Gwyn looked over at Friday.
"I'm just gonna go say hi to everyone. Coming?"
Friday just shrugged. Slowly, Gwyn stood. She had been praying for the poor girl ever since she had learned how hard she had been taking her fellow schoolmates' death. She sincerely hoped that being at Church would help her.
In any case, she now, almost reluctanly, left Friday's side. She knew she couldn't force her to mingle, but she almost felt a little guilty leaving her behind.
Friday looked around the church again. Given the time they had to build the place, they had sure done a spectacular job, although she thought she heard someone say it wasn't completely finished yet. Friday could believe this - the rest of the school wasn't finished yet either, but they were making good progress.
"Hey."
Friday jumped.
"Oh, sorry," said Eron XV, "Didn't mean to startle you."
"That's okay," Friday replied, eyeing him. "Eron, right?"
"Yes, although there are a few Eron's around here so..." he teased. "You're Friday?"
"Yep," Friday nodded.
Eron sat down beside her.
"So, how did you find the service?"
Friday shrugged.
"It was okay," she said.
"Bored right?"
"Very."
Eron chuckled.
"Well, I think you need to be spiritually connected in the first place for Church to not be boring - no matter what faith it is. Why are you here, anyway?" he was momentarily concerned he may have offended her.
"They," and Friday pointed a finger in the direction of the slayer school, "think that this'll be good for me. Like going to church is going to prevent any more of my friends getting killed on account of me."
"Ahh," Eron nodded, pondering this. "What happened?"
"Lilly and I found a vampire nest - eleven of the bastards. We got help and then we tackled them Except one of them was a hybrid like me. He - she now, rather - had telepathy. He used his power on me and Katrina to keep us from moving, and then he picked out of my head that Lilly was the weakest fighter, and had all of his little friends gang up on her," Friday shook her head, looking down at the ground. "If only I hadn't been thinking about the tactical situation. There was a freaking telepath in my head, I knew there was a telepath in my head, and I had to start thinking stategy!"
Friday scrowled at the row of seats in front of her.
"Well, it makes sense to me."
"Excuse me?" Friday stared at him.
"Well, I think that if I were in that situation, I'd probably reassess at some point too," Eron said. "Part of being a good fighter and tactician, although I'm sure it becomes instinct for the really great ones. Sounds to me you just need to hone that so it's instantaneous instead of conscious. What telepath can read instinct?"
"I'd rather not be read at all."
"True. But unless you have a telepathic sheild, or some other anti-telepathy power, then you're probably stuck with years upon years of meditation to keep them out completely. I think my Uncle Barak can do it, but I'm not sure. Like every good Paladin, he doesn't brag about his abilities."
Friday snorted.
"What?" Eron asked. "Pride comes before a fall and all that. Uncle Barak will tell us what he can do when the time calls for it, and not for any other reason. A lot of the Paladins are like that. I want to be one some day."
"Some day. Like after graduation, huh?"
"Yes. There's a good deal of prepreparation that needs to be done first. Above all, we have to know - absolutely know - that we're ready to take vows. It's not a light matter, taking vows, and there's a high pennance for breaking them. We put great value in our word here. Plus, you also need to be called to become a Paladin. Some people will train as a Paladin, but stay a Knight, or become a blacksmith, or cleric, or something else altogether. Path is narrow and all that."
Silence.
"In a way, I think you girls have it worse off," Eron went on. "I mean, you get called before you've even finished your education, let alone your training. Most of the time, training doesn't start until after you've been called anyway. You get all your powers at once, instead of one at a time when you've earned them."
"It's worse than that," Friday replied. "Because of how Willow changed things, now all slayers get their powers at thirteen. They've barely begun getting their education, let alone training, and they already had demons after them. But... I don't know... having to earn your powers? You have a job to do, wouldn't it make sense to get them all at once? That I think the Powers That Be have right."
"Well, I suppose the motives are different," Eron replied. "You guys see it as something that needs to be done. We see it as a journey, an opportunity to grow and better ourselves as people. You're about the whole, we're about the individual. Darkness and Light, allies in the same war, but fighting different batlles."
"Funny you should put Darkness and Light on the same side," Friday mused. "Most put them on opposing sides. And who's the enemy we're fighting? Pink?"
Eron chuckled.
"Perhaps," he smiled. "I hadn't thought that far ahead."
"Hmm, it's good to know the enemy you're fighting."
"How about the souless? The souled against the souless."
Friday smiled.
"Sounds good to me," she said, then she paused and glanced over at Gwyn. "What does that make Gwyn? She's a slayer and a cleric - and you are the Order of the Light. And as to that, does that make us the Order of the Dark?"
Eron chuckled.
"Maybe it does," he said. "And if Gwyn is both Light and Dark, I guess that would make her a shadow. But I was thinking more about Paladins and Slayers specifically."
"Fair enough."
"You're not an American are you?"
"So kind of you to notice," Friday beamed. "I'm Australian."
"Cool, I always wanted to go there. I couldn't figure out what accent you had though."
"Ugh, I hope my accent isn't becoming Americanised... I may have to watch bad Australian movies to make sure."
Eron laughed.
"Well, not all our movies suck. The Matrix didn't suck, but it was set in New York, and where's the fun in that?"
"I'm afraid I haven't seen a lot of movies."
"You haven't?"
"Not much of a movie goer."
"Ahh. All this training and study and stuff... no time for the good things in life?"
"I have leisure time," Eron pointed out. "It's the 'true' paladins who don't."
"True Paladins?"
"Members of the Inner Circle."
"There's always an Inner Circle. And what makes them special?"
"They take three extra vows, Chasitity, Celebacy and Industry. A vow of Industry basically means that you are always working. And if you're not working, you're studying, training or practicing. They don't have holidays or liesure time or anything."
"Ugh, what a drag."
"Only a few Paladins ever join the inner circle. My Uncle Barak is one."
Friday shook her head.
"Crazy."
"Crazy, maybe, but their efforts don't go unnoticed, or unrewarded."
"What? There's no vow of poverty?"
"No. We need to fund our lifestyle as much as anyone else, and it also helps us help others. But I didn't mean just financial when I said reward. Not all rewards are tangible."
"True."
"Besides, there's nothing wrong with prosperity as long as it doesn't become greed."
"Point."
The two continued talking until it was time to depart, the pair becoming fast friends.