CHAPTER SEVEN: CONVERSATIONS WITH SLAYERS

Faith was somewhat surprised by how comfortable she felt just sitting and talking with Buffy.  Their personalities were exact opposites, yet they managed to maintain casual conversation throughout lunch and well into the afternoon as they strolled through the streets of Boston.

Faith had laughed more in the last four hours than she had in the last four years, and she was finding herself enjoying it immensely.

"You seriously call yourself the Scooby Gang?" Faith asked incredulously.

Buffy grinned and nodded.  "It sounds kinda lame, but yeah.  We're pretty close," she explained.  "What about you?  What are your friends like?"

It was as though the light mood had just been doused with a bucket of ice water.  Faith's smile fell and Buffy immediately regretted the question.

"Not much to explain really," Faith replied sadly.  She'd never really wanted fiends or close acquaintances, but hearing Buffy's stories about her friends, she couldn't help but want something similar for herself. 

Being a Slayer was a lonely life, and Faith had accepted her position as the Chosen One when she'd been told that she was a Potential Slayer so seven years ago.  Even when she was younger, she'd never had any close friends, but she'd wanted them.  She'd never been accepted though.  She'd always been too different from the other people in the neighbourhood.

"I'm more of a 'get some, get gone' kinda girl," Faith explained.

"Sounds lonely," Buffy said quietly.

Faith shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about it, but Buffy could tell that she didn't particularly like the solitary life.  On a basic human level, she wanted –needed- contact with other people her own age.

"S'worked for me so far."  She was fast becoming uncomfortable with the topic and knew she needed to find something new to discuss.  "So…what do you do?"

"Do?"

"Yeah, y'know, during the day."

"Uh, school mainly.  Hanging with my friends, annoying my mom, shopping." Saving the world from unspeakable demons…  "What about you?  If you're not at school, and I'm assuming by your lack of being at work, that you don't have a job, what exactly do you do with your time?"

Faith froze.  She knew there was a reason she didn't have friends.  The slaying topic would always come up one way or another, and she wasn't too sure how she would be able to explain to Buffy that her job –her calling- was her entire life.  Not to mention it was against all the rules in the Slayer's Handbook.  Friends and family were forbidden, but Faith had never been one for rule-keeping anyway.

"I'm a…kinda between jobs at the moment," she replied.  "Plus I'm getting tutored at home, so that takes up some of the day."

"Wow…your tutor must be pretty lenient," Buffy commented.  She wondered whether Faith's Watcher was anything like Giles.  She knew that Giles was considered a rebel for letting Buffy have a life away from Slaying.  It seemed that Faith's Watcher was slightly similar.  "Letting you roam free during lunch hours."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool.  And it's a pretty casual type of deal.  Just your basic five hours throughout the day," she explained. 

Buffy knew that learning the techniques of slaying was anything but 'casual' but she also knew Faith's instinctive desire to hide the Slayer portion of herself.  The blonde girl knew that talking about demons, darkness and duty was asking for trouble unless you were speaking with someone who knew what went bump in the night.

"Your tutor must live pretty close if you're doing five random hours every day," Buffy said, trying to get Faith to open up a little more.  She wanted to know how far she could push the other girl. 

"Well, she's my guardian as well," Faith replied.  "The woman who interrupted us the other night at the club, that was her.  She's kinda uptight about some stuff…she's got this whole British thing working for her."

Buffy grinned and bit back a snort of laughter.  She'd had three years of experience with the Watchers.  She could definitely sympathise.

"But she's nice?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah I guess.  I mean, as nice as an adult can be," Faith replied vehemently.

Buffy raised her eyebrows curiously.  "I'm missing something here, aren't I?"

Faith led them into a small park, towards the swing set.  They sat beside each other, their shoes scuffing the dirt beneath them as they swang gently.

"It's nothing," Faith denied.

"Just for future reference, you suck at lying."

"It's nothing!  What does it matter?"  she asked.  The brunette pushed her feet into the ground harder, the swing moving higher in the air as though she were trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Buffy.

Buffy knew she was walking dangerous ground.  Even though she knew that Faith was physically weakened, if provoked enough, as a Slayer, her first instinct would be to lash out with physical violence.  She had no real desire to be hit by Faith.

Buffy's hand shot out and grabbed the metal chain link of Faith's swing, bringing it to a halt.  Faith looked vaguely shocked, and Buffy moved her hand to rest on top of Faith's.

"It matters," was Buffy's simple reply.

Faith looked at her with disbelief, not quite understanding why anyone would try and reach out to her on such a simple level. 

"Same story as every other kid living this side of Boston," Faith replied, trying to keep her answer vaguely casual.  "Two parents who liked booze more than they liked each other."

"What happened to them?" Buffy asked.  She'd always wondered what the parents were told if their child was a Potential.  She was infinitely grateful that she hadn't been taken away from her home and raised in the ways of traditional Slayers.

"Nothing," Faith replied.  "They're still around.  Jo got custody of me when I was ten.  She's my uh…aunt.  From England…but we were close when I was little."  I suck at lying.  She cleared her throat uncomfortably and again switched the focus of the conversation.  "What about your parents?"

"Divorced," Buffy replied.  "I live with my mom.  Dad's…well, not really around.  He lives in LA, which I guess isn't too far away.  Only about two hours by car."

"Damn, that sucks."

"I'm over it."

"Now who sucks at lying?" Faith asked with a grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes and looked down at her feet as her shoes kicked at the dirt.  She suddenly realised that her hand was still over Faith's.  She looked to where their hands met and felt the now familiar tingling sensation come over her.  She pulled her hand back, the ring on Faith's finger catching her attention. She was fairly certain that hadn't been there the evening before.

"Nice ring," Buffy commented.  "New?"

"Birthday gift," Faith replied.  "And don't change the topic."

"When's your birthday?" Buffy asked, deliberately avoiding the question.

"Today, I'm eighteen, and just answer the question already B."

"B?" Buffy repeated.

Faith rolled her eyes.  "And I thought I was bad."

"Alright, so I'm not over it," Buffy admitted.  "But there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll get over it."

"Sounds familiar," Faith replied quietly.

They sat in silence, both of them swinging in their seats, their movements the exact opposite to each other.  Faith stopped suddenly and looked at the blonde girl seriously.

"Well, that got depressing."

Buffy laughed and stopped her swing, dragging her feet in the dust, effectively ruining her boots.

"It kinda did, didn't it?"

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S&K.