we are invariably pleased to welcome tourism

[cross_and_bow]

Sherlock is usually very puncutal. He's only one minute late, but that's still not quite as punctual as usual. Bella peers out the window, not yet allowing herself outright concern.

Comments

[cross_and_bow]

"Maybe I should get a Mexican wrestler mask so they can say I exist but not how to find me. I dunno. Am I good enough to survive a demonic bar brawl?" she asks, hauling her messenger bag to her shoulder and starting towards the relevant graveyard.

[eversomuchfun]

"If I lent a hand? Without a doubt," he says. "And it would be good material for learning to fight against multiple opponents."

[cross_and_bow]

"Then the rumors about the Slayer will say that she has a friend with her," Bella points out. "And I told you I think Giles knows it's me, even though I didn't tell him. If he decides to confront me about it - or, I don't know, he throws something heavy at my head and my choices are duck or catch it or get brained - how will I explain that?"

[eversomuchfun]

"Refuse to," he suggests.

[cross_and_bow]

"I suppose the option exists. It would be easy to find you starting from me, though, a Mexican wrestler mask will throw off demons but Mr. Giles is faculty and he has access to my home address. All he'd have to do would be watch you show up at dusk, or, if you stopped walking me there, follow me to the crypt. Do you have a plan for that?"

[eversomuchfun]

"Don't give him your laser pointer," Sherlock suggests flippantly.

[cross_and_bow]

"I had no plans to. I don't think a scenario that winds up with you having to beat up any number of Watchers in self-defense is something I should aim at. Mr. Giles isn't exactly Charlie, but I'd be disappointed in an outcome that got him badly hurt. Although I'm not going to tell you to let him shoot at you without reprisal either, because, again, not Charlie."

[eversomuchfun]

"You could always try telling him I am your bodyguard. What do you think? Would he faint?"

[cross_and_bow]

"I'm not sure what he'd do. He might have to tell the Council, and the Council is probably not a lot of perpetually glasses-polishing Gileses."

[eversomuchfun]

"He hasn't told them about you so far, has he? Does he know you're the Slayer or not?"

[cross_and_bow]

"I think he knows. Guesses. Suspects. Has a gut feeling about it but nothing concrete. I asked what he'd do if he found her and he said he'd probably start by answering a lot of annoying questions."

[eversomuchfun]

"Questions such as you had no doubt been asking him immediately beforehand. Oh, yes, he knows."

[cross_and_bow]

"Ayeah. I mean, so far everything he's seen is theoretically explicable without my being the Slayer. But I don't think the other local teenage girls are distinguishing themselves at all, whereas I am practically neon."

[eversomuchfun]

"But he has exhibited no starving-dog behaviour?"

[cross_and_bow]

"No. He lets me come to him - which admittedly I do twice a day, so I don't know how much information that is - and he answers questions but he doesn't lecture, I'm way more likely in any given conversation to run into the end of his patience than he is to run into the end of mine. He hasn't been issuing veiled threats to the missing Slayer or anything."

[eversomuchfun]

"For a Watcher, that's fairly astonishing. Perhaps it's the demon drugs," he jokes.

[cross_and_bow]

"And yet he is not the only Watcher, Sunnydale's life expectancy is for shit, and he would have to tell all his colleagues," grumbles Bella.

[eversomuchfun]

"Perhaps we should tell him everything, and I can start guarding him too."

[cross_and_bow]

"...Guarding him to make sure he isn't replaced by a less friendly Watcher or guarding him to see that he doesn't follow through about notifying the Council?" inquires Bella.

[eversomuchfun]

"To see that he does not die of Sunnydale and thereby require replacement."

[cross_and_bow]

"Maybe. I think I'll come clean tomorrow after school. Since I do think he already knows on some level. And if he doesn't flip out or immediately turn all stern-crusty-bossy-Watcher on me I'll bring you up right after as though I never intended to leave you out."

[eversomuchfun]

"A reasonable plan, I think."

[cross_and_bow]

"Let's see to it that if he wants to put me through my punching-things paces right away, he's suitably impressed," says Bella as they reach the crypt. She trots down the stairs, takes off her crucifix, dumps the messenger bag, and stands ready, smiling.

[eversomuchfun]

"It would be my pleasure, dear Juliet," he says with an elaborate bow that somehow shifts seamlessly into an attack.

[cross_and_bow]

Practice continues roughly as normal until it's gotten late, at which time his dear Juliet takes her next win and turns it into kisses, as the previous night. "I wonder," she murmurs against his jaw after a slightly meandering kiss, "if I'm in danger of producing bad incentives."