He didn't have to be a mind-reader to figure out what was going on in Emma's head. Not always, at least. Xander did know that the blonde vampire was more than capable of taking care of herself, but that didn't cease his concern for her. They'd been together long enough that he valued her place in his life, and the thought of anything happening to her gave him a reason to worry. He'd told her he didn't believe that all hunters were bad, and that was true. He was also realistic enough to know that some hunters only cared about ridding the world of things that were not like them. Not fully human. It didn't matter that killing so carelessly went against the grain of humanity.
"You should make friends," Xander told her, his tone quietly chiding. Maybe it was a vampire thing, that need to be isolated, he wasn't sure. He didn't make a habit out of hanging out with them, since he was often a temptation that couldn't be resisted for long. Then again, he too knew what it was like to be a loner. After so long, it became another layer of protection from the outside world. Sometimes, you could get so used to it, that it became a comfort.
"There are others like you here. Some who don't even seem half-bad," he added with a grin, thinking of the slight redhead who could usually be found downstairs, as well as one of the owners from a bookstore not so far away. Obscura was the name, if he remembered correctly. He'd visited the shop a few times when he'd been setting up the library. "Just think about it. Even I've made a few new acquaintances recently." His smile softened slightly as his thoughts moved to Ashley. Accompanying her to her cousin's birthday party had been...somewhat insightful. He'd spent so much time working lately, even before the move to Willow Creek. So much time networking and moving around in circles composed of the top 1%. If nothing else, the move back here had helped remind him what it meant to really connect with people. That didn't mean it was any easier for him, but it was good to be reminded of the fact that not everything in the world was an act. Some people managed to forge deeply meaningful connections to each other during their short time in existence.