There was nothing for Julianna to say to that. She'd known at the time that she was breaking protocol, forming a bond with the girl. She hadn't been the only Watcher assigned to train Allison, but she'd been the one the Slayer had truly responded to. Perhaps she'd seen a bit of her younger self there - shy, bookish, intellectually curious - and that had been the beginning of it.

"Our relationship was not inappropriate," she told Cyrus, holding the cup of tea between her ringless hands. "My methods were deemed the most suitable for someone so unfamiliar with athletics, and I observed protocol in every instance when we were training. I never took it easy on her."

It was the truth, but she was skirting the issue and she knew it. She must be honest here. Cyrus wasn't condemning her, at least not yet. Perhaps the only one condemning her was herself.