milliways_bar | (no subject)

*Xander is confused.*

I thought those WORKED. *He gulps.*

Not in my time they didn't, *Meg says darkly.* Or they did, but the way they did it was make you deathly ill and then you died anyways.

Such is the price of contraception.

Luckily, *Meg adds cheerfully,* most of us ballerinas don't eat much and exercise so much it works as a contraceptive anyways.

I guess so. But that's the kind of thing that leads to starvation. *Xander weighs these options.* Starvation. Syphillis. Starvation. Syphillis. Tough choices.

Oh, it doesn't stop syphilis, *Meg assures him.* Just pregnancy. But if you get pregnant you lose your job and starve anyways, so. Syphilis you just sort of hope people don't have it.

And MY world is the hellish one?

- look, we may have syphilis and all that, but at least we don't have people trying to sell us things while we're languishing around being syphilitic.

But what if they were to sell you a CURE for syphillis?

*Meg blinks.*

Syphilis has a cure?

*Xander nods.* Yep! It's called penicillin, and I don't know when it shows up. Definitely in your lifetime, though, no worries.

You sure about that? *Meg asks dubiously.* I mean, okay, I'm, like, seventeen now, right? Odds are I'll live to about forty, so -

Uh ... wow. In that case, maybe not. But it's coming soon! I swear! If I could just remember when ...

*Xander shrugs.* Oh well. I'm sure your days will be peppered with other scientific advances.

And most likely I won't find out about any of them, *Meg says cheerfully.* Bad part of society, and all.

You'd be surprised. If it's really cool, I'm sure you'll end up finding out about it.

Well, a lot of them I've been spoiled for, *Meg points out.* By, you know, being here. And all.

Oh. Sorry. But, uh, think of it as Christmas come early. A Christmas of knowledge.

*Yes, he's spent too much time with Willow.*

I don't know, *Meg says sadly.* The tragedy of too much knowledge might turn my life into a living hell -

wait, you know what, that's too close to the truth. Er, it's kind of nice about that whole indoor plumbing thing?

*Xander nods enthusiastically.* Oh, yes. It's great stuff; you'll have a blast.

I like it here, *Meg volunteers.* And less risk of cholera -

*This mun? Foreshadowing like a mofo? Nah.*

*Fearing like whoa? Why yes, this mun is. But Xander is oblivious of any foreshadowing.*

Yeah. Can't say I've ever had cholera, but I'm betting it's un-good.

Not so much with the fun. You get it from drinking bad water, *Meg explains.*

*Xander nods.* Distilled only, baby.

*He yawns.* Hey, Meg, I think I'm gonna go upstairs now. Sleep well. ~~Take care of those pictures.~~ 'Night!

Night, Xander!

*Meg wanders off to fall in bad water somewhere.*

*Xander wanders off to ~~talk to Satan~~ sit with a quiet cup of cocoa.*