Buffy was overwhelmed. the situation in Caulfield's office that afternoon formed a memory that was not allowing any other thoughts to form. Now, her dad was upset, and tested by a social engagement at the door. She thought for a moment, tugging on her blonde curls beside Alyssa's window.<br/><br/>Hank smiled as Alexandria floated into the other room. "You'll have to excuse my daughter, and my girlfriend. Honestly, I think that they're more worried about me than I am. It's all for show," he spoke pleasantly to Louise, as if he'd known her for years. "Come on in. Would you like something to drink? We're just sitting down to dinner, and I would be obliged to offer, wouldn't I?" He smiled, and made room at the entrance of the door. It was night out, Buffy watched her father invite the woman inside, and she put her sensors on. Of course, Buffy didn't have control over her instincts like she thought she did, but this woman was coming off as harmless.<br/><br/>Hank was still jabbering. "Of course we weren't expecting you, but to be honest, I've noticed some strange things around here lately, and It's odd that you should come by, actually." Hank wasn't joking. It was ironic that this woman had arrived, literally, at his doorstep. She had questions to ask, but perhaps she had some answers as well. His mood had shifted to jolly, for all of this seemed fortunate to him. He almost begin to speak again, but Buffy had jolted up to the door.<br/><br/>"Hey dad! It's best if I'm just... gone, right?" Hank was too confused to know what she was talking about. He wondered if Buffy might have the wrong impression of him. His face soured, but she was talking to fast to notice. "See, I'm in college now, and you're busy with adult things, doing dinner with Alexandria, and having over creepy people for dinner to entertain yourself. I get it, I support it. And I don't want to be rude, but Alyssa and I are busy too. We can totally feed ourselves, so you don't have to feel like a bad dad or a busy da-"<br/><br/>Hank interrupted her quickly with a furrowed brow and a disregarding smile on his face. "Hold your horses kiddo." Buffy's eyebrows went up, stopped dead in her tracks. "Of course, it's not<em>best</em>if you leave, but if you two have something to take care of then go take care of it. There's always a place here, and there's no reason ..."<br/><br/>"and there's no reason to stay. I know dad." Buffy felt like she was in a private place, even though the stranger, Louise was likely still in earshot.<br/><br/>"Then stop acting like you don't." His voice was gentle. He was backwards a bit in his ways, but he was kind to his daughter, and he wanted her manners to improve. It was a constant lesson, one that never seemed to have stuck. He turned to Louise again, helping her into the house with a kind gesture.<br/><br/>Buffy prattled along away from the house, she had everything she needed at any given time, money in her pants pocket, her phone in her hand, her favorite stake strapped to the inside of her calf, and a mini wallet stuffed into the right side of her bra. Jumping into Alyssa's passenger seat, she opened the glove-box immediately to find a package of gum that she had left there the day before: blueberry winter-mint. She pulled out three pieces and handed one to Alyssa, unwrapping the other two, she happily filled her mouth with the bite of sugar and the caress of menthol. "Meh. I really don't think that that woman was a vampire." It was so casual for her, she was ready to shrug away every responsibility.