The Graveyard, and then parts elsewhere, Saturday Night

[needsaparrot]

This wasn't exactly what Xander had had in mind for the six-month anniversary of... there being anything to have an anniversary of, but given various conversations yesterday, it doesn't seem like something to be put off.

"Sorry, not quite the date I had planned," he says, leaning against a rather tall headstone.

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[OOC: For the boyfriend, and they'll be out of there before any other hijinx might occur, if you're planning to use the graveyard tonight. That they were here is fine for broadcast, what they were up to, not so much.]

Comments

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Well that's thinking outside the box. Or... outside a lot of boxes, anyway."

[needsaparrot]

"And you thought you needed comedy lessons..."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge grins. "Really? That was good?"

[needsaparrot]

"You'll be distracting bad guys with your sparkling banter while somebody else hits 'em over the head in no time."

Xander reaches into his pocket as they head down Mallard Way. "Speaking of distractions, I, ah. Got you something."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Oh! Me too!" Bridge says, bouncing a little. "I got you something, I mean. I didn't get me something. Well, unless we count, like, breakfast this morning. I got breakfast for myself. I do that. I'll... stop talking now."

[needsaparrot]

"Dork," Xander says, and drops a black lanyard with something hanging from it into Bridge's hand.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge looks down at what's in his palm and can't help the giggle that escapes.

"Have I mentioned," he says, reaching in to his own pocket, "how much I love you?" What he takes out is a similar-looking cord with similar-looking tag dangling from it. In fact, there's even a similar-looking inscription, the only difference being the name. But the player fails at Photoshop so doesn't have a picture to link to.

[needsaparrot]

Xander holds out his hand, then snickers. "I'd accuse you of reading my mind if we hadn't actually talked about it."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

The smile falters for just a moment, but then it's back. "Well, I mean, I wasn't *entirely* sure, but it just... I really, really liked the idea."

[needsaparrot]

"Well, me too, or I wouldn't have done it." Xander cocks his head, not having missed the brief change in expression. "Something wrong?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"No?" Bridge squeaks. He really hates lying. Which is probably why he's so bad at it.

[needsaparrot]

"Once more with feeling?" he suggests.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge looks down at his boots, then back up at Xander. "I, uh. I don't think I'm crazy," he says finally.

[needsaparrot]

Xander blinks hard, several times. "Okay, so we're on the same page there. Wait, is this about what I said when we didn't remember who we were? Because, well, we didn't remember who we were. And I didn't get that you really were reading my mind, yet."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"No, it's not- well, maybe it is, a little. But mostly it's about how I *knew* what you were going to say. The mind reading thing."

[needsaparrot]

Xander scratches his head. "Run that by me again?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"In class this week, with Lieutenant Kerrigan," Bridge says, shrugging uncomfortably. "We were talking strategies, how to counter telepaths... she says they're not exactly known for their high sanity rating."

[needsaparrot]

"Neither are most of the people I hang out with," Xander answers immediately, but he can see that it's not really a jokey thing for Bridge. "Seriously, though, I don't think you're crazy. Wacky, maybe, but that's one of the things I love about you."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I know I don't always think the same way most other people do."

[needsaparrot]

"So?" Xander shrugs. "That's a bad thing why?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Well, makes it easier for people to jump to the "kinda crazy" conclusion, doesn't it?"

[needsaparrot]

"I guess, maybe," Xander acknowledges. "They'd be wrong, though." He starts to stick his hands in his pockets, since the air's cool, but remembers the tag-pendant in his hand again, and lets it swing from his fingers. "Has anybody besides your teacher even brought it up? I mean, most people where I'm from don't believe in mind-reading, so they might think somebody was crazy for claiming they could do it, but that's different."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Not really," Bridge admits. "Most people- well, human people- where *I'm* from don't have powers of any kind, and as far as I know, Z and I and the rest of our squad are the only ones who were *born* with something, so there's not exactly a lot of examples to work from, you know?"

[needsaparrot]

"So it doesn't sound like most people you meet are gonna be assuming you're crazy," Xander points out. "Unless you move to wherever your teacher's from."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"True," Bridge admits. "I guess I'm just worried... what if whatever it was that made telepaths from her world not-very-stable happens to me too?"