Laurel meets the gatherer of lost towels

As Buffy started to follow Amelia and Sir Roderick out the front entrance of the Violet Moon, she could not help turning toward Laurel and saying, "Whatever else you do, Laurel, don't let Amelia die!"

"Oh, that's nice of you," said Laurel. "I didn't realize that you liked Amelia that much."

"I don't," said Buffy. "But right now she's the only chance I have of ever becoming a human again. So whatever else you do, please don't let Amelia die!"

"Damnit, Buffy!" exclaimed Laurel. "I know you're frightened but you don't have to tell me my business. I have no intention of letting Amelia die. Any more than I would let you die."

"Well, just the same..." said Buffy. "Please keep her safe."

"Okay, Buffy," said Laurel.

Laurel sighed as she watched her good friend Buffy Summerfield rush off to battle in the guise of a dragon. Buffy was a hard person to like at times but for some odd reason, Laurel preferred this angry Buffy to the frightened Buffy she had seen just a short time earlier.

She started to walk out the door when she realized she had forgotten her purse in her room. She turned to go get it and then immediately bumped into a blonde housemaid who had been carrying a pile of white towels. Towels that were immediately dropped upon the floor.

"I'm sorry," said Laurel. "I didn't see where I was going. You see -- Wait! Why haven't I seen you before, Miss..."

"Terra," said the housemaid. "You probably haven't seen me because I've been gathering lost towels all day. Every day we have guests, we lost a towel or two and when we have female guests, we seem to lose even more. You would be surprised how often our distaff guests would lack covering after their baths were it not for the work of humble servants like myself."

"I see," said Laurel. "And these guests, you say, they lost their towels very often?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised," said Terra. "Some female guests are lucky enough to avoid such troubles but for some reason, they experience other problems. Their clothes rip at inconvenient moments or their dresses snag on a nail, and once some poor woman's entire wardrobe fell into the fireplace. Twice."

"That sounds terrible," said Laurel. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Well, right now you can help me pick up all these lost towels," said Terra.

"But right now I have to -- Oh, never mind," said Laurel. "I'll help you out."

Terra just smiled. "I'm sure you will."