[The Perk, Thursday Afternoon]

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

Ellen got a vanilla latte at the counter, then grabbed a newspaper and sat at a table near the door. It was gorgeous and sunny out, so she meant to take advantage of the nice weather, at least as far as justifying a day of goofing off and doing nothing but trying to solve 59-across (four letter word for an amorous gaze?).

[ooc: open for all your Perkish needs!]

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[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

Giles came in and order a coffee and a chocolate danish before settling at a table with a book.

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

Ellen looked up at the newcomer, rather glad for the distraction from her puzzle for a moment. "Hi there. Don't think I've seen you around before," she said.

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"No, I've only been in town for a couple of weeks. Rupert Giles," he introduced himself. "I own the Magic Box that just opened up."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

"Ellen Harvelle," she replied. "Welcome to Fandom. Is that a store name or an actual Magic Box?" She'd seen the telephone booth in the park, so that didn't seem completely bizarre as a possibility.

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"Store name," Giles said with a smile. "Though I suppose it is a bit boxlike and contains quite a bit used for magic so could be taken literally as well."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

"Only in a place like Fandom would I hear someone admit openly they opened a store full of magic items," she said, smiling back as she folded her newspaper over. "You practice?"

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"A little. When necessary. I used to do a lot more when I was younger. Some of it... didn't end well."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

Ellen snickered. "Lotta what you do when you're younger doesn't end well. It's what makes getting older supposedly better - you know not to do it like that anymore."

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"Indeed." Giles smiled. "Instead you find entirely new ways to screw things up."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

"Tell me about it," she said dryly. "So - Rupert? - how do you like Fandom so far?"

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"It's not really all that different from where I left in a lot of ways," Giles replied. "Even down to being populated by the same people. Alternate dimension versions, but the same people."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

She tilted her head. "I think I'm kind of lucky that the ones I know here from back home are mine," she noted, bemused. "How many do you have?"

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"At last count, four. And apparently, there was another me here earlier as well."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

"I'll bet that gets confusing," she said, boggling slightly. "Another you, even?"

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"So I've been informed. Several times. It's... a little unsettling to tell the honest truth."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

Ellen nodded, looking sympathetic, if a bit unsettled herself. "Wonder how that happened," she said. "Not that this place isn't the epicenter of weird, but trolls and getting turned into a kid for a weekend doesn't sound as weird as finding out you've already been living in a place you've never been before."

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

"I've encountered people from an alternate reality of my own before," Giles explained. "Just never myself. Also, I've dealt with trolls -- or a troll at least -- and while I was never turned into a kid, I did get turned back into a teenager by eating cursed chocolate once."

[roadhousequeen.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like you don't even need a Fandom primer," Ellen said, impressed.

[exwatcher.livejournal.com]

Giles shrugged a little. "I used to live on a Hellmouth," he explained.