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]

"Well, dreams are a part of initially being called," Julianna said, picking up her tea again. It had cooled quite a bit, but it wasn't actually cold yet. There was a muted sound when she put the mug back down. "The more intense the dreams, the more potent the Slayer will be. Supposedly, anyway. I have a personal theory that monitoring sleep habits while girls are still in the training program could be a help in deciding when they're ready to be in the field, but that's just a theory, not something that's in practice."

This second encounter was progressing smoothly, and the Watcher was heartened by how receptive Valerie was. It was going to take time to truly develop trust, but the important thing was that an effort was being made. Everything worthwhile required work and dedication, and those were concepts she wasn't afraid of.

"It's possible that your Slayer abilities are responding to the close proximity of Searchlight," she suggested. "It's a tiny place, but I've been doing some reading and it seems to have a...a pull, for lack of a better term. I haven't had the opportunity to actually study the town's records, but it is a subject of curiosity. Perhaps over the holidays while school isn't in session, I'll investigate further."

She was looking for other things to say, something relevant. She couldn't truly reassure Valerie that the dreams were harmless, she could only inform her about what her experiences told her. But sometimes even the most basic information could be of assistance. It was ignorance that caused the most harm, not discovering things.

"If there's anything else you'd like to speak about, I wouldn't mind hearing it."

[valerie_vause]

“You’re probably right.”

The words were soft and said after a moment of silent contemplation. Valerie didn’t want to cause complications, or make Julianna feel inadequate with giving advice, so she didn’t tell the elder that she could feel the difference between her normal prophetic dreams and the odd few that had left her wide awake at the dead of night drenched in sweat. No sense in them both feeling odd due to it. On the other hand it was entirely possible that it had to do with searchlight. Other people had been having strange dreams and so far nothing bad had happened.

Though, it was the topic of research that drew Valerie’s attention back, and without hesitating she added gently, “I could help you with that. I mean I know it’s the holidays but if you…”

What, don’t have plans? The blonde shrugged lightly, forgetting that just because she didn’t have any, didn’t mean the Watcher would be in the same boat. Clearing her throat she continued, “If you have a few hours free or, if you're busy with, you know, I wouldn’t mind browsing through your books. I’d look after them, no bent corners or liquids near them.”

Valerie tried to shake the hopeful tone her voice had taken on and forced herself to sip at the cooling cocoa that somehow tasted even sweeter now that it didn’t scald her tastebuds. Holiday’s didn’t really bother her, all in all they were just another day, so she offered a lopsided smile and changed the topic before the Watcher felt uncomfortable.

“Oh, no I think we covered the most important things.” Valerie took a moment, tilted her head and regarded the elder. If Elfleda had shown up to scare her off she could only imagine how she’d done it. Julianna wore a brave face but that didn’t mean she was entirely alright. “With things getting so demony of late, maybe we could meet up next week just to check in, see how things are going?”

That didn’t sound so bad, did it? She’d tried to word it carefully, so as not to offend the woman. Still, at least it showed that she cared enough to want to make sure the elder was alright. That had to count for something, right?

[st_clare]

Julianna heard the omission, the words Valerie didn't use, and her mouth quirked with rueful humor. As it happened, she probably wouldn't have plans. Edmund was back in London, and neither of them would be able to get away. Nathan would most likely be spending Christmas with his father and stepmother, although his mother might fly in from Vancouver. The best she could hope for was a long-distance phone call on New Year's Day, since her fellow Watcher would probably at least telephone. It wasn't even that she minded being alone. Now that she'd reached a certain age, the holidays weren't nearly as sentimental as they'd once been. And yet...

And yet.

"I don't see why we couldn't arrange something," she told the blonde slowly. "I live in a three-bedroom apartment in a complex near the campus. I rented the largest model they had available because I wanted room to keep books and use some space as a home office. I'm sure the management company wonders what I do with all that extra room since I live alone."

Which reminded her, she was going to have to set up some protective wards. Just in case. Elfleda was not to be dallied with, and as the blonde had said, she could come and go as she pleased by traveling through the ether. Rented dwellings were less easy to defend that permanent residences, but she had contacts back home who could provide her with resources. She was being stoic for Valerie's sake, but fear was a common sense response to a visit from the Corruptress.

"I'm enjoying getting to know you," she admitted after a short silence. "I don't expect things to develop overnight. But I'd like you to become comfortable with coming to me for advice when you need it. It's an unusual arrangement I've suggested, since Watchers are supposed to keep their distance after the initial training period is over. However, I do believe there can be profit in it for both of us."

The shadows were beginning to lengthen as the sun continued it's trek towards the western horizon. "If anything comes up on your end, please feel free to phone me," Julianna said. A bit of rummaging allowed her to find a pad of paper and a ballpoint pen, and she wrote down her home number and handed it off to the Slayer. "That's a more reliable way to reach me than through the school. They need to replace that secretary, she loses messages more often than not."

[valerie_vause]

Valerie wanted to ask what kind of arrangement when the woman spoke of spare bedrooms but she didn’t want to sound presumptuous or foolish, so kept her mouth shut. She was entirely equipped for learning and scavenging information from texts but when it came to the whole holiday thing, with decorations and food and gifts, well, she struggled with that. Early in life she had enjoyed the fuss, now it seemed almost fake, to celebrate things she didn’t quite feel a part of. Whatever the Watcher had meant the blonde took it in stride and simply smiled. “Okay.”

However, the mug she picked up almost slipped through her fingers at the, well, truth the elder shared and she found herself blinking with her mouth open. “Uh, well I, yeah, ditto.” She finally managed, realising that she did actually enjoy their conversations more than she worried over them.

Now that she’d at least spoke about Brian it was a weight lifted from her shoulders and since she’d been met with nothing but civility regarding it she could actually breathe a little easier. Things were actually okay. In fact, the conversation had gone a lot easier than she’d imagined it would in her head.

“I think you’re right. Obviously or you know, I wouldn’t…” Shoulders lifted a bit bashfully, “You know, show up to talk or uhm, listen. I mean not that I would ignore the invitation, just that if I thought this would be a waste of time for both of us I’d say so, but I don’t think it is. Which is, okay strange but it’s nice, too. It’ll just take time to get used to it, is all.”

Valerie took the paper and slipped it into her pocket along with the charm Julianna had given her. Laughter escaped the blonde at the mention of the useless secretary and she raised a hand to stifle it as best she could. Then a thought occurred to her and she tilted her head, “Do you get to pick your secretary, because I could look for someone to help? Not that I have anyone in mind, but you never know.”

[st_clare]

"I believe the university uses a temp agency for personnel, but I would like to find someone more compatible. I'm seldom in my office during the day unless I'm preparing notes for class or organizing things before a lecture, so I'm not usually available to take calls. If you think you can find someone competent, I'd be glad to make the suggestion to the hiring department. I'm the campus eccentric, so they might make an allowance for me."

Julianna finished off the last of her tea, which had finally gotten cold. The hour was growing late enough that she'd need dinner soon, and Valerie likely wanted to patrol once it got dark. "Well, if there's nothing else that's pressing, I should let you go about your business. I wish you success if you patrol tonight. Even one girl can make the world a safer place. You should remember that."

That might have been a shade too much, but it was worth mentioning. Self-confidence was important for combatants, and everyone needed shoring up now and then. She knew she certainly needed it sometimes.

[valerie_vause]

“I’ll see what I can do.” Valerie replied with a slight smile. She doubted that Brian would up and quit his own job but she might bump into someone who was looking for work that might be more permanent than what they already had. No loss in keeping it in mind.

The blonde didn’t finish the cocoa but took a liberal sip before sliding it across the table and out of temptation. It shouldn’t have mattered that Julianna wished her success, it shouldn’t matter that she pretty much said she was helping to keep the world safe, but she’d be lying if she said it didn’t touch her a little. Lets face it, nightly patrols were akin to groundhog day, when darkness took over she lived her life on repeat. After a while, you couldn’t help but wonder if a difference was actually being made, or if you were just dancing with the inevitable.

“Mm, yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. Listen if… If you need me, just call or you know, whatever.” Valerie offered a shrug, unwilling to press the issue. If Elfeda appeared to the woman again, the invitation to reach out for support was there. Carefully she stood up and stretched, a slight smile caught her lips and she sighed. “I better let you get back to…” She motioned with her hand, unsure really of what the woman would be up too but polite enough not to shine a spotlight on it. “See you later, Julianna, and thanks again for the charm.” Instinctively, her hand shifted to press against the pocket it currently resided, then she turned and walked through the café with a small smile.

[st_clare]

Julianna smiled and waved as Valerie departed, feeling lighter. The stone was out of her possession, and she would have to trust that the Slayer would do the safe thing and dispose of it. Even if Elfleda could appear at will, it was best not to hold onto whatever trinkets she was passing out.

The Watcher pulled her billfold out of her messenger bag, extracted a couple of singles. She and the blonde had occupied the table for so long that she'd have felt guilty if she didn't put some cash in the jar marked 'Tips', which sat on the counter. She'd never had to work for minimum wage, but she knew that those who did relied on tips to supplement their income. The young man stacking coffee cups in a plastic drying rack smiled at Julianna when she added her contribution.

Behind the wheel, she flipped down the sun visor to keep the glare out of her eyes. She would go home and make some calls regarding how to place wards. Knowing only the basics meant she'd need assistance. She felt optimistic about how things were progressing with Valerie. Only time would tell what would happen next, though.