Back in the Game?

[st_clare]

Julianna had sent her letter to Edmund special post so he could respond as soon as possible, and he'd actually called her right away when he'd gotten the information she'd asked for. She'd added the relevant details to her personal notes out of habit. Even if no one else could read her writing, she knew what she'd written.

The fact that she had Valerie's daily schedule meant she'd had the option of meeting her after one of her classes. She could have even arranged for the girl to speak to her in her office. But she hadn't wanted to make it seem like an order or a command. To arrange an accident might have made the Slayer suspect her motives. When she didn't even know what her motives might be, it was best to leave things to chance.

The Watcher was currently seated at a table by herself in the student union, half of her attention on the daily paper. Emotionally, she felt as shaky and coltish as she had the day she first went away to university. Hope intermingled with terror as she finished one page of the newspaper and started on another. She didn't know if she was prepared for this. What if the girl wasn't interested in what she had to say?

Then again, this was a chance to correct what she still saw as her error. To fix her mistakes. If Valerie didn't respond positively, she would have at least made the effort. That was all she could truly do.

Comments

[valerie_vause]

Valerie cocked her head to the side then grabbed over her own notebook. “The Deeper Well.” She mused quietly while her fingers located a pen to write it down on the back page out of sight. Could that be where Sabra came from, or belonged? The chances of ever getting the real Sabra returned to her body were so low that it would be like trying to explore all of space. Not in the blonde’s lifetime, not ever. That didn’t explain who did it in the first place. Until she had answers herself she wasn’t going to mention her. That would be self destructive, and would certainly tarnish the trust that had been steadily forming between herself and the demoness. There was no way to tell right now what the Council would do with her, either way, she wasn’t about to hand her over.

“That’s great.” She said, and truly meant it. “I’d never even heard of the Deeper Well before. It was just strange to hear the name Maloker outside of, well, training.” Valerie made a face, more at herself than anything else and ate the rest of her sandwich as Julianna talked. A quick sip of soda cleared her palate and she scratched the side of her jaw a bit sheepishly. An agent sounded about right. Certainly had the presence for it, whoever Beth really was she was damn clever. Why did that make the blonde grin so very slightly? She shook her head to focus and returned her attention to Julianna.

“I don’t think she attacked me psychically but when she revealed her true form, when she spoke, it drifted in and out of my mind as if she were speaking directly from within my skull. What I don’t understand is why approach me in a human disguise? She knew my full name, what I was, so why the dance? Oh wait, mind games.”

Valerie picked up a few chips and crunched them quietly. Fingers tapped the pen against her notebook lightly as she considered what to say. It had to be worded right or she’d sound deranged. “The essence reacted to her.” The blonde paused, looked towards the elder, then up at the ceiling with a sigh. “I could feel it inside me, calling for her. Reaching like a child for it’s mother. Or maybe a kindred spirit. It wanted.”

Though what it wanted she still wasn’t sure. To be closer, to be engulfed, to be free? Valerie had spent countless hours trying not to think about it only to wind up doing exactly that. “Oh, she gave me a smooth, impossibly black stone, I think it’s a way to pray to her. Which I haven’t, because I’d rather know who I’m dealing with than get wrapped up in forces beyond my comprehension. Call it survival instinct.” She laughed, the sound breezy and light as if they were discussing movies and not ambiguous dangers.

The rest of the chips were soon crunched away, finished off with a sip of soda, as she considered eating the apple. Given how strange the circumstances were it was nice that things were going rather well. Valerie didn’t want conflict, if they could work together like this then she had no problem with talking to the woman. Though she did grin slightly as she nodded, “Sure that works for me, Julianna.” Less formal, absolutely, but it took the edge off the chain of command so that it wasn’t so glaringly in her face.

“That goes both ways, if you hear something I’d like to be kept in the loop if that’s alright?I mean a heads up never hurts, right? If a big bad shows up I’d rather be prepared to run into it than oblivious to its existence.”

Which seemed fair, although would this be solely a swapping of work related information or would other things make it into the equation? Valerie would just have to wait and see.

[st_clare]

"Of course. It's important to stay informed, since that might affect your patrol route or fighting technique. Las Vegas might not be a metropolis along the lines of New York, but there are plenty of shadows for dangers to hide."

If she asked to see the stone this 'Beth' had given Valerie, would the Slayer allow her to do so? The seed of trust was freshly planted, but it had yet to be cultivated. Whether it would grow roses or crabgrass was yet to be determined. How much care should she proceed with?

"I'd like to see it. The stone," she said after an internal debate. If she was to form any kind of connection with the blonde, she must be forthright. "For research purposes. Perhaps there's a particular use for it other than contacting this entity, and that might help discover who she is. Or at least what she represents."

She was feeling more competent already, and whether that was because she'd been honest about her past or because she was hoping to forge something new was up for discussion. "I'm looking forward to this, Valerie," she said frankly. If they were going to be informal, she could become accustomed to that. "Everyone brings something different to the table when it comes to these things. I've been with the Council for so long that I have lots of experience to share. It'll be good to spread my wings again."

This had been a very emotional conversation for her, but she'd gradually become comfortable with it, and with what it represented in the larger. The first and only time she'd formed a bond with a pupil, she'd done it by accident. This was going to be deliberate, at least if it worked.

"Did I give you my number when we last spoke?" she asked. "I was so uncertain over the check-in that I was more concerned about crossing the t's and dotting the i's. If you'd like, I can give it to you now in case you need it for later."