I can't believe I almost forgot to post it after spending so much time last night making sure it was ready. Happy birthday tpfict! Oh, and just this once--unbeta'd. I apologize profusely if there's words missing. (Hopefully the draft on my LJ would've elicted Huh? comments if it were way off.)
Next year's the big 1-0. I can't believe I've been on this list that long. OK, legal stuff below, story to follow shortly.
Disclaimer: Dawn is the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, a couple other companies including 20th Century Fox. The others are the property of Roger Price, Lee Pressman, Grant Canthro, and Thames/Pearson/Freemantle/whatever they're calling themselves these days. No copyright infringement is intended. Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, but I basically mention an Italian title. All I know about Rome and Vermont ice cream is from the internet, I tried, but I apologize if I got stuff wrong.
Continuity: Post-Chosen for BtVS, several years after the New Series. Some minor Angel season 5 spoilers.
Dawn was lost. In the middle of Rome, somewhere between school and home--a simple trip that she took every day and she'd gotten lost. Hopelessly, irrevocably lost. She'd been trying to take the subway as per usual when there had been an announcement in rapid, static-y Italian. Dawn understood that her train wasn't coming, but hadn't quite comprehended the rest of the announcement.
Dawn had steeled herself and done her best to get home by other means. She'd asked the guard at the subway station for help in her Stinted Italian only to be cursed at--at least she thought he was using nasty words. The bus driver hadn't been much more helpful when she'd tried to confirm her route. She had given up and quietly paid her fare.
But the bus was taking her into increasingly unfamiliar territory. The streets were narrower than she was used to, and the old buildings that gave her a sense of just how young The United States really still surrounded her--she'd just never seen any of these particular buildings before.
Dawn wondered if she'd been staring at the cover of her book when the bus had been by her stop. At any rate, she was pretty sure she was way off course. Dawn got off the bus when it next stopped, taking in her surroundings. There was a store to her right--a shop full of old looking books--though Dawn couldn't tell if they were aimed at collectors or rabid readers on a budget. To her left was a small cafe, full of people enjoying tea and afternoon snacks--some of them also taking in the afternoon sun.
Dawn frowned, and hugged her copy of Harry Potter e la Peitra Filosofale to her chest. The book was her latest attempt to improve her Italian--Dawn was trying very hard *not* to be the obnoxious American who spoke little Italian. The problem was it was hard to learn if no one would show her the patience to allow her to practice.
Except in school, which had Italian instruction, but was a high school for children of American business people and diplomats, and as such taught largely in English. The bottom line, however, was that Dawn wasn't sure where the best place to ask for directions was.
"I still think it's better than the stuff back home," a female voice said from Dawn's left.
English! With a British accent, but she'd been around Giles and Spike enough to grasp a large percentage of the British idiom--and she knew English well enough that she couldn't be accused of mutilating the language. When she was trying not to, anyway.
"You haven't had read ice cream until you've had Wilcox Ice Cream," a male voice said. "Unfortunately, you can only get it in Vermont and parts of New Hampshire."
The man was American. Dawn spotted the speaker this time--a boy with red hair sitting with three others--a dark haired, tall boy, a black girl with braided hair and a wide smile, and a blonde girl who seemed rather younger than the rest. Not *that* much younger, but they seemed to be spanning the college age groups, but still. Maybe they were all part of some kind of exchange or semester abroad program.
"Um, excuse me," Dawn said politely, going over to their table, "I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, but there was some sort of problem with my train home from school and my attempts at Italian have managed to get me hopelessly lost."
"Is that a transit map?" The one with dark hair indicated the map she was using as a bookmark.
Dawn nodded, shocked. A third accent,this one Australian. She wondered if the fourth person was from New Zealand or South Africa. This seemed to be an English speakers of the world convention.
"Let's see if we can get you straightened out then," he replied, gesturing for Dawn to hand him the map. "I'm Adam by the way, and this is Ami," he pointed at the black girl, "Megabyte, and Jade."
"Dawn." She handed Adam the map, trying not to show how nervous she was. Rome in broad daylight, after all, was nothing like Sunnydale after dark. She turned to Megabyte, suddenly curious. "Your name is Megabyte? Are your parents computer programmers or something?"
"Nope, that would be me," Megabyte replied.
Dawn stared. Then realization sunk in. "Oh! It's a nickname!"
"You said you were in school here, Dawn?" Ami stirred her coffee. Dawn recognized her voice as the third one she had heard.
Dawn nodded. "My sister got a cool job here. I'm probably learning more outside of school than in it. Except for really good Italian."
Megabyte pointed to her book. "Looks like you're making good progress on it."
"It helps that I've read the US and UK editions like a hundred times," Dawn said, perking up a bit and allowing herself to lapse into slang.
"I see why you're so confused, Dawn," Adam said, "this isn't the best map of the city I've ever seen. You're here." He pointed at the map. "Where do you need to get to?"
"Oh, duh!" Dawn said. "Oops, sorry, I mean, thanks, but I've figured it out now; I see the bus line we use to get around all the time! It goes right by our apartment. I must've had a better idea of what I was doing than I thought. Thank you so much for your help. I'm sorry I had to bother you."
Megabyte rolled his eyes. "She's been here too long, she's trying not to be the obnoxious American."
Dawn blushed.
"Don't mind Megabyte," Jade said, speaking in a soft British accent. So much for the New Zealand theory.
"We sure try not to," Ami teased.
"Such support I get," Megabyte complained.
Dawn had a feeling that she was intruding. "Thanks so much for your help, I should be going. Buffy will freak out because I'm going to be so late."
"Nice meeting you, Dawn," Adam said. "Be careful getting home all right?"
"And good luck with your Italian," Megabyte said, shooting Adam a warning glare.
"Thanks again!" Dawn said. She left for the bus stop.
"Nice kid," Jade commented, taking a sip of her soda.
"Why is she allowed to wander around Rome all by herself if she barely speaks the language?" Megabyte wondered.
"Hard to know these days." Adam shook his head, as if disapproving of parents these days in general. "Lucky she found us, eh?"
[Public transport problems sure make you appreciate teleporting,] Jade telepathed.
The others tried to keep straight faces at the comment, so no one would think anything was out of the ordinary.
The End