Listening to the fish

[the_dawnster]

She had been told not to explore without her sister. Of course, Buffy was overly protective of Dawn in this place where they knew very little about their surroundings. And maybe since overly protective was her sister's default in regards to her, Dawn should change that to supremely protective. But Dawn had a habit of not listening to her sister and doing her own thing. She was older now, a college student even, and didn't really think most people here even knew what 'the key' was or how they could try to use it.

This is what has her standing at an open door, peeking inside in excited wonderment. She hasn't quite stepped in yet. Mostly, she's just looking in and marvelling at the sight of the Brontosauruses drinking from the lake, their long necks curving and dipping down or rising high up over the ground.

“This is so freakin' cool...” She murmurs to herself, on the edge of stepping in, but also something holding her back from fully doing so. She saw Jurrasic Park. Plus, there's that little voice of her sister in her ear telling her to be careful, not to go off on her own, not to speak to strangers, yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah and so forth.

Comments

[whattingawhat]

She doesn't have to sneak up on Dawn, but sometimes, like now, it seems the wiser course of action. Buffy frowns at Dawn's comment, then follows her gesture with her eyes, looking through the door. Yes, it's beautiful. Buffy can't deny that and it's even kind of breath taking. She doesn't really even bother to hide that.

"And dangerous. At least until you know that everything in that door is an herbivore. Besides, they could step on you and never realize they'd done it. You would be Dawn Jam."

[the_dawnster]

"Dawn jam?" She glances back at her sister and laughs before giving her a haughty, daring look. One that says she would be a wimp to say no. "You could go in with me, you know." The sisterly 'I dare you' is implied in every way possible.

[whattingawhat]

Buffy frowns, but she catches the 'I dare you' and even if it weren't for that, she would follow Dawn through the door simply because she doesn't want her sister to get hurt and she knows that Dawn has a profiency for that.

"Stay close," she orders, taking a step over the threshold, looking back to make sure Dawn is coming.

[the_dawnster]

Dawn practically bounces with excitement that Buffy is going in to look at the dinosaurs with her. Her smile is bright and huge and honestly, she's so easy to please. Just put the both of them in imminent danger and ta-da!

She follows closely behind Buffy. "Maybe we can find a tiny one and take it back as a pet."

[whattingawhat]

It's amazing how that works. Although, to be honest, Buffy isn't much better. She starts to feel hinky if there's not some danger. The Summers girls are irrevocably wrong in some genetic way.

At her comment, Buffy glares over her shoulder at her sister. "We are not going to have a dinosaur as a pet. Besides, I think tiny is relative when it comes to dinosaurs."

[the_dawnster]

Dawn would be very glad if she knew that Buffy saw the inherent attraction for trouble as genetic rather than just a her thing. As it is, she's way too excited to even notice the glare cast her way by her sister. "I bet we could find a grown up about the size of a Gret Dane or a Mastiff! Come on, Buffy. We could feed it grass and tomatoes!"

[whattingawhat]

"Okay, dinosaur expert, you're gonna be able to tell the difference between carnivores and grass and tomato eaters?"

It's a dinosaur, Dawn! Not a puppy!

[the_dawnster]

"You know, I actually paid attention in school and read outside of it." She tosses back with a sardonic smile as they trek closer to the lake.

[whattingawhat]

Buffy gives her a doubtful look. It's on the tip of her tongue to remind Dawn that she had slaying to worry about while she was going to school. She bites her tongue though and opts for the lighter side of things.

"Good. You can give me the Dino Tour."

[the_dawnster]

Dawn links her arm with Buffy's as they skirt around the perimeter of the lake. "First, question about the doors. Do they stay in the same place or not? If they stay in the same place, we shouldn't go too far from the lake." See? She could be reasonable occasionally.

[whattingawhat]

"I think it's a door thing," Buffy answers. "I mean, a thing with the doors where they sometimes are there and they sometimes aren't. I left it open so...," she pauses and looks back. There's a narrow rectangle of hotel visible through the greenery. "Yup. Still open. I think it depends on the door though."

[the_dawnster]

"So does that make the doors sentient? Like they have the capacity to deduce and know when to be there and when not?" Dawn furrows her brow and whines a bit. "Mmm my brain hurts."

[whattingawhat]

Buffy's brow furrowed at that question as well. They certainly look like sisters now, perplexed sisters, perhaps even worried sisters. "I...don't think so?" She does not sound at all certain.

"No. I'm going with no because if it's sentient then chances are I'm going to have to slay it. " That's just how her luck works. "And I have no idea how to slay a door. You know...beyond kicking at it...or punching it....or hey, maybe I do know how to slay a door."

[the_dawnster]

"I think you do know how to slay a door." Dawn's seen Buffy kick a few doors down here and there over the years. Her sister can slay all the things.

She glances at her sister. "Just... make sure we're on the other side of the door before you try to slay it. Otherwise, we might get stuck in Jurassic Park and we all know how that ends."

[whattingawhat]

"I might even be expert in it." There's a part of her that's pleased by this and another that's aghast at the way slaying inhibits every part of her life. She can slay all things, including the things she'd rather not slay, like alarm clocks--okay, bad example, but the idea remains.

"Definitely not of the good." She's really glad to have her scythe with her today. "PETA would probably frown on me slaying extinct animals but this is not going to be a Summers buffet today."

[the_dawnster]

"No one deserves to die on a toilet." That happened, right? It had been awhile since she had seen the films, but she's pretty sure someone dies on a toilet.

Dawn is circling the lake, looking up at the big Brontosauruses. "They're the biggest but one of the most peaceful. I mean, they don't get all kill kill unless they feel threatened. You know? It's more of a self defense thing."

[whattingawhat]

She makes a face. That totally happened and she kind of agrees with Dawn. "We're definitely posting watch if someone has to go that badly."

Buffy looks up, feeling some of the same awe. "Come on. Let's climb some of the trees. See if we can get closer to them."

Besides, it'd keep Dawn away from their feet, which Buffy is pretty sure is the most lethal part of them.

[the_dawnster]

Buffy would be right. It would take one or two steps to the left for them to squash the both of them. Dawn finds a tree with some particularly low hanging limbs and reaches her arms up. She lifts one foot. "Give me a boost??"

[whattingawhat]

Besides, their vantage point will be better up high. Without hesitation, Buffy moves to boost Dawn up, letting her get a good start before she starts to climb after her.

"I can't remember the sound Dinosaur Boy made for the dinosaurs to get them to sing to him," Buffy says as she settles her back against the tree, her legs along one of the branches.

[the_dawnster]

After that initial boost to get up to the lowest branch, Dawn climbs fairly well. It isn't any worse than sneaking out of and back into the second story window of their house back in Sunnydale, back when they had had a house there. Dawn settles on the branch just above where Buffy does.

"But wouldn't singing attract scary ones too?"

[whattingawhat]

"I'm pretty sure it was a grass eater sound." No she's not. She's just making things up now. "There was definitely singing. Or humming. Something like that."

This is nice and relaxing. Buffy likes this.

[the_dawnster]

Dawn, because she can't really remember whether there's singing or humming or what in the movie, starts humming and singing herself. It's her go-to nervous favorite, because she also isn't sure they won't attract meat eaters, the ants go marching one by one. She sings some words, hums others, craning her neck to look around and see if anything is lured their way. Because what is their life without inviting danger?

[whattingawhat]

Buffy isn't entirely sure they won't attract anything else either, but she's not going to shush her sister, at least not right now. So far, they seem safe enough and she'll let her have that. She keeps watch though, scythe at hand just in case. There's always a just in case with Dawn.

The just in case comes a few minutes later, a creak and a crash.

"Dawn." Buffy says it in warning, listening and looking for anything else. "Come here." She holds her hand out to take Dawn's and draw her close to her.

[the_dawnster]

Dawn doesn't hear the noises over her own singing. But she knows that tone from her sister well enough. She instantly falls quiet and moves closer, whispering. "What is it? Should've picked Lady Gaga?"

[whattingawhat]

"Save her for the aliens. Maybe Sting for the dinosaurs. They can relate."

While she whisper-banters with Dawn, she's going up on her toes, craning her neck. "I can't see anything but the tops of trees."