(INT. Lobby in NIRA’s halls of residence. Up against one of the walls is a pin-board containing photographs of the people who live in the building. RUBY stands in front of the board, searching for NIRA’s picture. Her eyes settle on it eventually, and she stands there, staring.)
OWEN – Are you looking for Nira?
(RUBY jumps, and turns.)
RUBY – I, ah, no…
OWEN – Sorry, I thought that you were-
RUBY – No. (She looks supremely awkward) I have to…go.
(She starts to leave. OWEN looks thoughtful for a second and then, hesitantly, says: )
OWEN – Are you a friend of Connor’s?
(RUBY turns)
RUBY – (Intently) Who are you?
OWEN – (Thrown a little off-kilter by her directness) I-I what?
RUBY – You know Connor.
OWEN – Yeah. I mean. I…
RUBY- Has been to see Nira?
OWEN – Maybe it’s better if I just….
(He turns to go, but RUBY grabs his arm)
RUBY – Has he?
(INT. Demon Bar. The Ma’damesh are slowly closing on NIRA and CONNOR. CONNOR stands in front of NIRA protectively.)
NIRA – So, the whole not killing the demons thing.
CONNOR – We may have to go to plan B.
NIRA – Which is?
CONNOR – The whole killing demons thing.
CRISTO – It’s nothing personal, we have to protect our own.
CONNOR – It’s fairly personal, given that you’re going to try and kill us.
NIRA – Yeah, I’d go with what he says.
CONNOR – (Softly, to NIRA) Don’t look behind you, but there’s a window.
(NIRA looks behind her. Sure enough, there’s a small window up at the top of the wall, with just enough room for a person to crawl through)
CONNOR – I said don’t look.
NIRA – Why did you just assume…?
(CONNOR turns, suddenly, and lifts her. NIRA shrieks but grabs onto the window, as the demons lunge towards him. He quickly lets go, leaving her scrambling to get out, and throws a dagger into the first demon who approaches him. The demon stumbles back, knocking over the one behind him. A demon tries to grab NIRA’s legs but she kicks free and crawls out. CONNOR, meanwhile, knocks a demon out with a punch and is down to just three, CRISTO and the demon NIRA kicked free from, who are both unarmed and one other who is carrying a sword)
(CUT TO: EXT Bar, an alley. NIRA starts to run.)
(CUT TO: INT. Bar. One of the remaining demons is laid out on the floor. CRISTO lunges towards him and the two grapple. CONNOR manages to push CRISTO away, and as he does is stabbed with the sword).
(CUT TO: EXT. Bar. NIRA stops running. She looks back at the bar, and starts running back.)
(CUT TO: INT. Bar. CONNOR is reeling, clearly in pain.)
CRISTO – Finish it.
(The demon with the sword raises it. Suddenly, someone hits him on the head from behind. He lets out a groan and falls to the floor. NIRA is standing behind him, holding a piece of wood dropped in the fight. She reaches down, and grabs the sword, pointing it at CRISTO.)
NIRA – You just…Stay. Good demon.
(CONNOR shuffles towards her)
NIRA – (Seeing him) Oh, God.
CONNOR – Keep the sword on him. We’re going to back out, slowly.
(INT. RUBY’s house. CONNOR and NIRA enter, CONNOR leant on NIRA, his jacket concealing his wound. They go into the living room, and find RUBY sat there, waiting.)
RUBY – I think you’ve got some explaining to do.
(CONNOR suddenly pitches forward, almost collapsing on the ground. RUBY runs forwards to catch him).
(INT. Ruby’s dining room. CONNOR and NIRA are sat at the table. RUBY enters, carrying a first aid box, and sits next to CONNOR.)
RUBY – Lift your shirt up.
CONNOR – How long have you been waiting to say that?
(RUBY says nothing to him, but looks to)
RUBY – Could you give us a moment, please?
NIRA – Sure.
(NIRA leaves them room. Once she's gone, CONNOR lifts his shirt partly to reveal his wounded side. RUBY looks a little embarrassed, but recovers, and starts to clean the wound.)
CONNOR- So, when are you going to say it?
RUBY – Which part?
CONNOR – The part about me not telling you about this.
RUBY – Actually, I was only going to start with that. Then, I was going to move onto to the part about going against everything I’ve wanted-
CONNOR – She just-
RUBY – Oh, I’m not done. I mean, I won’t be done until we get into you going into a dangerous situation with someone who has no fighting experience.
CONNOR – She has some.
RUBY – Oh, right, because she’s slain one vampire? You don’t overestimate what a slayer can do. That’s the biggest mistake-
CONNOR – I didn’t think it was dangerous! (He winces a little)
RUBY – Try to stay still.
CONNOR - …I didn’t think it was dangerous. You said it yourself. They’re not fighters. God, you were willing to go in there.
RUBY – That’s different.
CONNOR – Really.
RUBY – This is about me. This is my fight.
CONNOR – It’s strange how much you make it not about you.
RUBY – I’m trying to kill the man who-
CONNOR - -You’re cutting off any link with your past while you’re doing it, Ruby. You think this’ll stop when Hugo’s dead? There’ll still be slayers. It’ll still be part of you. Being a watcher is who you are.
RUBY – Great.
CONNOR – I think it is.
RUBY – Yeah, I can see that.
CONNOR – Jealous?
RUBY – Yes, Connor, sure I am. Because my great destiny is to take children out of their safe little lives, away from shopping and boys and school and make them into soldiers. And then, when they’re gone, I’m expected to prepare a whole new wave.
CONNOR – To save lives.
RUBY – To get someone killed.
CONNOR – She didn’t get killed.
RUBY – Well, you gave it your best shot anyway.
(There’s a pause. RUBY looks guilty at first for what she’s just said, but then switches back to anger. CONNOR looks hurt, and looks away. RUBY walks to the door which leads out into the living room. Opening it, she finds NIRA listening at the other side. NIRA backs off sheepishly. RUBY walks into the living room).
NIRA – It’s not Connor’s fault.
RUBY – He should have been more careful with you.
NIRA – I’m Nira, by the way, I’m…
RUBY – I know who you are. You were very brave going back for him.
NIRA – He wouldn’t let me call an ambulance.
RUBY – He was right. They’d ask questions.
NIRA – But he’s
RUBY – He’ll be fine. Please, sit.
(They both sit down, NIRA on the couch, RUBY in an armchair. Neither look comfortable).
RUBY – As you probably know already, Connor is special.
NIRA – A kind of vampire.
RUBY – Of sorts. It’s exceptional for him to get injured at all, and when he does, he heals very quickly. This may take some time, but he’ll be alright in the end.
(There’s a long pause.)
NIRA – I was sorry to hear about your slayer, I-
RUBY – (Interrupting) You’re a slayer.
NIRA – I know.
RUBY – She died. You will, too one day. Sooner than your time and probably violently.
NIRA – Why are you…?
RUBY – I think you should have that choice. And I don’t think anyone should tell you less than the truth of your situation. You have to think, Nira. You have to decide whether you want to take on what is a dangerous job which may well cost you your life.
NIRA – I dreamt about you.
RUBY – I thought maybe you had, the way you looked at me. It’s natural. A slayer is part of a wider consciousness, she’s tapped into the memories of all the slayers before her, sometimes even into her own fate.
NIRA – I saw what happened. You were there, right up until the end.
RUBY – Yes (She gets up, uncomfortable with the conversation). If that’s all, I’d better get back to Rambo..
NIRA – Would you do it again? If she was in danger, would you have stayed?
RUBY – (Stops, and turns back to her. Half smiles:) In a heart-beat. You should go home.
(EXT. Campus. NIRA walks slowly home. OWEN comes running up to her.)
OWEN – Nira.
(NIRA keeps walking, angry)
OWEN – Nira, I have to tell you something. (He quickens his pace to keep up with her). I saw that watcher today, I saw Ruby.
NIRA – Yeah, I worked that out, thanks.
OWEN – Hear me out. (He reaches out to touch NIRA’s arm but she pulls away). I made a mistake, I didn’t realise that she didn’t know. And I hadn’t seen you all day.
NIRA – What, so you just wanted to be in on the action?
OWEN – That’s not fair. It was a mistake.
(NIRA slows her pace.)
NIRA – I knew where I stood. (She comes to a halt at the door to her halls of residence.) Now…I don’t know where I am.
OWEN – I’m sorry.
NIRA – (Sighs) No, I am. It’s not your fault. Everything’s just new, and strange.
OWEN – It wasn’t new and strange enough already?
(NIRA smiles and digs in her pocket for her keys.)
NIRA – You’d think that, wouldn’t you? Apparently there’s plenty more crazy to be had.
(The amulet falls out of her pocket onto the ground. OWEN stoops and picks it up. He hands it to NIRA).
OWEN – What’s that?
(NIRA doesn’t answer, but looks at the amulet intently.)
OWEN – Nira?
NIRA – (Softly) In the big leagues…(She thinks for a few beats). This isn’t about me.
OWEN – What do you mean?
NIRA – Hugo…he didn’t know I was a slayer. He did attack us for a reason.
OWEN – Why?
NIRA – Beau. I think he’s after Beau.
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