[ Opening Mingle ]

[randomly_modding]

[Everyone will wake up suddenly, as if having drifted off -- while sitting upright in an uncomfortable office chair. In one hand they're holding the communicator, and in their lap is propped a clipboard with a job application (standard, looking something like this; it requests up to ten years of job history, ) and a pen. The waiting room is also fairly standard, except for being empty.]

[The communicator's lock screen reads, Complete the job application. Time limit, twenty-four hours.]

[There are magazines, fake plants, and computers. There's a staff lounge with food -- tupperware that might have belonged to some of these nonexistent workers, popcorn and cocoa packets, vending machines -- and restrooms. There are exits, but characters will be unable to use them... or make their own, or escape in any way.]

[So the characters are stuck here, until tomorrow morning. Set up a comment telling everyone what your character is doing, and thinking, whether they're obeying the task or not, at any time during the day. Then tag other people! Be sure to check back later in the week, when people are encouraged make threads for the evening as well as the day! Characters that have been claimed are also welcome at this point to join the community, and will be able to make their own posts, which can be tagged by anyone taking part in the event.]

Comments

[sublimating]

[he peers at her a little more. you're still pretty young. that's gonna be sad when you're his age]

Vampires, huh? Every time you think you've seen it all. ...Where was this, exactly? [maybe you're not from his world, and that explains why vampires aren't a thing]

[antiapocalypse]

Southern California. We've got a Hellmouth. [ helpfully! ] And I try not to say things like that.

"I've seen it all." "What's the worst that could happen?" "Nothing else can go wrong."

Bad things tend to happen. Especially to people who are me.

[sublimating]

Duly noted. I'll just keep it to myself next time.

I went to college in Southern California. It all seemed -- pretty normal at the time. Maybe there wasn't as much... Hellmouthing going on there during the 80s.

[antiapocalypse]

It's a very small Hellmouth, and it was under my high school, so you might have missed it. [ but she adds ] It wasn't always open, either, but unless you mean 1880s and are a bloodsucker yourself, I think you were just lucky.

[ twenty-year-old girl who thinks it's 2001, btw. good thing for you, Bruce, that she can't even remotely tell the difference between 'thirty' and 'forty', you're all ancient to her! ]

[sublimating]

[you young whippersnappers, etc]

No, I'm. I live a blood-free lifestyle. [any vampire who tried to drink his blood would probably be sorry on at least two or three levels] So you got drafted as the go-to girl for vampires, huh? That's bad luck.

[antiapocalypse]

That's a spookily accurate guess. [ almost SUSPICIOUSLY so, she just wants you to know ] Slayer Comma The. That's me.

[sublimating]

[you made it sound like you got drafted into it]

Wow, The Slayer? As in... just one? [he holds up a finger. one?]

[antiapocalypse]

[ go her ]

One girl in all the world. Until I died, and the next one got called.

[sublimating]

That's... [he's not sure how to respond to that!] Well, at least you -- got better. Death is usually pretty final, and things rarely get better after that.

[antiapocalypse]

[ heh. she turns a wan little smile on him. ] Yeah, I'm the lucky one. Kendra, not so much.

[ and then we got Faith ] [ and that was a barrel of fun ]

[sublimating]

[he taps his pen against the clipboard and offers] Maybe job applications are like a vacation for you, when you think of it that way.

[antiapocalypse]

I wanted to go to the beach.

[ but she is warming to you, buddy ]

I'm Buffy, by the way. Buffy Summers, if you do last names, and they're not just like a completely foreign concept to you.

[sublimating]

Bruce Banner. If just Buffy is fine with you, just Bruce is fine with me. I'm not the kind of guy who gets bent out of shape if people don't remember to call me Dr. Banner.

[antiapocalypse]

Ooh, a doctor. Mom always wanted me to marry one of those.

[sublimating]

I know it all looks glamorous... [he spreads his arms, showing off the nice yellow buttondown and khakis] But I borrowed these from a billionaire I know. I only have a toothbrush to my name.

[antiapocalypse]

[ and laughing! ]

I had this whole routine in my head. You were going to freak out, I was going to reassure you that it's cool, you're totally too old for me, you were going to smile that twitchy little Giles smile on your face...

It would've been pretty great.

[sublimating]

[chuckling as well] I kind of figured I might be a little out of your age range. I promise I can get pretty "twitchy" if that's any consolation.

[antiapocalypse]

All my worries? Gone. Miraculously.

[sublimating]

Well, I hate to disappoint.

[antiapocalypse]

Then so far, so good. Undisappointed Buffy. I promise.

[ her eyes cast away from him, around the office, and her smile dims a little ] Well. Undisappointed by you. Life in general is not so much living up to my expectations at the moment.

[sublimating]

[offers consolingly] I'm still hoping that tomorrow morning, someone will show up and explain to us what they're doing here. So that they can be -- smashed around a little.

[antiapocalypse]

Oh, I'll be first in line for that.

Unless it's really early in the morning. Then I'll be second. Or tenth. Depending.

[sublimating]

I can give you a shake if anyone shows up. Make sure you get in line early.

[antiapocalypse]

[ all the points, Bruce ]

Sounds like a plan. I'd offer to get the donuts, but I don't think they have very good donuts here. [ or very good anything, by the looks of the 'fridge. just super mediocre food all around, bleh ]