After School((Open))

[Dawn Summers]

Ugh! Where was she now!?

If she had spoken these words, there'd be a whole lot of annoyance in her tone. But being that they were only thoughts no one else exactly heard them. But the annoyance was stll there. It showed clear on the young brunettes face and in the impatient tap of her sneaker against the pavement.

She understood that everyone had their own lives to live, their responsibilities, yada yada yada, but hello! Was picking her up from school really that hard to remember!?

Her mom was suppose to pick her up. She always did. But since she had some meeting at the gallery today the task had fallen upon Buffy. But as her green eyes wandered over the now empty car-pool, it appeared obvious that Buffy had forgotten about her. Or she was running extreamly late. But her money was on the 'she forgot' theory. It wouldn't be a surprise. Buffy was so absorbed with her popularity that it could have just skipped her mind.

Typical.

Maybe it wasn't typical of her sister, but she was going to call it so.

With a roll of her eyes and a exasperated sigh, Dawn stood up. Grabbing her purple and pink heavy school bag she slung it over her shoulder and began walking down the sidewalk and away from the middle school. This is why she wanted a cellphone. Then she could just call someone and ask what was going on, but nope. She was too young to have one. She thought she was old enough though! If Buffy could have one, why couldn't she?

As she walked, going home was a thought that occured to her. But since she was alone now, and had the time to do what she wanted, she wanted to go to the park. Dawn was always begging Buffy and mom to take her, but they were always busy and they never allowed to go out by herself. The park wasn't that far from the school too, so today Dawn was going to take her chance and go. She'd only been there a few times. It had been fun. A lot better than the playground at school too.

It didn't take her long to get there. A ten minute walk? Er, run? She had ran most of the way.

Arriving at the park, Dawn dropped her schoolbag at the entrance. She then took off running to the jungle gym. Reaching it she grabbed the bar above her and pulled, hoisting herself up onto the metal beam. She placed her feet on the lower bars to help get up. Once ontop, Dawn shifted herself into a sitting position. She kept her feet on the bar beneath her so she wouldn't fall backwards. She looked out at the park around her. There was a few kids here. Their parents nearby. It was sunset so most of the familys that had probably been here earlier were gone. That made sense. She wished she knew a kid here though. From the looks of it the kids here were younger than her. Unfortunatly.

[Anyanka]

Ew! Children! Anyanka glared sullenly at the few still inhabiting the playground, wincing slightly every time one of them would frolic past her. It was unfortunate for humans that they actually had to produce children to keep their race alive, because all children were insane. They were always running around causing mischief, with their obnoxiously bubbly little giggles and their sticky jam-covered hands. Anyanka had no idea how Halfrek managed to put up with them on a regular basis, although she had to admit...they could be particularly creative when they wished vengeance on someone. But still. They were sort of frightening.

The vengeance demon glanced over her shoulder warily. The two boys from Sunnydale High that had been trailing after her for the past couple of minutes were nowhere in sight. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned around again. Apparently, those two idiots had taken an interest in the 'new girl in school', because they hadn't left her alone for a even a moment after she'd passed them on the street. Stupid men. If only they knew who they were dealing with...but, it wasn't like she could do anything to them in broad daylight; she couldn't even teleport away with them watching her so closely! Pretending to be human was horrible...but it was necessary to survive in a place like Sunnydale, where the slayer kept a close watch on all demonic activity.

So in frustration, Anyanka had retreated to the park. Hopefully if those creeps followed her here, one of these overprotective moms would call the police or something. But in the mean time, that meant she'd have to put up with all of these loathsome little kids. The demon scowled slightly as she watched them play, crawling all over the slide and the swing set, all under the watchful eyes of her parents. Hmph. Well, at least they'd be going home soon, the sun was setting...and then, under the cover of night, she could teleport away without having to worry about any witnesses.

As she waited, however, her attention was slowly drawn to one of the children who didn't seem to have adult supervision. A young brunette girl sitting alone on the jungle gym, looking both a bit older and a bit less overbearingly hyper than the other children here. Yet...still too young to be hanging around a playground alone when it was close to dark. Didn't she know that the moment the sun set, she was going to be vampire chow? With a soft snort, Anyanka turned away...but then a thought struck her. What if the girl was alone because she'd been abandoned by someone? Or, perhaps she'd ran away from home? The vengeance demon suddenly found herself recalling what Halfrek had told her about neglected children, and how easy they could be to manipulate...

...And, she really did need to find herself a new vengeance gig to rebound from that embarrassing incident at the Bronze. Her mind abruptly made up, Anyanka turned and headed over to the jungle gym where the girl sat. Once she got a bit closer, the demon slowed her pace, remembered herself, and assumed her non-threatening high school student demeanor.

"Hi," Anyanka greeted a bit hesitantly - speaking to children wasn't her strong suit, but she could work with her own awkwardness. It would better portray her as a normal high schooler, maybe an only child, who was unaccustomed to addressing younger kids. "I was just, um. Wondering how long you were planning on staying up there. This place gets kind of creepy after dark."

[Dawn Summers]

Buffy!

Where was she!? It was getting dark and Dawn was begining to worry. It was almost like the darkness was taunting her. Inching its way closer, and closer, and clo- that's how the young girl felt. It wasn't like she was scared of the dark! But... er... she was only eleven! She was still only a kid! Her worries were begining to get the best of her. She didn't feel comfortable outside at night. It put her nerves at unease. She had heard rumors of what happened after it became dark. Kids in school talked. They said that people were murdered by monsters. Hmph, monsters. That was ridiculus... heh... Most of it just sounded like people fell on a fork and bled out though. But... well, how did you fall on a fork? Neck first. The side of your neck first actually. How did one even do that?

It was just weird.

Dawn was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of voice. She turned her head towards the voice, just noticing the girl that was approaching her. She was older than her, obviously. And she looked like someone her sister would hang out with too so she was probably in highschool or something.

The brunette stopped swinging her legs and looked at the girl, obversing her. Something sounded off. Like she was uncomfortable or something. "You look uncomfortable." She said noting the obvious. Dawn didn't get why. But then again older kids were just plain weird. Very weird.

When she asked how long she was going to stay out, Dawn gave a shrug of her shoulders as a reply. It was a reply she usually gave when she didn't know how to answer, or simply didn't want to talk. "I dunno." Her eyes drifted down to the sandy floor. How long was she going to stay here? Buffy didn't know where she was but if she was smart enough she would get here from the school... yeah, if she's smart enough.

Her gaze turned back to her. Shifting her position so her back was straighter and her shoulders were higher she said, "I can take care of myself," with a confident tone of voice. But she didn't feel as confident on the inside. She did for a moment, but it faded seconds later after she spoke. It really was getting late...

[Anyanka]

"You look uncomfortable."

This observation was an accurate one, and knowing this made Anyanka all the more uncomfortable. It unnerved her when humans were observant. How did they get so good at reading each others emotions? She frowned, cursing herself for her lack of subtlety. She knew exactly how to approach a scorned lover, or someone with a broken heart - but kids? Not so much. Still, that didn't change the fact that she was a world class vengeance demon. She had to keep her composure, and if this girl noticed anything out of the ordinary...well, then she'd just continue to work it into her human cover. This...Anya girl, this persona that Anyanka had taken on during her time in Sunnydale, she was a character that the vengeance demon was still figuring out how to play. Would Anya like kids? Even if she didn't, she'd probably still share the same general concern for their well-being as most of the human race seemed to.

"I'm not uncomfortable," she muttered, gazing uncertainly up at the girl. "Just...just concerned. A kid alone in a playground is pretty much kidnapper-bait." Or vampire food, but Anyanka got the feeling that most of Sunnydale's citizens didn't like to talk about their variety of supernatural problems. But the girl seemed determined not to let any of these threats faze her, as demonstrated when she confidently proclaimed that she could take care of herself. Pfft. Yeah, right. The moment the sun set, this kid was as good as dead! ..Not that...Anyanka cared, or anything. She just thought it'd be a waste of a good opportunity for vengeance if some vampire sunk its fangs into this kid first.

But now that she'd had a moment to adjust, the demon was quickly slipping back into her 'human' personality. If she focused on what this was: a potential chance to get a wish out of this girl, she could maintain some level of professionalism and avoid most of that social awkwardness that seemed to plague her whenever she was confronted by humans on non-vengeance business. "I'm sure you can." Anyanka relented with a sigh, a touch of sarcasm edging her words. "It'll be a lot of fun, taking care of yourself when the sun goes down and all of Sunnydale's resident creeps come out to play." Unlike most of the human children Anyanka had interacted with in the past, this one didn't seem quite so easy to intimidate -- but weren't most children afraid of the dark? ...Or was that puppies..?

She shrugged, deciding not to linger on it for now, and took another glance around the playground. The few other kids who were still here all seemed to be accompanied by an adult, which set them in contrast to the girl Anyanka was currently talking to. "So, did you run away from home or something?" she inquired, turning back to the girl.

[Dawn Summers]

"Kidnapper bait?" A frown tugged on Dawns lips. Kidnapper bait? Who even said that to a kid? Now she was starting to feel uncomfortable. "I'm not going to be kidnapped." She said, her tone was on the quiet side though. She hadn't even thought of that but now that the girl had said it it was stuck in her mind. What if she was kidnapped? What if she got hurt? Or... or worse! She didn't want to be kidnapped!.. If she was then she was gonna blame Buffy. Buffy was s'pose to pick her up! It, it wasn't her own fault! N-No!

Her own worries were begining to show clearly on her face. She wasn't liking where these thoughts were heading. Not at all. A certain horror movie was even coming to mind now. Dawn liked watching horror movies... sometimes. Not the super scary ones. But she had snuck into the room while one was on not long ago and...

Swallowing hard, Dawn shook her head in a attempt to clear her mind. No. She, she wasn't going to think of that. Not now.

She directed her gaze back to the girl as she spoke again. Her brows furrowed hearing the sarcasim in her tone. "I can to protect myself!" Now that she was more afraid by the kidnapping thoughts the confidence was forced into her words. She was firmly going to believe that now.

But the words she didn't want, or need, to hear were being spoken still. Creeps? Sunnydale has creeps? Mmm... her stomach was begining to feel squiemish.

"My sister was suppose to pick me up from school." Dawn answered, looking away at the playground now. "Sh-She probably forgot though. Again. She always forgets the stuff she doesn't want to do. So I got stuck waiting at school for half an hour. I got bored and came here." Her tone grew in annoyance as she continued. "My mom had something to do today so Buffy was s'pose to get me from school. And she should have too! It's getting dark and..." She snorted softly. "Moms gonna kill her. She's gonna be in so much trouble." She said in a 'oooh, i'm gonna tell' way.

[Anyanka]

The vengeance demon had to fight a slight smirk at the hint of worry that was beginning to creep into the girl's tone. The more spooked she got, the more easily Anyanka would be able to manipulate her...if everything worked out as intended, that was. If her sister just happened to finally turn up, that would kind of suck, but...

Anyanka answered the girl's defiant claims that she could indeed protect herself with a wordless shrug and a pointed glance in the direction that the sun was setting, but didn't offer anything in terms of a verbal argument. This girl's vulnerability wasn't the issue she wanted to push here, anyway - no, she knew she needed to focus on the issue of the way her family had evidently forgotten about her. "Huh. Some sister." the demon commented, raising an eyebrow. Buffy. Why did she feel like she should've known that name? Perhaps this 'Buffy' attended Sunnydale High...during her time there, Anyanka hadn't paid much attention to anyone who didn't have a noticeable penchant for vengeance, but it was possible that she'd heard the name in passing.

"And she does this a lot? That...kind of sucks." Anyanka had to admit, it was a bit exasperating to witness how forgetful humans could be. They were always so caught up in their own lives, with absolutely no time for anyone else. Though it was part of what kept her in business, so it wasn't as if she had much room to complain. But if she were to be successful in this particular instance, she knew she would have to gain a bit of this girl's trust. The kid seemed willing enough to complain about her sister, but to actually get to the confiding part? That was a whole 'nother story..

"Oh, um, sorry. I bet you're not supposed to do that whole 'talking to strangers' thing. I'm Anya. I go to Sunnydale High...I don't think I know a Buffy, though.." she told the girl, offering a small smile. This couldn't be too difficult, could it? Kids were just like regular humans, except...small... and loud... though, the girl had something about her mother 'killing' Buffy for the trouble she'd caused, and, taking the statement literally, the demon's eyes widened slightly. Did people really do that? Because then the girl wouldn't even need to make a wish, and that...wouldn't be fun at all..

[Dawn Summers]

"Not a lot. My mom's usually the one to pick me up. She was busy today though so Buffy was told to pick me up. She isn't here yet so, I don't know." Dawn wasn't to sure what to do now. It was getting dark and the walk home was, well Dawn never really walked home by herself before so the way was a big foggy... She kind of wanted to go home now though. This girl was freaking her out. She wasn't helping her nerves at all!

"I don't care about talking to strangers." She did but only when the stranger looked creepy. Like those goth or punk guys. Or anyone with a lot of tattoos or piercings. They looked creepy! This girl didn't look creepy, but she was creeping her out... Dawn felt more on edge than she had a few minutes ago.

She looked at Anya, a curious look in her eyes. "You go to Sunnydale High and you don't know Buffy?" That was a surprise. "She's one of the popular girls there. Everyone knows her. She's always hanging out with Cordelia." Cordelia was weird in her opinion. Selfish too. And vane. She could say alot about her, most of it wouldn't be good either. Cordelia was just one of those people that she didn't want to get to know. "Anyways, I'm Dawn."

Her head tilted to the side a little when she saw Anyas eyes grow wide. "What?" She was confused. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She looked, uh... was it because of something she said? She didn't know what it could be though. All she had said was stuff about her sister and how she was, well going to be dead later. What was so wrong about saying that? "You're not one of those super religious people that couldn't take a joke, are you?" She asked in a curious tone. Not that it had been a joke. She was quite serious about what she had said. Not serious as in 'Buffy's going to die' but that she'd be in trouble. Dawn ignored it with a shrug. "So... what are you doing here?"

[Anyanka]

This...Buffy person seemed like her best bet for getting Dawn to make some kind of vengeance-related wish, since as far as Anyanka could tell, the girl's mother hadn't exactly wronged her. Hmm. The vengeance demon hesitated for a moment as she considered the situation. Perhaps it really would have been better to leave dealing with all children-related matters to Hallie, but...Anyanka's pride simply wouldn't allow her to back down now. She shifted her gaze out to scan across the park, lost in thought...

...Until Dawn questioned her not knowing who her sister was. Blinking in confusion, Anyanka returned her attention to the girl as she spoke of Buffy being one of the most popular girls in school. Oh, right. Popularity. That silly little makeshift hierarchy system humans tended to construct...she rolled her eyes at the mention of it. Perhaps this was why Buffy's name had sounded familiar, though...it was more than likely that at some point during the time she was forced to spend at Sunnydale High, she'd subconsciously picked up on some annoying teenager babbling some gossip about this girl. So in response to Dawn's comment, Anyanka shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh. Right. She's part of that crowd. I can never really keep their names straight." she said somewhat disdainfully. In truth, she had difficulty keeping any human names straight when they weren't of any relevance to her dealings in vengeance, but there you had it. "Not that I'm trying be rude, or anything. I'm sure your sister's very important," Anyanka actually could have cared less about 'being rude', but she figured it was probably a good idea to stay on Dawn's good side if she wanted to accomplish anything here... "I just...don't pay attention to people much. Most of them are kind of irritating."

This was probably the most truthful thing she'd said during their entire conversation, actually. But her candidness did not last for long -- as soon as Dawn questioned her rather literal interpretation of her previous words, Anyanka snapped back into her usual human facade. Crap. This kid actually was kinda observant, unfortunately for her. "Super religious p--? Oh, um, no! Definitely not...I'm just...a little distracted, sorry." she blurted out an excuse randomly, and then decided she could use it to answer Dawn's next question. "This is going to sound ridiculous, but...I'm trying to get rid of some creeps of the teenage boy variety. They can't take a hint, but I figured they wouldn't follow me into a playground. Too many frantic soccer moms on the look out for stalkers." the demon explained quite seriously.

It was then, however, that she was struck by an idea. Glancing up at the darkening sky, Anyanka hesitated for a moment...and then spoke again. "I think there's not much hope for Buffy making a miraculous appearance at this point...so if you want, I could walk you home. Being with a kid would probably ward off those hormonal idiots, and you could...complain about your sister more on the way." she offered brightly. More than an incentive, if Dawn carried on ranting about her sister a wish might slip out somewhere in between...