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 had spent the past three hours up close and personal with some raw material’s. Though her jeans still had dust particles that stuck in clumps her t-shirt was spotless. The same couldn’t be said for her cuticles, since plaster still coated them. Today she wore her hair tied back, nothing to do with fashion, it had just been practical to keep it out of the way as she worked. Class was an escapism. Now she wandered down the hall and into the student union with a few smiles and greetings. The strap of her bag slung over her left shoulder, it tapped gently against her hip as she walked. Notebooks were tucked under her arm while her right hand clutched a paper bag.

The place wasn’t overly crowded though there were more than enough people for it to be busy. Valerie didn’t really look around to find anyone because she had nobody waiting for her. Instead she headed straight to a vending machine to grab a can of soda, and narrowly avoided a guy who tripped over his undone laces. The tray he held with food flew into the air and crashed to the ground seconds before he did. Pasta went everywhere and a cheer chorused as people clapped at his misfortune. Valerie watched a rogue meatball roll on by before she set her things down on the floor to help him up.

“Thanks.” He mumbled with a wry grin, then turned to bow with good humour. Valerie shook her head with a smile, “You handled that well.” He chuckled, “Yeah, I’ll be here all week.” Then he turned and went about clearing up the mess he’d made. The blonde laughed a little, picked up her things, and finally got a can of soda. Now, where was she going to sit? Green eyes scanned the area, not registering faces so much as spotting vacant tables void of anyone else.

Several were scattered around. Valerie made her way over to the one furthest away since people tended to grab the closest seats to them.

[st_clare]

Julianna was in the middle of an article when the accident occurred, and she watched from the sidelines as the resulting mess began to be tended to. People returned to their business. Valerie was headed in her general direction. If she raised her hand in greeting, would the girl re-direct her steps and come to her table?

Not knowing what to do annoyed her. She was an educated professional, respected in her field. Uncertainty was not like her. The paper crinkled as the Englishwoman folded it shut and set it aside. Her lunch, a sandwich and bottle of water, were on a napkin in front of her.

"Ms. Vause." She spoke up a bit, her voice carrying as she lifted one ringless hand. "Hello again."

[valerie_vause]

The sound of her name made her pause, Valerie sought out the voice and returned the wave by lifting her paper bag into the air. “Hey there Ju-uh, Professor St Clare.” Valerie hesitated, foot raised to take a step, but in which direction? To avoid the woman would be rude, and really unnecessary. With no reason not too, the blonde made her way over and grabbed a seat across from the Watcher. Careful as she set her bag on the chair next to her. The notebooks were placed on the table along with her lunch.

The can of soda was plucked off the table once she’d gotten comfortable and opened with a faint hiss. Valerie took a sip then set it down in favour of her lunch. The bag crinkled as she pulled it open. “So what’s going on in the world today, anything interesting?” It was a casual question as she retrieved an apple and motioned towards the newspaper. Valerie sat it atop the can as she fished out a bag of chips and sandwich. Pale fingers folded the bag into a small square methodically and she placed it under her notebooks to keep it that way.

No sense in being spooked every time they bumped into each other. The law of averages stated they would considering they both spent a lot of their time at the college. Valerie unwrapped her sandwich and smoothed the cellophane out. It granted enough space for her to scatter a few chips down. The open bag was then offered towards Julianna, “Do you want some? They’re just salted, nothing fancy.”

[st_clare]

The knot of tension that had set up shop in the Watcher's stomach relaxed a fraction, and she took an easier breath in response to it. "Yes, please," she said with a nod, taking a few chips from the proferred bag. She'd nearly finished her sandwich anyway, which meant she could snack a bit now.

How to begin? She was terrible at small talk, despite years of attending faculty functions and various other seminars and conferences. If she mentioned that she'd inquired as to the date of Valerie's calling, would that imply this was an official matter? She didn't want the blonde to think she was being called on the carpet.

"I had hoped to run into you." Yes, perhaps a mild opener, an honest one. "I didn't quite dare summon you to see me, but there's a matter of some importance I wanted to speak to you about. Personal importance."

The young man who'd spilled his tray had finished tidying up after himself, and he passed the table Valerie and Julianna now shared. He gave the Slayer a shy wave as he moved on. The Watcher took a sip of water from her bottle to try and quell her nerves.

[valerie_vause]

The icebreaker had worked, sort of, the paper hadn’t been mentioned but at least the chips had been shared. Which resulted in a smile from Valerie who left the open bag between them on the table, a gesture to have more if desired. One half of her sandwich was lifted and she took a bite. Peanut butter and banana had been a favorite from childhood. It had become a comfort food of sorts, and she chewed contentedly.

Well, until Julianna spoke, and she swallowed it in a chunk that partially stuck in her throat. “Personal?” She coughed behind her hand, then used it to wave to the guy who’d taken a tumble. She didn’t know him but it was nice regardless.

Valerie moved the apple onto her notebook and lifted the soda to take a large gulp. It helped push the food down and she took a slow breath. What kind of personal importance? Valerie tried not to think. Kept her mind clear and breezy like an open window in spring as she took another bite of her sandwich and looked over to Julianna curiously. If she was about to be reprimanded about her life then she’d take it in her stride as best as she could. There wasn’t much else she could do. Getting upset wouldn’t solve anything.

“What’s going on, should I be worried?” Eyebrows raised as she asked and she licked a stray smear of peanut butter off her thumb. Valerie didn’t know what Julianna had to say. Until she did she wasn’t about to feel guilty, or rather, look it. Things were better handled calmly than emotionally. “Is there an apocalypse, because that would really ruin the rest of the day?” It was said with mild humour, yet held enough seriousness for it to be entirely possible.

[st_clare]

"No. No! Please, don't fret, it's nothing dreadful. I..."

Julianna managed a small chuckle to keep the mood light, ate some of the chips she'd plucked from the bag. She was not going to bollocks this up. She wanted to correct her perceived error. The past could never be fixed, per se, but if there could finally be a coming to terms, then it could only be positive, possibly for both herself and Valerie.

"As you know," she said, lowering her voice a notch, "the training period in London is not handled individually. Teams are assigned so as to avoid...complications. Emotional ones, I mean to say."

She had a sudden mental flash of Allison's hopeful young face, and her smile turned wistful with nostalgia. She'd framed the copy of the girl's final examination, the one Cyrus Claymore had given her. It hung in a place of honor in her new apartment. It was the last thing she'd packed when she left her London flat. As a reminder.

"Seven years ago, there was a Slayer named Allison Pritchard. I was part of the team assigned to train her, and the one whose methods she responded to. I...she...an inadvertent bond formed."

[valerie_vause]

Valerie offered a bewildered smile in return and finished off the first half of her sandwich. When the topic turned out to be about training the blonde internally relaxed. A nod was given to say she understood since her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Yes, she’d experienced the cool detachment during her stay in England. At first it had bothered her, being young she didn’t properly understand the distance. Then as she grew she began to realise why it existed, even if she didn’t quite believe it did anyone any good. To not get emotionally involved on some level almost made it seem like she was never really a real person, just a tool to be used against forces far stronger than they could handle.

Palms smoothed together to shed any crumbs before she picked up the can and took a liberal sip. What kind of inadvertent bond? Surely not a romantic one, no that was absurd, perhaps more in tune to a motherly figure than a friend? It was common among teachers and pupils to connect in such ways, role models formed naturally. Though Julianna sounded perplexed, Valerie watched it play over the woman as much as the sunlight.

“Is she in trouble, do you need me to find her? I can leave today.” It didn’t occur to her that the past tense hadn’t just been about when Julianna had met her. No, it hit her seconds later when she remembered what the woman had said moments before. Don’t fret. Which meant either Allison was in town for a visit and Julianna didn’t know how to approach her or… Allison was dead.

Valerie sat back in the chair, pale hands splayed against the table and she shut her eyes. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly, then looked across to Julianna. “Did she…” Lips pressed together and she took in a slow breath, shook her head. “Was it recently?” That poor girl, another one gone. It seemed so needless though she knew it wasn’t. Did she think that because it’s what she felt, or what she was told? “Is there anything I can do?”

[st_clare]

"There's nothing anyone can do for her except remember her. I went to the funeral, another breach of protocol. I'd already broken the rules once by befriending her. It seemed rather pointless not to try and say goodbye."

Julianna took a drink of water. The knot in her stomach had tightened again. That was better than a lump in her throat, though. She pushed out a breath.

"I'd been in the field for a long time, but I'd never assisted in training an active Slayer. I'd never felt more honored. To be chosen in that way, it meant everything to me."

She paused, looked at Valerie's youthful face. "The aftermath was terrible. Every Watcher knows that casualties happen, that girls die in combat, but I took it exceptionally hard. It's why I still grieve." Another pause.

"When Allison died, another girl was immediately called. That's the way the powers are bestowed. I was taken off the roster for training because of my emotional state, which means I never found out who she was. But I've been doing some reflecting on that time, and it made me inquire."

Julianna lifted her hand as if to call a halt to any protest. "It's nothing to be concerned about. I asked a trusted friend, someone I've known for a long time. It seems, Ms. Vause, as if you're the one who took Allison's place."