Chapter Two: Awkward

The cab driver kept driving until he finally asked where he was going. When Oz and Riley looked at one another in confusion, they said to take them to the nearest hotel he could find. It took less than fifteen minutes before they reached a hotel, not a fancy one by any means, but Oz and Riley were able to find a double for a fairly cheap price. Riley grabbed the chains that she'd had in her trunk and put them around Druscilla's wrists and ankles, shoving her in the bathroom and hanging three crosses on the door and doorknob so that she couldn't get out. Once Riley was sure that she'd secured Druscilla within the bathroom, she stepped out, closing the door behind her. She was surprised to see that Oz had unpacked a change of clothes and was changing his shirt in the room, getting rid of the one that had blood on it.

Riley frowned as she watched him. "Do you think it was wrong to abandon the others on the plane like that? They're probably going to see our escaping as a sign of guilt for the murders of ten people." She moved over to the bed and sat down on it, facing Oz.

"Probably," Oz admitted as he pulled the new shirt on, adjusting it on himself. He looked at Riley and said, "But spontaneity has never been my thing."

"Shocker," Riley said sarcastically.

Oz nodded to the bathroom. "She safe in there?"

"'Safe' as in locked in there with no way to get out without killing herself, yes," Riley said, looking at the bathroom. "If she does manage to get out, though, she won't be safe from me for very long."

"So you think that you can get information out of her?" Oz asked, closing his duffle bag, the only luggage he had with him, other than his guitar.

Riley nodded. "I have my own ways of persuading vampires to do things."

"I'm sure," Oz said, zipping the bag shut all of the way. He looked up at Riley and asked, "Those moves you pulled on the plane..." Riley blushed, knowing that she had given away way too much of herself and her style, and her secret, on the plane. Oz frowned even more. "Was that some of your persuasion?"

"Not really," Riley said. "I can get a little mean when I'm persuading. That was just getting her to stop."

Oz nodded and sat down on the bed, facing Riley. "So, you're a Slayer then?"

Riley looked at Oz in alarm, her eyes wide in panic. "What did you say?"

"Slayer," Oz repeated. "You're one of them."

"How did you know about the Slayers?" Riley asked, confused.

"One of my friends is a Slayer," Oz admitted. "I helped her out when I was in high school and college, until I left and began traveling."

Riley stared at Oz in surprise. "Yeah, I am. How did you know?"

"Wasn't hard," Oz said, shrugging slightly in carelessness. "That strength, that speed, those quick reflexes, not to mention you didn't wig out when you saw those bodies. Classic signs of a Slayer."

"You didn't do so bad yourself," Riley pointed out.

"That's because I'm used to this kind of stuff," Oz admitted.

"'Stuff'?" Riley asked, interested.

"You know, vampires, werewolves, witches, the occasional monster made of goo," Oz said, naming off a list.

Riley couldn't help but smile, trying not to laugh. "So, what now?"

Oz blinked and said in reply, "I guess you take care of Druscilla and I go on with my life."

"First, I want to know how you knew about Druscilla," Riley said, her eyes narrowed. "You seem to know this girl pretty well, and I know nothing about her."

"Well, to start with, she's over two hundred years old," Oz said. "So I'm not sure she's really a 'girl'."

"Wow," Riley said in surprise.

Oz nodded and said, "Also, she's a psycho. She used to date this guy, Spike."

"Also a vampire?" Riley asked, taking a leap.

Oz nodded. "He was insane, but not like Druscilla. She's literally insane, which combined with magic powers and being a vampire, doesn't equal to good."

Riley nodded. "Right, don't let her around my weapons. What else?"

"She's obsessed with dolls and killing," Oz said. "Pretty much your typical vampire."

Riley nodded. "Okay. You gonna leave now?"

Oz shook his head. "I don't have to be anywhere until tomorrow, and I want to make sure that you and Druscilla don't get into another fight."

Riley nodded in acceptance, understanding those reasons. The rest of the night went swiftly. Unlike the plane flight, where Oz and Riley had talked quite a bit, the night went on silently, neither really saying anything. Riley wasn't sure if it was the new dynamic of having Druscilla in the room that kept them both silent, or the sudden uncertainty that played a part. Now, the two were involved in each other's lives, only if only for another day, but it was still there, and they knew nothing about one another that the other hadn't told them. Riley found herself wondering what more there was to know about Oz that he wasn't telling her, and he found himself doing the same with her.