What Could Be Lurking In The Corner

[whole_bloody_business]

Something's killing the students. Again.

Cara didn't ask to be stationed right on top of the Hellmouth. She certainly didn't ask to put her extremely expensive education to use trying to convince a bunch of drooling American teenagers to pay attention to Latin verb conjugations. In fact, she'd strongly prefer to avoid demons, non-Slayer high school students, and other such unsavory creatures altogether. But, well, she's the one who decided to become a Watcher. She made her bed, she has to lie in it.

Of course, when she signed on, she didn't expect a missing Slayer.

The girl seems to have vanished off the face of the earth, which, of course, means demonic activity is skyrocketing. And, of course, Cara's the only one around with even the tiniest chance of keeping it in check. Which is why she's poking around in the boiler room during her lunch break instead of popping another aspirin and taking a nap on her desk.

Whoever this missing Slayer is, she'd better have a damn good explanation.

Comments

[impetuous_force]

"Uh, born in a little walled enclave in Washington state called Forks. Walled enclaves are towns with walls and really snug security around them so if you live there you can be pretty sure no vampires and probably no demons are about. My parents were both born there so they got automatic residency, and so do I for the same reason. Public school, my best friend's a girl named Angela, her dad's a priest and I forget what her mom does. I am defying parental forbiddance to be a witch and have done since I was - it was autumn and I don't remember the date so I might have been thirteen but I was at least almost fourteen. My parents thought I'd get addicted or drafted - yes to the first, no so far to the second - and I'm seventeen now. I have the addiction under control and I titrate my casting but it frazzles me if I'm too withdrawn and makes me kind of giddy if I overdo it. My most significant accomplishment so far is summoning and then destroying the Gem of Amara, which is an artifact that vampires can use to become invulnerable."

[whole_bloody_business]

Cara startles a little at the "magic addiction" bit.

"You have your magic addiction under control. I shouldn't be surprised. Does that mean she passes?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Sounds like it to me. What's the magic addiction like?"

[impetuous_force]

"...Sort of personal," says Witch Bella, glancing at Cara.

[whole_bloody_business]

"I can go out in the hall."

[cross_and_bow]

"Eh, more urgent question is where to keep her. I can try to explain her to Charlie, but it wouldn't be the simplest thing in the world."

[impetuous_force]

"Charlie - just Charlie? What happened to Renée?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Divorced when I was a baby, remarried recently, lives in Florida, I moved here to let her travel around with her baseball player husband."

[whole_bloody_business]

"I'd ask if you wanted to stay here, but my place is not exactly suitable for houseguests at the moment." Indeed, there are more books and papers cluttering the apartment than usual. "I could also put you up in a motel somewhere. I don't think I can afford a particularly nice motel, but I owe you." She shifts a bit. "I am sorry about all the shouting. And...everything."

[impetuous_force]

"I mean, I can take the couch and be fine, if that would put you less out than would getting me a motel for who knows how long. I'm not picky. Explaining to Charlie might be the better long-term plan but I don't blame the Slayer over there for not having a script to do it on short notice."

[whole_bloody_business]

"If you're all right with sleeping on my couch, that would be preferable until and unless Bella feels comfortable broaching the subject with her father."

[impetuous_force]

"Slayer seems to trust you. Stop calling her Bella, it's confusing. I can be Rune until I think of something better. Slayer, you got anything better than 'Slayer'?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Eh - Bolt? Arrow? Destiny. I'll be Destiny, pretend I'm a stripper."

[whole_bloody_business]

In spite of herself, Cara snorts.

"All right. Rune, is there anything I can do to help you get acclimated? Or would you rather start making plans?"

[impetuous_force]

"I should probably get adjusted to this world's version of the Pacific time zone and it being unwise to go out at night. Could use - dinner, I guess, at this hour, and a look through your library, and a pillow and a toothbrush and some of Destiny's spare clothes, I bet she's got some stuff too nice to Slay in."

[cross_and_bow]

"I'll go run you some errands."

[whole_bloody_business]

"I'll see what I have in the way of food. Feel free to look through books while I'm cooking, and let me know if you have any questions or want to find something specific."

[impetuous_force]

"Is there some known reason why you might've gotten me instead of something else from a vengeance demon?" wonders Rune.

[cross_and_bow]

"Magic doesn't like me. It might have been trying to replace me outright and only got halfway. Still not especially cruel as that sort of thing goes, but more inconvenient than just picking you up and putting you in Cara's apartment."

[impetuous_force]

"Right, I'll take whatever you've got on vengeance demons and interdimensional travel."

[whole_bloody_business]

Cara gathers up a handful of books and presents them to Rune.

"I haven't got time for helpful annotation other than what's already there, but," she takes a few seconds to find some paper and scrawl some key pages and chapters she remembers off the top of her head, "here. These'll be more heavily skewed towards the 'vengeance demons' piece, I'll requisition books on interdimensional travel next time I get the chance. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd appreciate it if you were careful with that especially large book."

[impetuous_force]

"Thanks, will do."

[cross_and_bow]

"Speaking of money to put Rune up in a motel and whatnot, can you requisition some from the Watcher's Council? Expenses?"

[whole_bloody_business]

"I'll try. How much of a secret should this be? It tends to be hard for me to wring money out of them, and I'd have more of a chance if they knew what it was for, but I'm not sure we'll want them attempting to interfere."

[cross_and_bow]

"What's the worst case if they do interfere? They decide Rune's a demon and have her assassinated or something?"