Simon flops on Connor's dorm room bed, and immediately Connor knows something is up. He only spent two weeks away, and already he's got that 'I Did California, Hope I Survived The Trip' kind of face or something. He didn't think there could possibly be something in Neptune that could weird Simon out after the Gorflax demon, but apparently.

"So, I met people weirder than us," Simon starts with, and then adds, "okay, it's not nice to say? but it's true."

Connor stares at him.

"No, really," and Simon flops back, pulls the pillow over his head. He says, "there was this private investigator, this girl, and she was investigating her best friend's murder, and it turns out her boyfriend's father did it, and did her too."

Connor stares.

Simon sits up, with difficulty, like the entire weight of the world is suddenly on his chest, and hugs the pillow. "And," he says, "the girl? was dating the boyfriend. and then her brother, only it wasn't her brother. and then the boyfriend again. And she--"

Connor finally finds his voice, and says, "stop. Just. No. You're making it up."

Simon throws a look of pity Connor's way, and shakes his head slowly. "I am not. My hand to God."

Connor blinks, once, twice, and realizes that there's a place worse than Sunnydale, and it's not even in a demon dimension. There's a place worse than a demon dimension, and it's in California. "There's a place worse than Sunnydale," he says, trying the idea out. It still seems impossible, completely impossible.

Simon lays back down, and before he puts the pillow back over his head, "yep. The residents call it Neptune."

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