Time seemed to be passing so slowly, and so quickly, all at the same time. Nataunia had, in essence, turned her entire life around in the course of less than three months. Less than a quarter of a year, and she was living a life so very different than where she had been. It had become somewhat of a pattern, even. She would go to school, most of the time, and then either go home to train with Willow, or sometimes Faith, and about every Tuesday or so she would go to the band's practice. Apparently her performance at the Bronze had garnered her a bit more popularity as well, because she was having to deal with more people at school trying to talk to her. It was nice most of the time, really, the attention and smiles; it was something that she hadn't experienced before Sunnydale. On the other hand, though, she really didn't know how to handle it. Having been in the situation she was, she didn't know what to do when people talked to her most of the time, or when someone would get what she thought was uncomfortably close. Dawn claimed there were tons of rumors about her floating around the school due to what people saw as mysterious and aloof behavior, which was really just her not knowing how to deal with them, and that there was a running pool to see who would get a date with her first.

That last bit of information had come as a surprise to her, and she had nearly snorted out the soda she was drinking when it came. A running pool... a contest for the first date with her... and she was one of the gossip topics of the school? She couldn't quite believe it, and would have chalked it up to Dawn's exaggeration, had they not been at their weekly Friday at the Bronze, and Clyde with them. The young man nodded, smirking at her happily, and gestured absently at where his crush, and several other boys, were trying to watch her without being noticed. The rest of the Scoobies were only a table away, at their usual spot on comfortable couches, whereas she and Dawn were hanging out with a few of the band members at a table that was not surrounded by comfortable and overused sofas. She glanced around discreetly again, and noticed that some of the girls were watching her too. "So... is it just a running pool with the over-confident jockstraps or is it the whole school?"

"Jockstraps. I like that." Clyde, the geeky drummer, laughed, and she saw the Lisa smirk as well. Neither of them were particularly fond of most of the sports players at the school, having been among the outcast 'nerds' for most of their lives. "And nah. Some in the underground are after you too... and I think one of the cheerleaders started a 'rumor' about you being gay."

Taunie glanced around again, and this time caught the smirk on Faith's face. The Slayer had been eavesdropping. "Is that why people keep getting up in my personal space? Fuck, why the hell, man? I should just tell them all I'm asexual or engaged or something. I can't deal with this." She sighed, comfortable with the people at her table at least. Dawn, when around the band members, had calmed down enough to where she didn't mind too much. The younger Summers could be a pretty cool person, when she wasn't nervous and jittery. The band members, too, were fairly laid back, and reminded her a great deal of Oz without the wolfy tendencies. It left for comfortable silences, a bit of witty banter, and a lack of awkwardness. The rest of the school wasn't so wonderful to deal with though, and the prospect of being the fox in a hound chase wasn't exactly appealing to her. How was she supposed to train with Willow, or help the Slayers, or deal with her winged lifestyle, with hormonal brats after her? She doubted any of them really even knew anything about her other than what she looked like and that she sang with the band once in a while.

"I could pretend to be your girlfriend, you know, to throw them off a little." Dawn volunteered, sounding a little too nonchalant about it. Taunie eyed her suspiciously. "If you're dating someone, only the skeeziest will hit on you, and you can just claim that you're a one-woman-gal."

"One, Buffy would kill me." Nataunia offered, shivering at the thought of having to explain to the blonde Slayer that she was leading the girl on in order to escape hormonal peers. "Two, it'd be weird to use a friend that way, Dawnie. Three, that's an amazing idea."

"Okay, that last one wasn't really along the same lines as the first two." Dawn complained, frowning, and then wrinkled her nose. "And Buffy can deal with it."

"No, no, no. The claiming I've got someone already thing. How do they know if I'm single or not?" Taunie smirked a little, and glanced over at the rest of the Scoobies. "I'm gonna have to get everyone to cooperate though. And figure out a name for the mystery girl."

"Or you could skip the drama and actually go out with someone." Lisa said, looking at the pair of them like they were a couple of clowns. "There's gotta be someone among the masses that you're attracted to."

"I may not be dating anyone, miss priss, but I am fair. There's someone, who you already know about, that I want. I know it won't happen, but I want nevertheless." Taunie rolled her eyes and poked at her drink, brooding. "I want badly... which sucks... but it wouldn't be fair to whoever I decided to go out with, because my mind wouldn't be on them. I mean, would you want to go out with someone who's thinking of someone else half or more of the time?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The girl waved her off, but was smiling indulgently in agreement. She tried to ignore Dawn's slight pout next to her. "Whoever this chick is must be one hell of a woman... and one hell of an idiot."

"Love, my friends, makes you do the wacky... the wacky including not wanting me." Taunie smirked, and watched as her small circle of friends laughed. "I doubt it makes her an idiot, but it does make her loyal... which adds to the hell of a woman part. Okay, different subject now. Everyone has their crosses, holy water filled squirt-guns, and stakes, yeah?"

"You are so weird, but yeah." Lisa rolled her eyes again, but once again smiling indulgently. "I can't believe you're making us carry this stuff."

"Honey, this town has a huge death-rate, the last school was blown up, and there are more animal-attack deaths slash gang-member-on-PCP attacks than a place like this warrants." Nataunia argued, eyes narrowed at the girl. "You promised to keep at least the squirt gun and cross on you in case of one of those PCP attackers came at you."

"Which will help so much." Clyde chuckled, but her glare made him silent.

"Yeah, well, when the wrinkly, fanged face is screaming in horror at the puny little watergun giving him an acid burn and has a smoking cross wound across his demonic features, you'll be thanking me... and then you'll be needing a nightcap because a shrink won't believe you." She rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna go check out what's up with Dawnie's varying degrees of guardian-caregiver-people that have been so kind as to take my lonely self in. You lot remember to squirt first and ask questions later."

"Aye-aye cap'n." The guitarist joked, finally adding to the conversation from where he'd been sitting, observing the band that had been hired for the night's sets. Likely he was comparing styles and getting ideas. "Squirt first, ask questions later."

"Be as snarky and sarcastic as you want, Derrick-dick, but do as I say, or I'll stake your ass." She growled at him, smirking, and he rolled his eyes, attention once again on the music. Obsessed. The boy was obsessed. Then again, she could get just as focused too, on certain things. With a wiggle of her fingers in farewell, and a few comments from Clyde about wanting to "stake someone's ass", she dragged Dawn back over to the rest of the scoobies. "Yo."

"Yo-yo what-up home-y." Xander joked at her greeting, making her roll her eyes and flop down on the couch between Faith and Willow. The pair chuckled at her reaction, and Dawn reluctantly leaned against the arm of Buffy's chair. "You down wit it yo?"

"You have no idea what you're saying, do you Xander?" Willow was still smiling, and the Zeppo grumbled something about Anya and roleplaying before standing from his chair and wandering off. The youngest Summers quickly took the opportunity at her own seat. "So… Faith mentioned something about people chasing after my little student."

"I'm not little." Taunie argued, instead of denying the information. Damn Slayer hearing. Faith chuckled. "So what's up?"

"Awe Taunie-girl… ya don't wanna talk about that crush ya said you had on someone?" Faith pouted at her dramatically, and Nataunia did her best to not blush. "How ya know she isn't into ya anyway? You're hot shit, T."

"Thank-you oh so much, Faith. Your 'faith' in me is astounding, and your compliment fills my heart with confidence. I shall search this girl you are convinced exists out, and re-enact the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet." Taunie's voice was grumbled in a deadpan as she rolled her eyes, making them all giggle. "Can we please change the subject? I have to plot on how to convince the school that I'm seeing someone… either that or develop mad-player-skillz overnight. Goddess I'm going to turn beat red the next time that cheerleader talks to me, now."

"Well, other than your interesting soap-opera love-life, or lack-there-of," Buffy offered, still smiling slightly, "we were talking about how the vampire activity seems to be increasing finally. It's usually earlier, around the start of school, but they seem to have gotten a late run at it. Faith and Willow agreed you're ready to try out patrols once a week with us. No big fights, but enough to get some working experience. She said that you're kinda handy with a crossbow when you try real hard at it."

"Meaning when she pisses me off I can make her dance with crossbow bolts at her feet." Taunie smirked, and Faith laughed.

"Yeah, from like five feet away!" The brunette slayer continued chuckling her husky laugh, making Nataunia blush in reaction to the skepticism. "You're good enough with one that if ya can keep up in the air, you'll be a distraction if it comes t' needing it. Other'n that, it's fledgelings and watchin' for ya."

"I'd make a comment, but you'd either turn it sexual or snarky, so I thus keep my lips shut." Taunie growled at her, but was smiling softly. "So when do I get to go out on one of these Slaying ventures with you, oh wise Slayer-woman."

"We were gonna split off on a patrol after Bronzing, ya can start then." Faith was looking smug, and Willow gave them both an apprehensive look. "Red said ya can just do the claw thingies. Those should be good for now, until ya get the hang of action."

"Yeah… um… changing fully at the Bronze, with lots of witnesses, would be bad." Taunie agreed, cringing uncomfortably. Willow gently patted her shoulder, expression protective, but what surprised her was the support she felt in Faith's hand squeezing hers by her side, discreetly. "What about Dawnie? Ain't she supposed to be, you know, learning the family business?"

"Dawnie keeps skipping her lessons." Buffy growled, and the younger Summers made a face at her. "When she stops skipping lessons, she can start patrols with us." Taunie looked questioningly at the redhead, and Willow shook her head. "Wills said she had some reading to catch up on… so it's just you and the Slayers… or rather, you and Faith. I'm taking the opposite end of town, so we can get patrol done faster."

Willow smiled softly, and winked, despite the both of them knowing that the patrol would result in… well… probably arguing and teasing instead of nothing, but not the result that Taunie would have liked. Then again, as the thought started to circle in the witch's head, she frowned. Faith was, likely, not the best prospect for Nataunia to be dating in her opinion anyway.

"So when's your birthday, Mini-me?" Faith asked, twirling her stake around idly. Much as the Slayers may have claimed that vampire activity was picking up, it had been a slow night. Taunie was perched on top of a tombstone, crouched as if she were a gargoyle, even if her wings and tail weren't out at the moment. Nataunia didn't answer. "Helloooo… Taunie? T? Taunie-girl… I asked ya a question."

"Yeah, I heard you." She shrugged, eying the fresh grave, and wondered when it was, exactly, that Slayers resorted to grave-watching for their patrols. "You call this having picked up?"

"B and I made a light patrol before Bronzing it, and a lot of vamps kinda turn in once the kids from the club have all reached home. Not a lot of idiots out late at night." Faith offered, twirling her stake again, then raised an eyebrow. "Ya didn't answer."

"Nope, I didn't." She smirked at the brunette Slayer, and when she saw Faith move to swipe at her playfully, leapt from the tombstone, rolling on the ground and coming up with a laugh. "Why you wanna know?"

"Because you're my friend." Faith snorted, and then tackled her. The pair went down in a light wrestling match, Nataunia losing quickly. At least the Slayer was going easy on her, even having to be wary of the claws. She stuck out her tongue when she was pinned, then bucked Faith off, glancing at the grave again as she stood. "I wanneda see how ya did with a light load before I just threw ya at a full patrol, Taunie-girl."

"Yeah, I figured." She sighed and leaned against a tombstone, tapping her claws on it instead of digging them in like she wanted to. "I don't know you're birthday…"

"December 14." Faith offered with a cocky grin, and flipped the stake. "1980, if ya wanna be all specific. Oh, and since I know your last name's Laurant cause'a Red, might as well make us even. Faith Lehane. Now… birthday."

Taunie blinked a few times, surprised. "Um… you're going to laugh." She fidgeted, and watched as the turned earth marking the grave started to shift. They'd have company soon. "November fourteenth." Faith waited for a moment to see if the girl was joking, and then started chuckling. "Why'd you bother finding out my last name?"

"Cause I was curious." Faith shrugged, still chuckling, and kicked the hand that was groping around through the dirt, attempting to pull the vampire it was attached to up. "Besides, ya knew the last names of everyone else there. Why not the other way around?"

"How do you know I didn't know your last name then? I might have mysterious, witchy powers that tell me the names and lifespans of people." Nataunia smirked and wiggled her claws at the brunette slayer. "They're in flashing red above your head, and only I can see them."

"Very funny." Faith snorted, and then smirked a little. "For all ya knew, I was like Madonna, all one-named and stuff." Taunie rolled her eyes, and then moved forward and staked at the vampire that the Slayer held out of the ground impatiently. She blushed slightly when she missed the heart initially, and then had to re-stake it. "Nice. So you'll be, er, eighteen, right? Big party. Only couple-a weeks…"

"How about for your birthday we go cause some mostly-legal havoc and forget about my birthday all together." Taunie asked, vaguely recalling the horror that birthday parties could be in Sunnydale, if Buffy's various attempts were anything to go by. "Isn't the eighteenth the Crusty-mint thingy for Slayers?"

"Right…" Faith winced and wrinkled her nose in distaste. She'd avoided hers simply by not being attentive to her Watchers and going rogue, but she'd heard enough about Buffy's to know that it wasn't a pleasant experience. "But you're not a Slayer… and from the look, ya don't care. Right, no eighteenth… but I'm getting' ya drunk on your twenty-first." She paused, and then eyed the girl. "Unless ya already drink and I needa kick your ass."

"I've only ever drank under silent protest." Nataunia offered, confusing the brunette and smiling as a result. "No worries… and no getting drunk on my twenty-first either… unless, saying I survive in a place like Sunnyhell for the next three years, you plan to babysit my drunk ass and make sure I don't decide to do fly-byes on Bronze-goers that night."

She expected a laugh to echo hers, but instead felt a thump on her shoulder. It actually hurt, and she turned a shocked frown on Faith. The Slayer was scowling at her. "Don't you ever fuckin' joke about dyin' like that again, got me T? Never. Ain't fuckin' happenin'."

"Um… right…" She absently rubbed at her shoulder, not really paying enough attention to not snag and rip her shirt sleeve a little. They walked through the cemetery in awkward silence for the next few minutes before they began to banter just as awkwardly. By the time they'd reached the house again, Faith had managed to fish a few brief bits of information out of her about her life before Sunnydale, though not anything particularly specific or significant. Nataunia was surprised that the brunette Slayer was so willing to part with details about herself in return for those small bits of information, considering how closed off she'd been with the rest of the Scoobies when they'd been getting to know each other. True, Faith was in a much healthier place than she had been when first coming to Sunnydale, but it was still more than Taunie expected. Willow's light was still on, but she didn't come downstairs when they returned, and it looked like Buffy had already returned, so neither really lingered upstairs long. As she curled under her blankets on the cot, she eyed over at where Faith was getting comfortable. "Faith… it's not that I don't appreciate it and all. I mean, I'm honored and, yanno, stuff… but… you're awfully share-girl with me."

Silence reigned for a moment before Faith finally sighed and rolled over, not really sitting up to face Taunie, but positioning so that it was easier to hear her. "T… you're different than the rest of 'em here. I… we didn't really tell ya all what's happened in the past. A lot of shit went down. I was wicked messed up, Taunie-girl. I… I screwed up with the gang. I look at them, and good as it is now, they'll always have that other shit colorin' what they think of me. It'll always be there, in th' back of their heads, knowin' what I did… what I can do. You weren't there, ya didn't have to feel it, see it. I mean, someday, you'll probably get the whole story and shit, but ya didn't experience it first hand. You're… like a fresh start, as friends go… the closest thing I got to a best friend. I figure, I tell ya what ya ask, cause that's somethin' I never offered people before."

Taunie swallowed and clutched the blankets around her tightly. She hadn't experienced it, true, and hadn't been there to see anything first hand… but she knew a lot more than Faith could ever really know. She felt guilty not telling Faith, not just about knowing, but about herself. "Faith… you're… you're the closest thing I've ever had to a best friend. I… um… thanks. I… I still can't tell you everything… I just can't… but if you ever wanna know something, I'll tell you if I can."

She could practically hear the smile in Faith's voice as the dark Slayer answered. "Thanks T… but ya tell the gang that I got all mushy with you and I'll clobber ya."

"Fuck, same here!" Taunie agreed, and the pair laughed. After a moment, when they'd calmed down, she smirked into the darkness. "You know we have to do a girlie sleepover thing now, down here, just us two shitheads, to confuse the fuck out of the rest of them."

"I'm not braidin' your hair, T, and you sure as shit ain't painting my nails." Faith growled, barely keeping back her laughter. Nataunia had the sneaking suspicion that the Slayer was blushing, though.

"Fuck that shit. I might make you let me brush your hair, and then make you do that too… but other'n that we're playing poker or blackjack, eating pizza, and listening for when they try to listen in to say things that will make them gag or faint." Taunie laughed, and heard the other girl join her. "Fuck I gotta go to the Magic Box with Willow tomorrow at like… ten. Why the hell is it even open that early?"

"Get to sleep, wuss." Faith commanded from her bed, and Nataunia snorted at her. "I'll teach ya how to use your big blade tomorrow, if ya can get away from Red at some point… once I'm awake."

"Lucky brat." Taunie grumbled good-naturedly, rolling over again and trying to get comfortable enough to go to sleep.

"Night, T."

"Yeah yeah… night F." Taunie growled, smiling to herself.

"So how did patrol with Faith go last night?" Willow asked with a sly grin as she picked through some of the spell supplies available, Xander yawning over the counter. Anya had scurried off, saying something about money, when they'd entered. Taunie was barely paying attention, though she was supposed to be learning how to pick out proper herbs; she was exhausted.

"Hmm? Patrol? It was a patrol." Taunie yawned, the action drawing another out of Xander. "I staked wrong, but he was still in the ground, so I just tried again." She sighed and stretched again. Willow giggled, and slowly what she'd said filtered in. "Fuck… I didn't mean to admit that. Why do we needa be here this early?"

"Because I'm backing up and securing the school's computer system this weekend as an independent contractor. I have to be there at twelve." Willow said, frowning at some sage that had to have been there when Giles first purchased the place… it almost powdered in her hands. "Eugh, either Anya's not checking her stock as it comes in, or she refuses to throw it out for fear someone will buy this. Even rubbed sage as a cooking seasoning doesn't powder like this, Taunie, don't buy it when it does that."

"Eh… right." She sniffed and sighed again, trailing along after her. "Patrol was kinda… dead. They went before Bronzing, and I went out with her as a trial, when it'd be slowest… which she only told me after making me sit around waiting for a fresh grave for a while. She was all talkative, though, and there was minimal grunting, so it wasn't too boring."

"Didn't relish the time alone with her then?" Willow teased.

"Ugh, thanks, I need to think of that this early. Really." Taunie grumbled, then picked up a bag of dried elderberries. "These good? They smell fine." Willow glanced at them, took a whiff, and then finally picked up one to roll between her fingers, nodding. "Do we not remember me talking about the knowing I have no chance? I'm very firmly in friend category, someone we both know is very firmly not there, and I accept this. There is acceptance and… eugh this smells nasty… acceptance and lack of concern. There was much with the looking happily, and a little wrestling because I'm not just sexy but also a genius… but that's pretty much it. I'm trying not to think of it too often."

"Sexy and a genius. I'll have to remember that." Willow blushed, but laughed, teasing. Taunie stuck out her tongue and wiggled her piercing at the redhead. Willow blushed more, barely remembering that something about the piercing was involved with the description previously given to Buffy. "That stuff's supposed to smell like that."

Taunie cringed and laughed, handing the twisted, nasty root-thing to her mentor and moving over to the lavender bundles to clear her nose, glad that Willow had decided not to continue with the subject. "So what's going on for Halloween?"

"Really small patrols, supposedly, to make sure no vamps are trying to feed on unsuspecting children, and then a quiet night in, far as I know." Willow called, picking through the herbs again to find some decent examples for Taunie. The girl was too tired, and too disinterested, to really be paying much attention, though, and it was the kind of thing that required time and experience to pick up. "Why?"

"Eh, no reason." Right… Halloween is supposed to be the night off for Slayers. Maybe next year I can see what it's supposed to be like for normal people. Taunie glanced over at Xander, and smirked at him sleeping on the counter. They were the only ones in the shop, though, so he didn't really have to watch out for anything. Likely, the bell on the door would alert him to anyone else. "Doing anything for Samhain then?"

"A small ritual. Did you want to join me?" Willow actually sounded excited, and Taunie smiled. With a soft nod in the redhead's direction, she crept over to where Xander slept. Willow was quiet, going along with it, and Taunie smirked in tired mischief, raising her hands near is head. Then, smile broadening, she clapped once, as loudly as she could, right by his ear. The man jerked, jumping back and flailing as he fell from the school he'd been perched precariously on. Willow giggled lightly as Taunie laughed to herself and ran back to her mentor to avoid too much of his grumbling and glaring. "You're mean."

"Yeah, but he's watching the shop… which means his eyes need to be open." Nataunia shrugged, still smiling mischievously and turning back to the morning of herb selections. Maybe she'd catch a nap before admitting to Faith that Willow was busy for the afternoon.

TBC