"OK. I can do that. Thank you, Father."

Annnd then when he's said the absolution she really does need to run to school as fast as she can. She can say Hail Marys while running. Mary is a sensible person who probably wants her to get to school on time. And then she prays to God, for the rest of the way, because she's remembered that that's a thing she should be doing.

She's late. She's not very late. She's on time when she leaves the school and looks around for Alex.

Sitting on a bench weaving a basket out of weeds. It's a cool-looking basket despite being made out of dandelions.

"Hi! Ready to go. Also I remembered that I didn't give you my address, and I know you might have it anyway, but it seems best not to assume that people know where your house is unless it would be inconvenient for you if they did, as a rule. - nice basket."

"Thanks. I have been following you closely enough to get an address but I think it's considered less weird if you tell it to me."

"That's what I figured." She gives him a slip of paper with her address on it. "Also we need to talk about a thing but where there are - not people."

"Yeah, people, they're terrible. Same place as last time?"

"Sounds good!"

Off they drive. 

"So I have this friend," she says, eventually. "I guess he's a friend. It's slightly unclear. I think he's a friend. He's a vampire. An anomalously nice one, but, like, by vampire standards. He is probably some significant part of why I am not dead yet. Or at least a significant reason why the victims of the attacks I stopped aren't."

"Cool. What's he look like?"

"White, dirty blond hair I guess, this much taller than me - he's sort of generic-looking? I can point his crypt out on a map. ...you're gonna not kill him, right? At least unless he's still killing other people?"

"Keeping your friends alive is my entire job. Well. It's like seventy percent of my job."

"Oh. OK. Thanks, then."

She is in better spirits for today's practice.

Oh good! Then they can get better at archery and hand-to-hand fighting and have a try at hearing people coming from a distance - "do Slayers have better senses?"

She can get better at hearing people coming with practice, but she doesn't seem to have significantly better senses than a normal human. Can't have all the powers.

So it goes. "Though that means we should probably get you bulletproof clothes."

"Yeah. I am... not super clear on how we prevent me from being taken out by snipers once the vampires in town generally know what I look like. It seems like a thing that they might be interested in causing to happen."

"I mean, I can hang around and stop them, but it seems like an extra layer of precautions will be good. - I do have vastly better than human senses."

"That's cool. I don't super know where to get bulletproof clothes but I guess you probably do?"

"Bulletproof clothes, bulletproof limos, antiaircraft missiles, sonic grenades, you name it."

"Ah. I... think I don't need any of those other things, but I'll remember if I ever do."

"Hey, better safe than sorry, imagine if someday you really need an antiaircraft missile and you haven't got one."

"Maybe if we end up fighting dragons at some point."

Wednesday is more of the same - school, practice, dinner, books, a few hours of sleep, panicked homework-doing the next morning.

On Thursday, gym is cancelled because the teacher is missing. Karen really, really needs to get her math homework done before class this time, so she ducks into the basement during lunch on the theory that it'll be quieter down there and she might be able to focus.

There are trails of slime in the basement that disappear behind ancient filing cabinets. Also the smell of rotting meat.

She does not get her homework done.

Alex is waiting for her after school. Today he is knitting an elaborate soft hat.

"I think the gym teacher was....... eaten by something."