Firmer Ground

[st_clare]

She felt much better in the daylight.

Julianna felt much better altogether, really. She'd done the best she could to cleanse her office of the taint of Elfleda's presence. Her desk had been removed and was being replaced. There had been questions about the damage, but she'd deflected them with a set of careful half-truths. The school had asked her to compensate the institution for the expense of a new desk. The cost was an inconvenience, but a small one.

Nathan's calm demeanor had assisted immensely in restoring her equilibrium. When she left his apartment to retrieve her car, he'd given her a hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek. She was certain he must have dozens of questions, but he had yet to ask them. If this was going to go on, she'd have to think of something to tell him.

December weather was crisp, even in Nevada, a cold front having come in. It made her smile with fondness, because it reminded her a tiny bit of home. Wisps of clouds dotted the blue sky. She'd left a note with one of Valerie's professors, asking the Slayer to meet her on the patio of a coffee shop near the campus. There was a mug of tea in front of the Watcher, one she'd been sipping from. The stone was in her messenger bag, wrapped in a scrap of cloth. She was glad she'd be rid of the filthy thing.

The sunlight was comforting. Natural light was best to ward of entities like the Corruptress, at least according to the new information she'd obtained. Julianna was still afraid. Only a fool wouldn't have been. But she was no longer scraped down to the bone by terror as she had been. The fear was manageable, and that was the first step towards being proactive.

Comments

[st_clare]

Julianna allowed the subject change because she wasn't going to force Valerie to elaborate on what 'sensitive' meant. Physical threats, no matter how slight, were much more pressing than details of personal relationships. Those could wait until the girl was more comfortable with her.

"The thirties, you say?" the Watcher asked, sitting up straighter in her chair as her hands abandoned their stations on her mug. "I know that vampires can live for centuries, provided they avoid detection. They hide in plain sight more often than not, especially in the modern age. As cities grow and become more sprawling, they have more opportunities to conceal their presence."

She drummed her fingers on the tabletop, pondering her options. "The best I can suggest is a cross, or even a crucifix. Vampires fear religious symbols, or they're at least extremely wary of them. I don't know Brian, so I can't guess as to whether or not he'd agree to wear one, perhaps on a chain around his neck?"

The older woman paused, looked at the shop's parking lot. She could only see the fender of her BMW from here. "If he would agree to it, I can acquire one and have it blessed for extra protection. That goes for you too, by the way. And you're wise not to go to the Hart by yourself. That place has a certain...reputation. It's very likely that she expects you to do just that, and would likely plan an ambush."

[valerie_vause]

“I’ve faced a few that have been older but they’re few and far between.” Valerie mused softly. “I mean most are just out for the kill, but the smarter ones, they like a challenge, like my death is some sort of rite of passage. A trophy kill, and all those other clichés.” She waved a hand absently, narrowly avoiding the mug that rested on the table. “Going after Brian I think she was trying to get an emotional reaction, she probably expects me to show up where she dwells.” The blonde shook her head. “That’s not how I work.”

Valerie wanted to roll her eyes at the idea of crosses since she had hoped there would be something else but hey, extra protection was a step up. So she nodded with a casual, “I can pick up a couple and get them blessed then, uhm do you…” She eyed the woman carefully, “Want one? I mean after Elfleda it wouldn’t hurt, right?” Did crosses even work on Leviathan's bride? While she pondered that idea she plucked the stone up and shoved it into her back pocket to get it out of the way.

“I’d considered the ambush too.”

Valerie tilted her head, let her mind wander for a few moments, until her eyes darkened and the emotion drained from her. When she looked back at Julianna she took a slow breath and nodded more to herself than the woman. From her pocket she grabbed a receipt for the cocoa and snagged a pen from the nearby tray that had been left on the next table. A few swirls of ink later and she slid the paper over to Julianna with a calm look.

“I don’t have much, there’s never really been room for anything else in my life, but there are things I hold onto. We both know things happen, sometimes in the blink of an eye. When my time runs out, let him know. Give him the choice to take what he wants of my possessions, if he wants any at all. As for my weapons, I don’t think you’ll need them but the other girl, she might, so pass them along if you’re able.”

There was no rush to her words, the tone held no fear, no sadness, as if the blonde were talking about the weather.

[st_clare]

"I'm not sure holy symbols would work on her," Julianna admitted. "I did get a protection charm for you, and after you dispose of the stone you should keep the charm with you as a countermeasure, in case she appears to you again. If she considers the matter important enough to try and warn me away, I can only presume that she will."

The piece of bluestone the Watcher had acquired made an appearance from her messenger bag, was place on the table next to the scrap of paper Valerie had just written on. The receipt was innocuous, but the words the Slayer had said made the older woman's stomach threaten to turn into a hard knot of dread. The subject of a death, another death, was precisely what she didn't want to think about. Losing Allison had been so hard, and she didn't want to know what it would do to her if Valerie died too. She was just on the cusp of trying to be a good Watcher again, and even though the blonde was right about things happening in a matter of seconds, she would rather not consider that right now.

"I'm glad that you've found someone who might matter to you," the older woman said as she reached for the piece of paper, and if her voice was a little thick because Valerie had just mentioned the idea of her own death as if she'd said her coca was getting cold, that couldn't be helped. There was a quiet crinkling noise as she tucked the receipt out of sight.

"You said you wanted to discuss the dreams as well." Yes, another subject change was necessary. "What have you been dreaming of?"

[valerie_vause]

The notion of Elfeda randomly appearing perplexed the blonde enough to be thankful of the charm being given to her. She eyed it curiously for a split second before plucking it up between two fingers to inspect closer. It was oddly beautiful, but then, for all its inky blackness, so was the one Elfleda had left her with. No matter how much they evolved, age old methods really were the preferred way to gain protection. Most people wouldn’t put much stock into a small rock or pebble but they’d be surprised at how much power they contained if only they knew.

“Yeah… I’m sure she’ll show up unexpectedly to be cryptic and vague, you know, in that fun mindgame way that makes utterly no sense while she leaves me with questions scattered around like fallen sprinkles from a donut. Minus the, uh, sugar and stuff.”

Death hadn’t been a topic she’d planned to approach but it was better said now than later. Valerie picked up on the thick tone, almost felt sorry for causing the discomfort, so when the topic changed she didn’t bat an eyelid.

“I only remember fragments, purple flames, a shattered mirror, this sense of…” Valerie pressed her lips together and let out a small, thoughtful noise. “I can’t be sure if I’m being lead somewhere, or if I’m following, but when I wake I feel… Just, seriously restless, like it’s shifting inside me. I end up going back out to patrol, with success I might add. Not that I usually don’t have that, it’s just, I don’t know… Weird.”