ℂ 002 ] [ out for cake

[ican_takeyou]

Today is Caroline's eighteenth birthday. If anyone had ever told her that she'd be turning a year older in an alternate Chicago, she would've thought they were crazy. This time last year things had been so different, but they just seem to continue changing. Which is why, for tonight, Caroline is seeking out a tiny bit of normal

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[isaywe_party]

Buffy is bringing Sam with her for several reasons. One, they need to get out more. They did go on a rather awesome date at Christmas without any interruptions -- Rift or otherwise -- but just because they had one, doesn't mean they can't have more. She encourages having more. She thinks having more is a very good thing.

Two -- she likes spending time with Sam. That is a given.

Three -- she's still feeling awkward about the whole 'naked Damon in her room' thing, plus newly added tension with Angel falling through the Rift, and she needs to remind herself that before that happened, she was happy. Is happy. And none of that has to change.

Granted, walking in the door to the party and seeing Damon across the room? Not what she is expecting. Which may cause her to stop dead in her tracks a little awkwardly. With Sam right behind her.

Maybe this isn't such a good idea.

[isaywe_party]

"Great!" she says with a smile. "And Sam's a really nice guy, but he needs to get to know more people too, so I figured it was a win-win."

There's a beat. "I didn't realize you knew Damon though."

[ican_takeyou]

"Oh." Caroline feels put on the spot suddenly. It's not so much the explaining how she knows Damon. That's easy. It's more of the 'why is she still friends with him' aspect of it.

Of course, after a moment of pause, Caroline realizes that she doesn't actually have to go into all of that detail.

"He's actually someone from back home. So, even if we're not really close, it's still someone a bit familiar."

[isaywe_party]

"Oh! I didn't realize," she shrugs. "He's not that bad. We just had ... a bit of an awkward situation recently."

There's a beat.

"In fact, we've had a lot of awkward situations. Usually Rift induced."

[ican_takeyou]

Caroline laughs, "Oh, it's okay. I know Damon. You don't have to explain. He sort of creates situations."

[isaywe_party]

"He does. And it's hard to resist those kinds of situations, when the Rift makes you have days where the Rift can spontaneously make you glitter." True story, Caroline. You should ask Damon about that sometime. It's how the mutual trolling of each other began.

[ican_takeyou]

"Glitter?" A conversation she had with Damon while trying on dresses comes to mind, but she's not sure if that's what Buffy means.

[isaywe_party]

"When we first met," Buffy says with a smirk. "The Rift was messing with everyone, and for everyone it was different, but in Damon's case he was ... glittering." Kind of like those vampires he used to mock, but Buffy didn't know that part.

[ican_takeyou]

"That... that's kind of amazing. I've -- I've read those books and he told me they had it all wrong."

[isaywe_party]

She laughs at first, then her head tips. "Books on what?" Because oh yeah. Buffy doesn't know Damon's a vampire yet.

Oops?

[ican_takeyou]

"Edward? Bella? If you haven't read it, then it probably doesn't make much sense. I mean, even to me - who has read it, it's a bit out there. Very... teenage over-emotionally-charged drama."

[isaywe_party]

"Oh, like ... "

A long pause.

"Huh. I thought Damon was on the outs on the whole vampire thing." Because she's pretty sure that he put up a pretty good show of disbelief way back when. "I also thought he had better taste in books."

[ican_takeyou]

Caroline glances over to Buffy, listening to what she says and realizing that she needs to be a lot more careful about what she says.

"Vampires? Why would... why would there be a whole vampire thing to be on the outs with?"

[isaywe_party]

Buffy pauses for a moment. She needs to remember who needs to have the vampire bomb dropped gently and who doesn't. "Sometimes they fall through the Rift. It's not pretty when it happens, but it does. I think there's a native vampire race as well, but I haven't met any of them yet."

[ican_takeyou]

"Really? That's... actually interesting. I mean, there was something going on around Halloween, but I was still pretty new here. I kinda steered clear."

[isaywe_party]

"Yeah -- those were nastier. Not all vampires either. There was your fair assortment of monsters of all kinds."