She’s just /embarrassed/. Christ, Buffy, try her trainers on. Thought she and the shakily ensouled might get a spot of happy after all, but she botched it up. Think she’ll be runnin’ to talk while the shame’s still fresh? Can’t make it easy you’re all tied up in it, too, what with your bumpy ex pretty well affected.

[pm] Please tell me you’re not talking about what I think you are talking about. Or tell me this isn’t real life.

Curb the drama for a second, Summers. Your pal’s not goin’ all dark. Had her hopes all up over this spell, that’s all. Gotta smart pretty heavy now it fell through.

I’m not being dramatic. Well I am, but with good reason. They wont tell me any more, which means it’s something big they’re hiding. [pm] They wouldn’t be trying so desperately, to the point of threats, if it wasn’t. And this isn’t the first thing they’ve hidden from me as a team. I cant trust them.

Well, good. Looks like your friend’ll be needin’ you to be there proper, anyway—in the physically there sense, not the finger-waggin’ half-bent sense.

[pm] If you’re talking about Willow, she doesn’t want me to be there. Made it really clear, even sicced Faith on me. I cant do this much longer, I have to know that what people are telling me is true. And that means details, for Dawn’s sake. If Willow is going all dark again, I need to know. She threatened Dawn before and I’m not going through her death again. They all lie. I can’t do it anymore. It’s too big a risk.