dragonyphoenix

Masterlist for In a Corner of My Soul

The quad had never seemed so bright and cheerful. When she'd moved to Sunnydale, Buffy'd thought she'd fit in with the popular crowd, but it just hadn't worked out. Mostly because they were mindless, spiteful bitches who didn't think about anyone but themselves. But now here she was, walking, if not hand-in-hand at least side-by-side, with Owen. “The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.”

“Huh?”

And, okay, Owen didn't get the pop culture references, but that was an old one. “It's a song. Timbuk 3? MTV?”

“Oh, I don't follow a lot of pop music.”

It was nice that Owen didn't mind when he didn't get stuff. “It's not a particularly good song. Not much of a song at all, and the video was awful.”

“So, I was wondering about last night. You didn't hate it, right?”

That was the nice thing about Owen, one of the nice things, he cared whether or not she had fun. Angel didn't care about fun. He was all, let me be cryptic and then run away. “I didn't hate it.”

“You're not just saying that?”

“Nope. It was like velvet, all soft and nice. Velvety.”

“The horror movie was velvety?”

Oh, right, hack 'n slash.“Well, the blood was fake and it looked like they, um, might have used velvet to get that texture for some of the gore.”

His grin made even the sun seem dim. “You're such a mystery.”

“Mysterious me. Yay.”

“No, it's good. I like wondering what you're thinking.”

“I like that you like wondering what I'm thinking.”

There didn't seem to be much else to say, which was good because he was being all Oweny until he pulled out his pocket watch, and then he was still Oweny because it was Oweny to own a pocket watch. “I've gotta go. Don't want to be late for the first meeting.”

“Right. School literary mag. You go do that.”

“I'll see you tonight, at the Bronze?”

“I'll be there.”

“Great.” He smiled at her again.

Buffy stood and stared as he vanished around a corner.

“So, the movie went well?”

“Willow, you minx. How long have you been there?”

Buffy followed as Willow started toward the fountain where Xander was sitting. “Long enough to wonder what you saw last night.”

“Something, a movie. There was a guy and a knife. He died. And there was some other guy who was supposed to be his dad I think.”

“So you didn't love the movie.”

“No, but I loved being at the movie with Owen. That counts, right?”

“Definitely.”

As they joined Xander, Tor slinked by, looking over his shoulder as if something was chasing him. “Has anyone else noticed,” Buffy asked, “that the rest of the hyena-possessed gang don't seem to be doing so well?”

“They did eat the principal,” Xander said. “That's gotta be enough to give anyone indigestion, even Kyle and Tor.”

“But they don't remember that,” Willow said. “I mean, you don't remember, so why would they?”

“Of course, no memories, but, um, they were probably told about the whole pig thing. Maybe that's what's wigging them out.”

Buffy scanned the campus. “I haven't seen Kyle all day.”

“Count your blessings.”

“Xander, that's not nice.”

“Well, Wills, neither are they.”

“I'm sure they're okay,” Willow added. “They did lose a couple of days, I mean with not remembering and all. That's got to be wigsome in and of itself.”

Buffy continued scanning the campus. “I guess.”