one ✘ video © to ten million fireflies, I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes

[withbettershoes]

Where do I even begin?

Okay. I'd like to help. I would. But, you could've asked. I did my part. I was done. Again. I had my coda. The music swelled. Look, it's not that I'm not grateful. I'm flattered you chose me. I am. But a girl could really get used to not being chosen for once.

[ can she get an amen? and now that she's gotten that out of her system... she holds up her wrist ] It's a cute bracelet. Not exactly my style... [ she could do with the messing with her powers. again. ]

If anyone has any information on a different off-ramp, I'd appreciate it. This isn't what I had in mind. I've done the falling into another dimension thing before. There's always a way out.

Also, Yg-draz-l is unpronouncable. Tell me there's another name that you call this place. An abbreviation? And tell me this whole 'make friends' thing is a joke. Obviously, there are more important things then making bracelets and braiding hair.

[ she's talking to strangers. she's going insane. ]

Who is on the other end of this thing?

Comments

video.

[stakes]

[ Welp. That's three for three faces she wasn't ever expecting to see here. Her eyebrows shoot up and she looks dumbfounded for a second, before the snark kicks in. ]

Well, Cordy, the likelihood of the gods changing the bracelet to your fashion elitism is slim to none. So you'd probably be better off just getting used to it, or you're gonna wind up being gray and gross and altogether unpleasantly disconnected from all forms of reality.

video.

[withbettershoes]

[ She'd be a sight for sore eyes if this wasn't Buffy Summers. But, it is. But, this Cordelia is older and it's been years since she's seen here. After this comment, it still hasn't been long enough. Again, maturity. ]

Buffy. It's been a while.

[ Not a face she thinks she'd see, but what can you do. As for the bracelet. ]

It's growing on me. [ Happy? Gosh, she wasn't complaining. ]

video.

[stakes]

It has. How are you? You seem to be in pretty good shape, despite this whole interdimensional kidnapping thing. [ She really is trying to be friendly. Ish. But the snark will always be strong with Cordelia. ]

video;

[unhappymeal]

Welcome. I'm afraid I can't tell you much, but the "make friends" part seems to be true.

video;

[withbettershoes]

[ Helpful. Not. ]

Seems? It seems to be true?

video;

[unhappymeal]

Scientific proof isn't exactly available. From experience, I'd say it's true, but who knows?

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[victoryindeath]

It's not gonna be me if you're gonna keep driveling.

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[withbettershoes]

[ god, old Cordelia wouldn't take that. but, this is a different Cordelia ]

Believe me, I didn't mean for any of this to come off as drivel. [ because nothing she says ever amounts to drivel. ] I had questions. Other people don't have questions after ending up here?

[ Also, if you think it's not gonna be you, then don't respond. And this is Cordelia, you don't get an apology. ]

Can you blame me for finding it weird that the objective I'm given is to branch out and make friends? [ really? ]

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[victoryindeath]

[Fortunately she's just as difficult to offend, and just snickers.]

No, because that's a mountain of shit. Didn't you catch on? You've been drafted into a war.

Video;;

[superfiber]

The "who" on the other end of your communicator is us. As in everyone else who seem to be stuck in the same situation as you are.

You won't get in touch with our ever-gracious hosts quite so easily. [Note the sarcasm here.]

Video;;

[withbettershoes]

So, I'm talking to complete strangers and the people I intended this to get to have their antennas off. [ good to know. ]

Video;;

[superfiber]

That's the gist. Useful, isn't it?

[madcuriosity]

Whatever is wrong with making friends? And quite a good deal of people are on the ah- "other end," miss.

[withbettershoes]

[ you're young. ]

Nothing. There's nothing wrong with making friends. [ but, she's beating a dead horse. she comes from a time when the stakes were life and death. this doesn't seem as much. and, added. ] I'm getting that.

[madcuriosity]

[Seven to be exact.]

I must admit, I don't know how making friends saves everything. Although it's a very nice thought, wouldn't you say! And how do you do?

video;

[helps]

[ okay angel's already been thrown for a loop once this week, but now this is starting to get a little ridiculous. he stares at his screen a bit blankly for a bit, not really sure how to process what he's seeing or hearing.

it's definitely her, and he knows why that's possible here, but it's still... a little hard to swallow. ]

Cordelia. [ definitely a bit dumbstruck at the moment. ] You're... you're okay. [ relatively speaking. ]

video;

[withbettershoes]

[ Angel, unlike Buffy, is a sight for sore eyes. The last thing she remembers is stepping back, discussing her off ramp, knowing that it was her time to move on. It'd been a one time deal. As painful as that had been, she'd been there for a reason - kiss and all.

One for the road.

It's an understatement saying that there's a swirl of mixed emotions bubbling up inside. Relief ebbs and flows into shock before settling back down into a calm.

The overwhelming emotions are mostly tamped down. Of all the familiar faces, this is her favorite yet. Right, she should... say something. His reaction means he didn't just see her in his office. So, she's been gone. Like she knew she'd be.

So much to process, so little time and still, nothing spoken. Time to mask feelings altogether. ]

If by okay, you mean confused and arguing with a few of the natives, then yep. I am okay.

[ Let's not discuss such things as death. Not yet. ]

It's good to see you.

[ She refrains from calling him Champ. Angel is one of the only ones that can bring Cordelia's emotion level up to 11, Spinal Tap style. But, she's really trying to maintain the facade. ]

I'm guessing you got my message. [ Her kiss had been twofold, one: fuck the universe for never giving them that and two: this vision can set you on the right path. She wishes right this second she could think of something different. Stop replaying it in your mind, Cordelia. Stop it. ]

video;

[helps]

[ it's a relief to see her again, to just see her... being herself. her presence had been sorely missed every since she was... well... gone. maybe things wouldn't have gotten so bad if she had remained a guiding presence for them back home, but that wasn't something he could dwell on now.

if anything, he was just glad he could see her again. there were definitely a lot of unresolved issues between them, things that always seemed to get swept under the rug in the face of... well, "the greater good." whatever that meant. these days he wasn't sure it was really all that it was chalked up to be, but he'd still fought for it anyway.

largely because of her. ]

Well... [ he pauses, before smiling a bit. ] Then it at least sounds like you're okay.

[ she's definitely herself. not that he'd really doubted it for a second (though perhaps he should have given prior experience). still the same person he'd come to rely on so much, and then something even more.

when she mentions her message, it takes him a second to realize what she means. of course she'd want to know about that. she'd gone to such lengths to get it to him, it's only fitting that she'd want to know what came of it. ]

I did. And we got them. All of them. [ at great cost, but it'd been a price they'd all been ready to pay. ] But... we can talk about that later. That's not important right now. [ right now, her condition matters more than any diabolical cabal of evildoers and their grizzly fate. ] You're really okay? Nothing... you know... hurts? Or anything? [ you'd think angel would be more familiar with coming back from being dead, but he's not really sure his own experience applies to cordelia's state of being. ]

video;

[dumbguy]

[It's good to see her, situation aside. But that's not really how he'd imagine her taking it -- heck, he was more freaked out than she is. He's still more freaked out than she is.

Did it before. She must be older than him too. Dammit she'll never let him live this down.]

Plenty of people for you to give headaches to. [He smiles] Good to see you, Cordy.

video;

[withbettershoes]

[ Like Buffy, it's been years, years since she's thought about Xander Harris more then a passing, oh, I wonder how that kid is. Sure, he's still her age but she feels... so much older then she is. She's been through so much.

It'd be easy to fall back into old habits. Bickering with Xander.

Wait. Wait, wait. This Xander... looks oddly... She answers finally, a little dryly. ]

Just what I always wanted. [ Her very own network of people to give headaches to. And sorry, Xander, she can't not mention this. ]

You're looking positively senior year. Tell me this is some kind of side effect of you pissing off the wrong god. [ Because he'd do that. ]

video;

[dumbguy]

[Now that's his Cordy.]

No, that's why you're here. And I'll have you know I've graduated.

[Text]

[hadbadays]

If it helps, we usually just call it Asgard.

[Text]

[withbettershoes]

Thank you! It does help! And oh, we can text, too. Thanks for that.

[video... briefly]

[daddyissues]

[connor is sort of on autopilot when it comes to bracelet communication. he's frozen with shock at first, then opens a feed as if to respond to her except he says nothing. there's only a moment before he realizes what he's done and the fact that he has nothing ready to say... and the video disconnects abruptly.]

[video and then not here] cr i have been waiting for

[withbettershoes]

[ she looks down when she hears the familiar sound of a conversation being started. it's a face she recognizes immediately along with a name underneath. and then, nothing.

so, here's where she decides if she will reply now or give him time. is she even ready to say anything? because she was aware of everything as it happened. she couldn't do anything about it. any of the manipulation. any of it.

her blood still boils.

but none of that is connor's fault and he was manipulated. fed lines. lied to. slept with.

damn it. she'll talk to him soon. just... not right now. ]