And all the roads that lead us there are winding

The world's ending.

It's the only thing that's on the news right now, and Buffy isn't entirely sure why she keeps turning on the TV, expecting to see something different, but she does. Every so often she clicks the button on the remote and in an instant she's clicking it back off again. She doesn't want to hear about how the world is ending. She doesn't want to think about how another place she's come to call home is going to be swallowed into a black hole of nothingness.

(At least this time around, it isn't her fault.)

Still, she carries on with business as usual. She gets up in the morning, goes to work, manages what few students actually bother to show up, and heads home at the end of the night again. She knows she should check in with friends, and make sure everyone has someone to go with when the world ends. (She should make sure she has someone to go with when the world ends.) But she doesn't, at least not yet. Whenever she thinks about who she would want there when it was all coming to an end, her thoughts inevitably drift back to Sam, and that's not something she's going to get back.

It's easier not to think about it. Even if she always finds herself thinking about it anyway.

This morning, however, was different. For one, she's waking up in the middle of somewhere very brightly lit. For another, it's so not her room at the Kashtta. For a third - she just very nearly got beaned in the head with a football. She's clearly batting a thousand with this particular rabbit hole - unless she's been kidnapped, in which case, someone is getting punched in the face.

All the same, she pushes herself into a sitting position and looks around at what must be a college campus of some kind. Which would be great - at least it's not some kind of primitive cage fighting world like the last time - except for the fact that she is barefoot in cupcake pajamas with no weapons to speak of.

She's also fairly certain there are twigs in her hair.

Really, this is A plus all around.

She sighs a bit as she pushes up onto her feet, one hand coming up to run her fingers through her tangled hair, while her eyes scan the scene for any sign of trouble. "I know the stupid things are acting up, but you'd think that they'd give up on the whole mini-adventure gig."

Nope. Never, Buffy. Though this adventure might not be as mini as you think.