New York City, Thursday Evening

[brat_inslayage]

Way, way up on Kennedy's list of Things To Do After We Get The Hell Out Of This Hell Dimension priorities was to check her phone and call home. Third on the list, actually, right after "check to see what day it is" and two spots after "realize that the girl who showed up at the Hyperion is this dimension's Willow, not yours." Items 1 and 2 led directly to item 3. Imagine that. Item number 4 on the list: immediately after ending that phone call, book a priority portal home. (Item 4B: while waiting for the portal, call a few other people to make sure no one was going to try to make good on those threats of kicking her in the shins or beating her with shovels or anything, because she didn't mean to accidentally disappear for a week, god, she hadn't been happy about it either. Besides, it was a good distraction from dwelling on how she'd really had enough of portals for a while.)

"Oof!" That was the sound of getting tacklehugged the second she walked in the door. "Uh, Red, not that I'm not really glad to see you, but you're sort of smooshing these books into my ribs." She didn't actually mind, though. Like really, really not, especially because it was so cute when Willow got flaily and apologetic.

"Oh my god, are you okay? What happened?" At least Kennedy had a couple of seconds to put down the pile of books before Willow started giving her the post-fighty once-over. Again, really not with the minding; it'd been a week in Pylea, and clinging was totally warranted.

"Uh... " She looked at Willow sheepishly. Seriously, it was such a good thing everyone already knew about Fandom's wacky overlap with their particular world. "I went to visit other-Wes, kicked some ass with Angel, got sucked into one of an alternate universe's demon dimensions with Cordy, almost had to kill Fred, and got bailed out by Tara and a cavalry with one of my students in it?" THERE, SEE, THAT WAS SIMPLE ENOUGH.

"Oh." Willow blinked at her, the look on her face somewhere between the only reason my brain isn't breaking right now is lots of practice and your life is so, so weird. "Well... did you have a nice trip?"

[[idk, i randomly decided to challenge myself to write a post without any dialogue tags. also wesleynotponcy sort of made me write this. okay, gave me the idea and enabled me. po-ta-to, po-tah-to.]]

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[life_inshadow]

Tara hadn't really had time to talk to Kennedy after they landed back in L.A. She was already late for her visit to Naboo (and she hoped Ben and Ender didn't mind a slightly traumatized guest), and she had packing to do and a portal to catch.

But there was enough time before her portal for a phone call, and so a phone call she made. She'd noticed Kennedy seemed uneasy about the cute, sad redhead in the hotel lobby, but that wasn't the only reason she had to check in with her ex before scampering off for outer space.

So.

Ring ring, Kennedy.

[brat_inslayage]

Kennedy had already decided she'd earned a night off from patrolling, so she was just lounging on the couch (oh god she'd missed furniture) after her shower (also a badly missed thing) when the phone rang.

She scooped up the phone, glancing over to where Willow-- who was also her footrest at the moment-- was completely absorbed in something on her computer. "Hey, you."

[life_inshadow]

"Hey," Tara returned, as she went over to her dresser to select another shirt for the trip. "Sorry to ... save the world and run. I hardly got to tell you that you were awesome."

[brat_inslayage]

"No offense taken. World-saving on the go is a thing. It happens." Kennedy laughed briefly. "I'm awesome? I just fought stuff. You're the one who brought in the rescue brigade and got us home."

[life_inshadow]

"Can we say we're both awesome and go with that?" Tara laughed in return. "How are you, anyhow? I'm a little sore. And I think my brain hurts."

[brat_inslayage]

"A reasonable compromise. I can agree to that," Kennedy decided. "I'm fine, just tired. Glad to be home... why the brain-hurting?"

She knew why hers was a steady dull throb of ow.

[life_inshadow]

"That was just a lot of magic," Tara said. "Maybe not hurty so much as ... tired. If anything attacks Fandom before I head out again I'm hiding behind somebody bigger."

She so wouldn't.

[brat_inslayage]

"What, opening the portal? Yeah, that takes a lot of energy." Especially without using someone else as a battery. Kennedy caught Willow's brief guilty look and mouthed sorry at her. "Good thing you've got a few days to rest up, huh?"

[life_inshadow]

"Even with the book and Fred helping," Tara nodded. "And, y'know, I was still pretty tired from the fight."

She sighed. "Yeah, I don't really have to be anywhere, like, demanding, for a week. What about you?"

[brat_inslayage]

"Barring a sudden local apocalypse, I am so taking tonight off," Kennedy declared. "I think it's gonna be pretty kickback until the next class session starts."

She paused for a moment.

"No way are you hiding next time something attacks."

[life_inshadow]

"Probably not," Tara conceded. "I only have, like, one or two invasions to go. Maybe I'd ... be sad if I missed it."

[brat_inslayage]

"Totally. I mean, I would." Kennedy, just because you would...

"So anyway," she said, stretching and yawning a little, "what's up?"

[life_inshadow]

"I get to go into outer space?" and watch Tara not sound excited about that one. "Ben and Ender have a place and they're letting me come. I was supposed to be there yesterday, but ... y'know."

They'd been Busy.

[brat_inslayage]

"There was a whole demon-dimension complication, yeah," Kennedy supplied. "Okay, outer space for a quick vacation sounds awesome."

Again, things to not tell Andrew.

"Send a postcard or something? Kidding, you don't have to." The postage was probably exorbitant. Pun intended.

[life_inshadow]

"Oh, no, I'll try to," Tara said earnestly. "If they -- have postcards. I didn't ask. What about you, are there big New York plans?"

[brat_inslayage]

"Not really? Well, patrol, and maybe where to go for dinner tomorrow night, but no plans, really." It belatedly occurred to her that these were some funky circumstances for this conversation, but after the last week, what was a little more funky? "No pressure on the postcard, seriously. Just have fun. You pretty much earned it."

[life_inshadow]

"Thanks," Tara said. She realized she'd never asked about the redhead, but it felt like a very strange thing to bring up at this point in the conversation. If it had been anything big, Kennedy would have said, anyhow.

"And you have fun too, okay? See you on the island next week."

[brat_inslayage]

Well, it was kind of too big, really. That was the thing.

"You got it," Kennedy promised. "And hey, Tara-- thanks. For real."

[life_inshadow]

"Anytime," Tara said, genuinely, then hesitated. "But, um, maybe wait a while before next time you get sucked into a demon dimension."

[brat_inslayage]

"Believe me, I'm trying to make that a one-time-only deal," Kennedy replied. "Turns out, Slayers and demon dimensions are not mixy things."


...so unfair that she couldn't go "Someone wants to talk to you" and hand the phone over.