After putting Sydney to bed, Polgara came back down to the lobby. She sat down in the chair across from Spike. She pulled out her mending preparing for her vigil. Around her the new Slayers were entertaining everyone with their war stories. Angel and his people seemed the most interested but the Slayers did want to know what had occurred in the other parts of the battle. She knew there were many exaggerations but she let them have their fun.
When they got to the part where the Turok-Han suddenly turned to dust and the Bringers fell dead, Angel asked how it had happened. Dawn, thinking perhaps this wasn't her story to tell, kept her mouth shut. Everyone else hadn't a clue. Figuring that this was as good a time as any and it would be easier without Sydney here, Polgara spoke.
"Sydney did what she always does...what she had to. No more, no less." Polgara put down the blouse she had been working on and turned her full attention to the group. "The First because it is non-corporeal could not be killed. It had been prophesized that Sydney with the permission of the Key," she tipped her head indicating Dawn, "would do what anyone else had tried would have failed miserably. She unmade it."
She set still for a few moments awaiting the plethora of questions that were sure to come. She sat waiting and they sat waiting. She was waiting for the questions and they were waiting for her to continue. They had never been given information so condensed. Everyone was sure she was going to launch into a lecture telling them more than they ever needed or wanted to know. When neither a question nor a lecture had emerged, the group continued talking. At this point Dawn felt it was safe to tell everyone what she had experienced since Polgara had already opened the door. Polgara figured that the watcher must have shared some information about Sydney and her tasks when Polgara had been busy with other matters. When the group began to converse amongst themselves again, Polgara picked Sydney's blouse back up and continued her mending.
As the night passed on the crowd in the lobby began to thin, the girls growing weary from not having slept the night before and heading off to bed. Finally around midnight, it was only Buffy, Polgara and Spike remaining in the lobby.
At Buffy's yawn, Polgara addressed her, "You might as well go to bed. I'll wake you if there are any changes. You've had a hard time recently and finally deserve some decent rest."
Buffy took her eyes off of Spike to regard Pol. She finally said, "I'm not sure I would even sleep if I went to bed. There are too many things to worry about. I'm penniless, jobless, and homeless. In fact," she stood up spread her arms, "this is everything that I own and I have a teenage sister to look after, not to mention all the new Slayers."
"Is any of that going to change tonight?" Polgara asked. When Buffy shook her head Polgara replied, "Then get some rest and we'll take care of the rest tomorrow. Things always look better during daylight."
Polgara stood to usher her off to bed and Buffy said, "I'm exhausted but I don't think I can sleep."
Polgara gently place her hand on Buffy's shoulders, leading her to the staircase and said, "Come. If I can get Sydney to sleep, the woman who invented insomnia, then you shouldn't pose a challenge."
To tired argue, Buffy allowed herself to be escorted upstairs and put to sleep.