannon offered Oz a sympathetic smile. He seemed cheerful enough and she was sad to know that it was only a matter of time before he was a wreck and a big ball of nerves just like the rest of them.

"Nice to meet you, too, Oz," she replied. "No, I'm not," she laughed airily. "I probably should be. I'm surprised, honestly, that I haven't just up and offed myself by now; I'm a mess. I was a big enough mess before I woke up here and it just gets worse every day. I'm hangin' in though," she sighed.

Her brow furrowed with confusion as he looked back up at the building and stated that he was getting ready to settle in for a winter's nap. That sounded like hibernation to her. Maybe he was kidding...he probably was kidding. Yeah. Her eyes followed his up the building and then when he spoke again, she looked back and smirked. "That's a shame," she replied. "I bet they'd look really good on you," she joked back.

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got_bit
2009-10-14 05:25 pm UTC (link)

"You should mess back." He pointed out calmly, thoughtful as he contemplated on how exactly to mess back. If he found a Sharpie marker, he was still thinking that everyone should get a 'tattoo'. "Like mess with your marking. I sometimes draw on my hands or arms. My friend keeps wanting me to get a tattoo..but I haven't found anything I want permanently yet."

Oz was more Ghandi in his rebellions than Buffy in her rebellions. Then again, he could be Buffy with Buffy and the rest of the gang when needed. He smiled though, simple and slightly crinkling up around his eyes, "You're hanging in. From the sound of this place, that's a feat unto itself."

The hibernation was a joke, yes. But it was sort of the truth. He was still tired from full moons and patrolling, and sort of just wanted to take a nap last nite. But explaining patrolling to a civilian? Still sort of on the no-no list. For now, anyway. Shannon's smirk riled a chuckle, "I think they would. I could blind our captors with its brilliance."

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-14 06:59 pm UTC (link)

It hadn't ever really occurred to Shannon that "messing back" would be an option. Though, the more he talked and the more she thought about it, the more she thought that maybe the guy had a point. Then again...her eyes narrowed just slightly by reflex and she tried to play it off like it was the sun in her eyes. Maybe he wasn't a newbie. Maybe he was just like Jenny. Maybe he was Jenny 2.0. Maybe he was too damn smart and she should do the exact opposite of trusting him. Now she was suspicious and she couldn't help it.

"You got a marker?" she asked, though, rather than let on. "Bet they'd shit if I made this C into a smiley face or something," she added with a shrug. The smile that came next was only partially forced because in all her years of faking it, Shannon had gotten quite good at putting on the show. "Do you have one? A marking?" she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly with curiosity.

At his response to the joke about the ruby slippers, Shannon gave a sheepish shrug. "Or, you know, you could click your heels together three times and wish us all home again. Worked for Dorothy, right?" she asked.

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got_bit
2009-10-14 07:25 pm UTC (link)

The suspicion would have been unfounded, of course, but understandable. Here comes this redhead kid who was just so..calm. Too calm. And talking about rebellion. Yeah, Oz wouldn't be too sure what to make of it either if he were in Shannon's shoes.

As he was in his own pair of beat-up hightops though, he had no idea about the suspicions going on the the blonde girl's head. Instead, Oz lifted his eyebrows in encouragement of quietly rebelling. "Nah. Just the pen they gave us for the journals. And us newbies didn't get a mark. There were two other guys with me. No marks on them, either." At least not that he knew of.

Something about Shannon sort of reminded Oz of Buffy. Not just the fact that she was blonde and had that wholesome California girl vibe going, but the whole survivor thing. It left its own brand of loveliness. Or sadness. Or both. "Worked for Dorothy." He agreed, and even gave a light tap of his shoes. "There's no place like home." It didn't work, naturally. But the redhead was smiling a bit and shrugging. "Forgot to pack the magics."

A motion of his hand, indicating that they should walk again. "You were heading that way. Mind if I tag along? Get the lay of the land from an expert."

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-14 07:55 pm UTC (link)

"Same here," Shannon replied. And, as much as she didn't trust the newcomer because there was something way too chill about it - way too Remy about him - she did have to admit, at least to herself if not to him, that the idea of messing with the tattoo to make it something of her own creation wasn't so bad at all, really. She was unpleasantly unsurprised to hear that he didn't have a mark. "Two more, huh?" she asked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised; we usually show up in pairs or groups of three."

She'd shown up with George...and even though they'd never gotten along, she kind of missed the other woman. Domeki, on the other hand, had shown up with a couple of others, rather than just one. He was gone, too. So were the others he'd come with, she thought, perhaps. Even his friend with whom she'd never really connected, Watanuki, had been missing for longer than Shannon could make herself think about. Dean, Jay, Bob, Kaylee, Anders; all of them were dead, now. Everyone she cared about was dwindling in favor of new blood. She wondered how long before she was next.

"I think it only works if they're ruby slippers," Shannon pointed out when Oz tapped his heels together and said the five words Dorothy had to get sent back to Kansas. She looked slightly ashamed when Oz motioned ahead asking to tag along. She didn't like the idea of telling him that the whole point of her trek was to mourn Dean's death. "Sure, yeah," she replied instead. Eventually, he'd either catch on or get sick of her and go his own way. Then she'd hit up the barn. Maybe she would go find the Impala anyway. If he wanted to tag along, he'd get over it if she wanted to make a pit stop. He'd kind of have to, she decided.

Giving him a forced, weak smile, Shannon nodded to the journal. "My friend Cheryl and I drew up a map in there before she disappeared. It's toward the front, for your future reference; I don't know how much you'll retain on a half-assed tour, but it'll help either way, I'm sure, until you memorize it on your own, y'know?"

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got_bit
2009-10-14 11:43 pm UTC (link)

"Huh." His expression didn't change with the information that they usually came in waves, but Oz was figuring that the Powers That Fuck With Them probably thought it was more entertaining to disorient a person even more by placing them with unfamiliar people on top of placing them in an unfamiliar place. Stories of their general unkosherness were not exagerated. It was good to know these things.

"Maybe we can get a red marker with the black one. I'll colour them ruby." He quirked a wry sort of smile over at the survivor, and then fell into comfortable quiet for a moment. Shannon seemed to be in her own head for a moment or three, so Oz was content to let her do so. Amicable nod given at her acceptance of his imposing, but then he noticed the weak smile and explanation of the map.

"Oh hey. I'm cool with being a solo explorer, if you were busy doing something." He knew when company wasn't exactly wanted and was alright with it. Even gave another bit of a smile and lift of his eyebrows. No harm, no foul. "Very Rand McNally of you, to put a map for everyone's reference."

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-15 01:37 am UTC (link)

Shaking her head, Shannon smiled. "Maybe if you color 'em red, yeah, worth a try, right?" she joked feebly. That would never work and she was pretty sure they both knew it, but wishful thinking never hurt anyone. At least, Shannon didn't think so.

Oz seemed to catch on a lot faster than she'd thought he would've. Then again, she hadn't given him all that much credit to begin with, had she? For that, she felt badly. "It's cool, sorry," she said. "I just have to make a pit stop, that's all," she said. Maybe she was judging too quickly again. She'd thought Sam was an Other when she'd first met him, after all, and now she was very much enamoured with him; he made her feel safe. Shannon thought maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to label Oz just because he was relaxed. If he was new, he would be. He hadn't seen or heard the horrible things they had. He hadn't experienced the same things.

"Ha, well, it was Cheryl's idea. I just helped because I'd been on this side of the town and she hadn't; I woke up on this side of town, down by the barn in the woods," she explained. "That's where I'm headed, anyway. Nothing interesting, but you can come if you want to," she replied. "I think it was more for our reference than everyone else's but everyone started using it, in any case, so...worked out to make us look like we were trying to help. Gotta love that," she said in a voice that was still partially flat but clearly trying to be light and conversational again.

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got_bit
2009-10-18 03:34 am UTC (link)

"I'll do it if there's a red with the black marker." Sometimes going along with a joke just helped people out. Even in the weirdness. But when Shannon started apologising, he shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. And pit stop away." Oz paused then, lifting his eyebrows a little. "And I'm cool with exploring on my own when the time comes."

"People wake up in different places. Huh." He was following the conversation, hands easily moving into the pockets of his pants as they began to walk. If people woke up in different places, that meant that there wasn't particularly one portal. There were many. "Have you ever played stakeout? You know, hang around where people are dropped off? Bonfire..marshmellows.." No Kumbaya though. Overrated song. "And things that benefit everyone, whether you meant it to or not, is love."

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-18 03:53 am UTC (link)

Giving Oz a small, grateful smile, Shannon nodded. "Okay. Thanks," she replied. "I won't be long." I just have to pay my respects and say goodbye. If I can't go to the grave, the Impala will do, she thought. They started to walk and he'd shoved his hands in his pockets. God, that was such a boy move, she thought. Men were notorious for hands in pockets, in Shannon's experience. It was a random thing to be thinking about, but there it was.

"Yeah, all over the place, pretty much," she replied. When he asked whether she'd ever staked out an area, Shannon looked pensively out in front of her. "No. I mean, well...I stay out of the woods whenever possible, now. After the wild animals attacking people - this one guy had a bum leg he bitched about incessantly for a while after he got into a tangle with a cougar, I guess - and then the Weevils... I know those are gone, because you can smell them a mile away, but still. I'm uneasy about the woods, let's just say," she replied.

But, it did seem like an interesting idea. She smiled slightly when he off-handedly complimented her and Cheryl having benefitted the population with the ma. "Yeah, thanks. I agree; I'd have loved it if someone else had done it, too, not gonna lie," she admitted. They made their way down the road and Shannon tried not to zone out thinking about what the point of her trek was. "Can I give you a bit of kind of morbid advice?" she asked suddenly, looking over at her current companion.

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got_bit
2009-10-21 07:05 pm UTC (link)

Random thoughts were sort of the best thoughts, in Oz's opinion. They sometimes led to very profound sort of ideas. Like whether vampires were also cannibalists. Or whether cannibalists were vampires, technically. Or why chip bags were only 3/4's of the way full. Cost efficient, maybe. But kosher? Definitely not. Which led to thoughts about capitalism and whether it was good for the soul, and whether there was a soul..

Which, you know, there is. He had just recently helped put a soul back in someone.

But he was listening as they walked, eyebrows doing the talking for him. When Shannon mentioned cougars, and someone being mauled by them, the redhead furrowed his eyebrows a little. That was interesting. Maybe they brought his wolf half in so it could chase the cats. Likely not, but random thought. And then there was a word he didn't recognise, which caused one eyebrow to ride the proverbial escalator from downturn to uplifted. Weevil? Still, it made sense that she was wary about the woods. "Not someplace to build a summer home, got it." The stake-out idea might be something to explored later though.

"Well, there you go." From the woods to the map, easy lopsided sort of smile appearing. Back into quiet, where he was just scoping the sights, and then Oz turned his gaze back to the woman. "Fire away."

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-22 11:28 pm UTC (link)

A soft huff of laughter came out in response to Oz's statment about the woods not being a place to build a summer home. "Yeah, no kidding," Shannon replied, nodding. "Not even close. Then again, there's really noplace in here to build a summer home." She paused then and looked back at him. "Actually, there kind of...aren't seasons here. It changes at the whims of the people who run this place."

Oz told Shannon that she could give him a piece of advice, even when she warned that it was morbid and so, she gave him a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes and nodded. "Don't get close to anyone here. Don't make friends; don't fall in love. Anyone you care about will only either die, disappear, or be used against you," she said softly. As they made their way closer to the Impala that had been in the short distance ahead, Shannon looked down. "I speak from experience," she added in almost a whisper.

A sad smile replaced the frown her previous smile had faded into as she came upon the sleek black car and ran a hand gingerly over its hood. How it had managed to stay pristine when it'd been dropped off here was beyond her, but there wasn't a scratch; barely a speck of dirt. "You weren't kidding, were you?" she said softly, mainly to herself although admittedly she'd directed it at the car, which in this instance was a stand in for her fallen friend. "You were right. Definitely the sexiest car I've ever seen," she whispered, letting out a sigh and moving her fingers slowly up the frame and onto the hood. Shannon paused for a second, brought her hand to her face and kissed her fingertips before pressing them back against the hood. It was fun, Dean, she thought, because Oz neither needed nor probably wanted to hear her last goodbyes. I'll miss you. And I'll take care of Sam the best I can. I promise.

Taking a deep breath, Shannon let her hand fall away from the car and turned to face Oz again. "Sorry. Uh...there's not much down this far except the barn, so..." Shannon furrowed her brow then. "You know what? I need a drink. Do you drink? I could use a drinking buddy," she admitted. The lump in her throat was painful to talk over, but she'd done it before; she could do it again.

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got_bit
2009-10-23 05:24 am UTC (link)

There again was a puzzled sort of look when Shannon explained that the weather was controlled. Though, once he thought about it, the control made sense. They were in a box. "I never felt sorry for fish. I think I might have to change my mind." Because now Oz felt like he was in a fish bowl. Not a comfortable feeling. The weak smile was noted and advice taken. Though he wasn't sure whether he agreed with it or not, the redhead felt that now was not the time for a debate. He simply gave a singular nod and remained quiet. Just there if Shannon wanted to say something else, and still walking in case she didn't.

When they came across the car, Oz had to smile in appreciation. While his babies were more guitars than cars, he could appreciate the craftsmanship of anything well made and well kept. And this girl was very well kept. However, the teenager found something closer to the barn than the Metallicar once the blonde started taking her moment with it. He could find something interesting in air, so the fact that there was a whole lot of air to keep Oz occupied was enough for him. He stayed close by, within seeing distance and within distance to talk at a just slightly above normal volume, but gave Shannon whatever time that she needed. In the meantime, he contemplated the the area. The paved streets looked odd against everything else. Incongruent. It was still very interesting to him.

He turned upon hearing Shannon, and closed the distance that he put between them out of respect. Then lifted his eyebrows when she asked him to be her drinking buddy. "I've been known to partake when the atmosphere is right." Oz smiled a little, "And I'd say weird and disconcerting is a perfect sort of atmosphere."

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-25 05:59 pm UTC (link)

Although Shannon's appreciation for Oz having moved away respectfully to give her a moment was unspoken, it was there and she hoped he could see it in her expression when she looked back at him. "Yeah?" she asked, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Well, good. Because you ain't seen nothin' yet. This place?" Shannon shook her head and wet her lips, sniffing as she blinked back tears brimming in her eyes. "Will eat you alive. These people feed on your negative emotions, or something; anything they can do to upset you or fuck you up, they will. Without question. Over and over and over again," she said in a low voice, using one finger to reach up and wipe a rogue tear she hadn't managed to blink back. "So, I hope you're a big fan of sex and or alcohol because they're probably the only things that'll get you through this fucking place," she finished.

With that, she sniffed again and walked past him, back toward the center of town, heading toward the pharmacy. It had been a while since the last time she'd had any peppermint schnapps, but she doubted anyone else would've gotten to it. Randomly, she thought of how she'd never met up with Leo to have a drink, even though they'd discussed it numerous times on the journal. Time seemed to go by so damn quickly in this place and she never got to meet him. His writing hadn't been on the pages in a long time, now. "Come on," she called over her shoulder, gesturing for Oz to follow her. "Pharmacy's up the road; it's got, like, the biggest liquor store I've ever seen on the inside," she added without looking back.

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got_bit
2009-10-25 07:23 pm UTC (link)

"Emotional vampires." When faced with the odd and unknown, Oz sometimes tried to relate it to what he did know. And, in Sunnydale, you got to know vampires. And it looked like Shannon was being bled dry. He furrowed his brow a little more, though this time out of concern rather than confusion, and nodded silently.

It took a moment or two for Oz to start after Shannon, mostly so that by the time he caught up with her she could compose herself. While Oz had no problem with people crying, he knew that some people had a problem with crying in front of others. And around here, he imagined, it was important to give the semblance of staying strong. When he did catch up, the redhead did that boy move again and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "The pharmacy has the largest amount of liquor." He had to let out a little laugh at that, "Promoting self-medicating, it seems."

Which, from the sound of it, might or might not be the best idea in the world.

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ballerinadreams
2009-10-29 12:18 am UTC (link)

Emotional vampires, Oz said. Shannon thought about that for a moment. "Yeah," she said in a dull voice, nodding solemnly. "That sounds about right," she agreed. While Shannon hadn't really thought of it that way, it made perfect sense. They were sucking all the emotion out of the captives until they were weak and tired and resigned to their own deaths to come. After a short moment, Shannon tried to shake it off and compose herself. If she needed to think about it more, she'd think about it later.

Once Oz had caught up and made the comment about the irony tied in with the pharmacy having the biggest liquor supply. "Only liquor supply by now, probably. There were a few cases of beer in the gas station my first day, but that was weeks ago; they haven't been replenishing that stuff very much," she replied. A weak smile and a huff came out when he went on. "Yeah, really. That and the pharmacy itself is totally stocked. I grabbed some stuff for headaches, but it's a pill addict's wet dream in there, or something," she replied.

They walked up the road and Shannon thought to herself that maybe she ought to switch drinks. Peppermint schnapps only made her think of Domeki now and how he'd reacted to the taste of it when he'd never had it before. It made her think of the day when she'd stumbled upon him, the small Asian kid who helped her find her inhalers and kept her secret; how he hadn't said a single word about how much more she'd drank or the horrible things she'd said about Sam before she'd bothered to get to know him.

Yeah. Apple Pucker this time.

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