"We're at my house, now," he says.  "Would you like to come inside and rest?"

She doesn't seem much like she wants to do anything, but she can be led.

He'll take her inside, and bring her a glass of water.

After a few minutes, he'll ask again, softly, "Can you tell me if there's anything you need?"

"I think. I just. Need to talk. To someone. Maybe - maybe Kaylee?"

"All right," he says, "I'll see what I can do."

He shouldn't put that on Kaylee, maybe, but he shouldn't put this on Nausicaa either.  Who thought picking him for this was a good idea.

There's a phone conversation.  Giles is quiet, and somber; Nausicaa can't hear the other side of the conversation, but he's silent for a while.  Maybe Kaylee and her parents are arguing.

 Eventually, he thanks whoever he's talking to and hangs up.

"She's on her way," he says.  "Her parents - want to check on you, too, but... I don't have to let them in."

"I think that's okay. I don't want - Kaylee to have trouble with them - "

"As you prefer," he says.  "Do tell me if there's anything else at all I can do for you."

"...I feel kind of... Woozy. I think I lost a lot of blood..."

" - yes, that sounds likely - you should have some food.  I'll get you - "

He gets up, heads for his kitchen, returns with a cookie jar and a number of bottled drinks.

"Fluids," he says, "and salt and sugar."

She's kind of nauseous but those sound good right now. The drinks especially. 

He'll keep one eye on her, while the minutes pass quietly until Kaylee gets there.

She curls up, miserable, and picks slowly at the food and drinks.

Eventually there's a knock at the door.

Giles opens it, converses for a moment in murmurs with Kaylee's family.

Kaylee's the first to enter the room - she rushes toward Nausicaa, then stops, looking like she's teetering on the edge of sprinting forward and tackle-hugging her, and says, "Nausicaa, are you - do you need a hug?"

Sad nod.

Hug hug hug!

"Giles said you said you needed someone to talk to," she says softly.

Cling. "Yeah. We - did a raid. On the vampires. It... Didn't go the way I'd planned."

"Are you okay?" she asks, her voice still tender.  "I mean - did anyone get hurt?"

"Me and Gaara. And we killed three of the vampires."

"Oh Nausicaa..."

She wishes she had a way to hug her more than she already is.  She squeezes, and pets Nausicaa's hair, instead.  "Having to kill somebody, even a vampire, I can't even imagine... Are you and Gaara going to be okay?"

"Physically, I think. I. One of the vampires - Vanessa - she had her fangs in my neck -"

Hug hug pet pet.

(She hasn't been through anything like Nausicaa just has, nothing even close, but - she's been in the place where everything in your head just keeps going around in circles - )

"I think," she says quietly, "you should try to just - tell me everything, okay?  The whole story, in order, just get it all out..."

She nods, and, slowly, shakily, does so.