I pick up one of our springboards and walk it over to where we agreed to move it.
I'm not exactly sure what it is, but there's definitely something off and I should probably figure out what it is.
As I set down the springboard, I can't help but look over at Faith when she sets down a pommel horse on the other side of the room.
Her attitude has changed over the last little while. She's usually pretty talkative when we're prepping for a class, it's one of the few things that gets her pretty jazzed these days. What with how quiet things have been since the hellmouth was closed. But the past day or two she's been really quiet. That's not like her.
The only question is whether I should actually bring it up. Faith's pretty big on handling things herself and when I've tried to get involved, it tends not to go well. It's only when she asks for help that we actually get anywhere together. Otherwise I've learned to be pretty hands off about the whole thing. Unless it involves my sister, then it doesn't really matter whether I bring it up or she does. I'm usually able to help somehow. If it involves my sister though, I usually see it in Dawn before anything comes up with Faith, and I haven't seen that.
So it's hard to tell which is which so it's usually better to leave things alone.
Faith starts heading for the last of the pieces to put in place and I can't help but see an opportunity.
Maybe if I can find a way to bring it up organically, it won't seem like I'm doing things with any kind of plan.
Making my way over to the piece myself, I try to act like I don't know what Faith is doing. Then we end up on opposite sides of the obstacle and our eyes meet.
"You going for that one, B?"
"That was the plan, F. Unless you want to take it."
She looks around the room, noticing that everything else is set up.
"We could flip for it."
Flip for it? We haven't done that in a while.
We look at each other and smile. Tensing up, I lean back just enough to have leverage for the move. Our eyes stay locked for a moment before saying it together.
"Go!"
In an instant I jump backwards, putting my hands back to quickly land on them. Almost as fast, I bring my feet down behind me, getting back upright. Seeing Faith at about the same place when I do, I launch myself forward to try and beat her to it. When I look at her across the piece, our eyes meeting with a grin. Her hand is on it just like mine.
"What do you think? Me or you?"
She keeps grinning at me.
"I think it was a tie."
I keep grinning back.
"Two out of three?"
There's a few moments of silence between us before she responds.
"Nah, let's do it together."
She's offering to work together? That's not like her either. She usually likes to try and beat me.
"You wanna work together?"
"Problem?"
"No I'm just surprised. You don't normally concede defeat so quickly."
She chuckles.
"Who's conceding defeat? I'm saying let's doing it together."
"For you? That's like giving up. It's not like you to do that."
She watches me for a moment.
"What is it B?"
I do my best to act innocent.
"What?"
Faith chuckles again.
"You don't think I see what you're doing?"
"Taking an interest in my friend?"
"Whatcha wanna know?"
Well that didn't last long I guess.
"I'm just trying to check in, see how you are."
She gives me that questioning look of hers.
"Why?"
Okay, gotta make sure I phrase this right.
"I guess I've just noticed that you've been kinda quiet lately, which isn't really like you. I wanted to make sure you're okay."
My slayer friend shifts uncomfortably before responding.
I'm probably going to have to push a little further.
"Five by five B."
"Come on Faith, you can talk to me. I hope I would've proven that over the past few years."
"Yeah, you have B, except this is different."
Different?
"Different how?"
"It's one of our no-go topics."
Oh...
"Okay..."
"So you want to get back to finishing up?"
She goes to pick up the obstacle but I lean on it to stop her.
"Which one?"
Faith takes a breath.
"Come on, B, let's not."
"You come on F. Look, we set up those rules to put boundaries in our relationship because we had such a problem with it over the years. But we've done pretty well since then. I'd like to think we're actually friends now."
"And we are B. That's why I wanna keep it that way."
"Friends talk to each other Faith. Trust me, Willow and I do it all the time. So just talk to me."
She watches me for a while, eventually leaning on the piece herself and taking a deep breath.
"It's about Dawn."
Dawn?
"Since when is my sister on the no-go topics list?"
"Since she became my girlfriend... and we started having a sex life."
Oh...
I shift uncomfortably.
Yeah, that is in a no-go zone, but I do want to help. Maybe if I just...
"See? It's weird. Let's just..."
"No... no... I want to help. Maybe you can... you know, try for something vague to start."
Faith stays silent for a while, trying to figure out if I actually mean what I'm saying.
I mostly do want to help, even if it is kinda weird.
"You really wanna know?"
"I really wanna help."
Again it takes her a while to respond in case I flinch or something.
"Dawn's gotten, a little more... adventurous, lately."
"Oh..."
"I went over to her office the other day and she..."
I hold up my hands and that stops her.
"Maybe save the actual details. I mean, she's my sister after all. I'm not sure what the problem is though. I mean, aren't you supposed to be the... adventurous slayer? Or at least you were. I've caught up over the past few years."
She grins at me.
"So Angel tells me."
That has me giving her a questioning look.
"We talk. Besides, it's not like you and I have that kinda history, is it?"
She has a point, still...
"I'm going to have to talk to Angel about that I guess."
Faith smiles.
"Hey, it's just me checking in on a friend, you know?"
"Speaking of which..."
"It's just different. Dawn's always been the more, traditional one in the relationship."
"And her getting adventurous is screwing things up between you."
It takes her a minute to answer.
"Yes."
Sounds a lot like what I went through, maybe if I tell her about it, that would help.
"Okay, look... I went through something like this with Riley, and also kinda Spike too. When Riley and I first got together, I didn't have a lot of experience. But the more, time, I spent with him the more I learned, and the more I wanted to, you know, do."
She watches me for a moment.
"And you think that's what is going on with Dawn?"
"It might be."
"So what did you do?"
"Riley and I talked about it. Figured out what we were comfortable with and what we wanted to try."
I shrug with a bit of a grin.
"We definitely had some fun."
Faith seems to think about for a moment with a grin.
"I guess it's time for a conversation."
Sounds positive.
"I hope it goes well."
Faith pulls back from the piece and starts assessing it.
"Okay... can we get back to getting the room set up?"
I have to chuckle.
"Sure."
I pull back and put my focus on the piece.
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