Buffy meets the new Watcher-in-training

"Speaking of chosen ones..." said Buffy.

"I wouldn't finish that particular sentence if I were you, Buffy," said Laurel. "After all, you are going to need someone to help put you put on the Achilles lotion before every dragon fight and it's in your best interest that that person be female, especially since there are certain female body parts that men are often **** to touch, particularly around that special time of the month. You've been lucky so far and with me on your side, you'll be luckier still. But you don't want to give me an incentive to forget certain body parts when I do my job, do you, Buffy?"

"Um, no," said Buffy. "Let's start over. Hi, I'm Buffy."

"Hi, I'm Laurel," said Laurel.

"Hi, Laurel," said Buffy. "Please forgive me for asking this but whatever made you decide to go into this line of work?"

"Hey, I want to fight evil too," said Laurel. "You can't imagine how often my people have had their homes and villages burned."

"Wow!" said Buffy. "They get attacked by dragons that often?"

Laurel chose to stay silent.

"Well, I guess we should be on my way," said Sir Roderick. "I'll go get my horse and you and Laurel ride the mule."

"Why can't we ride the horse and you ride the mule?" asked Buffy.

"Buffy, we've been through this before," said Sir Roderick. "It's because it's my horse."

"Well, as long as there's a logical reason," said Laurel. "At least it beats walking. Let's get started."

xxx

"So what does it feel like to fight a dragon naked?" asked Laurel as she and Buffy rode through the forest.

"Can you please stop asking that question, Laurel?" asked Buffy. "It's embarrassing."

"As embarrassing as having to take your clothes off in public and then fight a dragon?" asked Laurel. "Because that's what you do."

"Actually I don't take them off in public," said Buffy. "I take them off in private and then I go fight the dragon. Plus I have to put on the magic lotion -- or as you and Sir Roderick like to call it, the 'Achilles lotion' -- after I take my clothes off. After all, I may be many things thanks to my Slayer skills but I'm not magically fireproof."

"Well, would this magic lotion work on anyone?" asked Laurel. "Even me?"

"I don't know," said Buffy. "As far as I know, it only works on chosen ones. Sir Roderick has told me that others have tried it -- mainly men -- but for some reason, it never worked on them. I'm just lucky it works on me."

"What if you had to fight a dragon while you weren't wearing the lotion?" asked Laurel.

"Then I'd be in trouble," said Buffy. "But fortunately, that will never happen. The Watchers Council keeps a big supply of it on hand and it never lets Slayers like me go anywhere without it. Why do you ask?"

"Because we're not too far away from the village where the dragon is at," said Laurel, "and it looks like it's about to rain."