She takes a notebook and pencil. "That sounds good. Here?"

"If you prefer.  If you feel well enough to move about - and as the Slayer I would not be surprised - we can relocate, if you like."

"I think I'd like to stretch my legs some."

"Very good."

He takes her to his study, which is smaller but not cramped, and in addition to a mahogany desk and a number of chairs and a soft incandescent light, has a chalkboard, which he wheels into place opposite Kaylee and Nausicaa.

And she starts to talk.

"We followed Galbraith from the Line and Sinker. We decided to return later with supplies and backup. Gaara and I went in, found out it was just Galbraith's hideout, and fought and then talked to him. He talked a lot about how my pitch isn't very good against vampires, but did flip on Vanessa."

He nods.  "It may be best to start from the very beginning, actually - from the first time you encountered one of Vanessa's agents."

"...Yeah."

"I couldn't sleep one night, and I saw someone human-shaped hanging out in the shadows outside. I climbed out my window and went to wrestle with them, he was a vampire, I won. I questioned him, he said he hadn't known it was my house but his boss had sent him to check it out. I threatened him until he told me about Vanessa, and he lied about where she hangs out. I let him go, and he bolted. I haven't seen him since."

He nods along, and scribbles notes, and then writes on the chalkboard:

Day 1: Nausicaa is harassed by one of Vanessa's scouts, learns Vanessa's name but is misled about her hideout; scout gets away; Vanessa learns Slayer's home address

"I think the guy actually skipped town, instead of reporting back, but if Vanessa was telling them to go one place a night she would've seen whichever one didn't come back."

"I still consider leaving town to be getting away, but it's a worthwhile distinction to note."  He adds in (leaves town) next to scout gets away.  "And, ah, you're right - the only scout who didn't return is likely to be the one who had a run-in with the Slayer."

"Yeah. Probably my mistake there was reacting like I wasn't a normal person? But I didn't know he wasn't working on his own."

He frowns, taps his chin pensively, paces.  "On reflection, it was unusual that a vampire was targeting a house, rather than someone out alone at night or a public building - they don't usually bother trying to be invited in, or to circumvent the need for an invitation, unless they absolutely must.  I may not have thought of it in the moment either, but - it should've been a hint that something strange was going on."

"Especially since I'd done my first public Slayer thing pretty recently."

"Indeed.  That is day one, then - the next day I believe we informed your foster parents of what was going on, and you all relocated to a motel?"

"Yeah. They handled the information pretty well, and I don't think the vampires figured out where our motel was."

He nods.

Day 2: Nausicaa informs and relocates her foster parents; no detected action from Vanessa

"Next day we investigated - I think Sunnydale Memorial Park? I went out in the Spiderman costume for the first time. Met a different vampire, he hadn't heard of Vanessa, but he told me about the Line and Sinker."

"As I understand it, the vampire you found in Sunnydale Memorial Park is still alive and in Sunnydale?"

"Yeah, I think. Got him to say he wasn't going to hunt people any more."

"...If it were me, I would not trust a vampire on that point."

(Kaylee puts a hand on Nausicaa's shoulder.)

"I can do check-ups. I'm not killing him. And I can talk to Galbraith about setting up alternatives."

"What sort of alternatives, exactly?"

"Animals? Blood banks? Feeding from humans who've consented? I'd have to figure a way to present that as evil but humans think a lot of silly things are evil, so."

"Animals, perhaps, but - blood taken from blood banks is blood that cannot be used to save human lives.  There already isn't enough of it to go around.  And - I must object in the strongest possible terms against encouraging people to allow vampires to feed from them."