054;

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike finally reached his limit. Well, his new limit; the one he set after he reached the last one. The castle took it a few steps too far when it started making him fall in love with random residents, then followed it up by screwing with his memories and giving him new ones that would bring him nightmares for the rest of his life. There's no way he's going back there. -- He's currently lying on a bench in town, where he's been sleeping for more than a week just to avoid anything related to the castle. Which has worked, but as a consequence gave him an obscenely sore neck. No plan is ever perfect.

He takes off his jacket to use as a pillow when he notices the journal still stuck inside it.]

You again. [He could have sworn he threw it into the duck pond on his way out. But since he's stuck with it, that could be a sign... Maybe there's another reason he's having trouble sleeping. Against his better judgment, he sits up and rubs his neck. Then he finally opens the journal and pulls out something to write with.]

---

(People he was in lo-...)

[-ve with...... His pen stops halfway through writing the filter and his expression turns sour.]

... Eugh.

---

[Turns out, he still doesn't want to deal with it. Scowling at himself, he uses the journal to block the sun from his eyes and lies back down on the bench.]

Whatever.

Comments

[gottaknockhard]

[Glancing over to her for just a second.]

Everything changes.

[whatialways_do]

Some things don't. Not all of them are good things, but some things stay the same.

[gottaknockhard]

[He could take that comment in a cynical direction, but he makes a choice to give it a break. That's one thing that's definitely changed.]

I never used to talk this much.

[whatialways_do]

Is that a good or bad thing?

[gottaknockhard]

Usually a sign that you're getting old.

[whatialways_do]

[nods slowly]

Old at twenty-four.

[shrugs]

That's as older than I thought I gonna get, so I guess it works.

[gottaknockhard]

They say you're as old as you feel.

[whatialways_do]

Yeah. I never really got what that meant.

[gottaknockhard]

It's just an excuse to act whatever age you want.

[whatialways_do]

Huh.

[shrugs]

Whatever.

[gottaknockhard]

Pretty much.

[He's really terrible at this apologizing thing...]

[whatialways_do]

[she wasn't really looking for an apology, so it all works out? After a minute, she'll push up again and start to head back to what she was doing]

Good luck with your bench.

[gottaknockhard]

[She might if she knew the things he was thinking the last time he saw her. Maybe it's better not to bring it up.]

Thanks. [Now it seems like a less brilliant idea... But he appreciates that she took the time to point it out.]

[whatialways_do]

[she nods, and with that she's off.]