Tara's magic is being affected by an emotional imbalance. Her power shorting out, flaring. Lilith intervenes to stabilize it.
They're standing in a charged magical circle. Tara's heart is pounding. Her power won't settle. Lilith reaches for her hand and suddenly Tara sees her. The demon. The real her.
The glamour falls away, like a curtain. Her skin is pale, almost gray. It shimmers with translucent sigils. Her veins are black. Her eyes are like a void, there's an ancient quality to them. And her nails, they're almost like talons.
It's not terrifying. It's sad. It's beautiful.
Tara feels a swell of emotion. A mix of melancholy and longing—the kind Lilith consumes. It dims once Lilith's glamours returns. 
"You're not human," Tara whispers.
Lilith meets her eyes, calm and a little tired. "Never said I was."
"I know," Tara says.
They finish the spell together. It's almost been a week since that. 

☀︎

Tara is sitting crosslegged on her bed, flipping through a book of incantations, but she's not really reading. Her shoulders are slouched, her energy low.
Lilith, painting her nails black with unnerving precision, glances over. "You've sighed six times in the last two minutes. Is that a spell or just despair?"
Tara opens up, she's been doing more of that around Lilith. Almost like she feels safe around her. "I just thought Willow and I might...hang out tonight. But she's busy."
"Did she flake?" Lilith says, surprisingly protective. 
Tara smiles, faintly. "No, no. It's fine. I don't have a lot of...people."
Lilith stands from her desk. "I'm a person. Come to the Bronze with me."
Tara hesitates. "I'm not really a club person."
"You think I am? I'm going to siphon the despair off lonely men and steal their cigarettes. Come on, you might accidentally have fun."

☀︎

The music is moody and loud. Tara is sipping something non-alcoholic, sitting at a table. Lilith is standing close, watching people with a predator's eyes but smiling like she's just admiring shoes.
They talk—about music, about dream logic, about the first spell they ever cast alone. Tara is laughing more than she expected.
Willow appears. She lights up when she sees Tara—until her eyes shift to Lilith. Her face closes slightly, confused but polite. Willow talks to Tara, "Hey, Tara! You're here?"
"Um, yeah. Lilith invited me."
Dressed like the club is her scene. In contrast, Tara is dressed in a long, flowy skirt and a graphic long sleeve. 
Willow says to Tara, "I didn't know you were...into the Bronze scene."
"I'm not," Tara says. "But it was nice. I mean, it's been nice."
From the dance floor, Xander shouts out to Willow. Something about coming to join them, he's with Anya. 
Willow glances at them, like she's debating whether to go over. 
Before Willow makes a decision, Lilith steps in, briefly glancing at Tara then telling Willow, "Your loss, Red. She does this little shoulder dance when she's actually relaxed. It's adorable."