How to catch a thief

[Roderic]

“Blonde. University. Met brother.” Daegal whispered to me in his usual raspy, croaky voice as he reported back to me the series of events that Ali had taken part of in the last couple nights. I frown at this piece of information. I wasn't planning on involving Nathan until I knew for a fact that we were cousins after all. It seems Ali took things in her own hands. Part of me is irritated, but most of me is impressed. She's clever. On most things, I'll give her that. On the things that really matter? Not so much.

There was a human living with her. Daegal told me that a couple nights ago after I summoned him to my side for the every other night report. Ali didn't realize the risk she was taking with that woman that lived with her. If the woman knew she was a vampire, and from Daegal's reports, it seemed she did, one big fight between the two and Ali was at a big risk. Especially when she was sleeping during the day hours when the woman was around, moving.

I would worry about that later. After things were sorted out. It's really not my business if she wants a round trip ticket to the umbra and back, but whoever her sire was should get a kick in their *** for not telling her the dangers of being so close to humans. My only concern was getting her hairbrush and getting it to Doc after getting something from Nathan. After giving it a lot of thought, blood might not be the best route. 'Hey Nathan, I need some blood to run some genetics testing against some chi-woman that might be our cousin,' might open up something far bigger than that. Like why I couldn't offer my own blood up.

“Good work, Daegal.” I tell him before heading out of the apartment. “I'll see you next time.” I don't need Daegal a lot, and rarely call him for anything, but he was handy to have around for things like this. As I leave, I close the door not once, but twice and then lock it that many times too. I give the door knob a quick turn both ways, making sure it's locked before going to the elevator. I punch the button and it comes to me. I step inside and just stare at the number I need. The door closes before I can bring myself to push the odd numbered button, then swallow an infinite number of times as it ascends. I lose track after the tenth swallow. When I arrive on the floor, I just stand in the elevator and stare. It looks the same as my floor, but it's not. I step out, quickly, pausing every second step. I practically race to her door way and then disperse in to a hundred shadows at the very least. All of them slide under the door as I enter the apartment unseen. When I emerge from the other side, the shadows all come together once again to make a collective entity; me. I don't move from the entrance of the doorway. I just wait and listen.

[Aliyah]

Aliyah leaned away from the computer, a deep scowl on her face. For the third time, she was locked out of the systems she attempted to hack, the bright red alert blinking across the screen. The past few nights her abilities to bypass the security had been perfect, walking away with a good handful of files to sell to the shady merchants. It had given her faith in her abilities, that she really was getting better. Now, that feeling of doubt weaseled its way into her head and she couldn't seem to bat it away.

Giving it one last try, she leaned forward and set into the hack of whatever random system she could find. Her software was the best anyone could buy in this city, for now. Pi had explained that many had their own custom scripts, putting them at a superior level. A member of the d'Artois had offered up scripts, but the blonde wasn't sure she wanted to take them. She wanted to prove that she was capable of becoming a successful hacker on her own. As long as it took, she would do it all on her own. If she always took charity, she would never excel. That just wasn't who she was.

After a good twenty minutes and careful assessment of the system, she finally managed to download a few good files, worth a fair bit of money. She shut the computer down, freeing her flash drive from the port. Her blue eyes scanned over the Den, finding it particularly empty. Even Michael was no where to be seen, as he usually lurked around the shops. She slipped the flash drive in her pocket, passing through the room to the portal that would take her back to the QZ, just outside the Flats.

She hesitated at the portal, always terrified of the concept. Just like the Tome, she was wary, quite sure that she would end up in a black hole, someday. With closed eyes, she stepped through. When they reopened, she stood in the QZ, the usual zombies shuffling about. Her body relaxed and she entered the lobby, ignoring the usual patrons that were more of a bother than anything else. The elevator was readily available, so she stepped inside and road it up to the 9th floor, counting the seconds it took before the door 'DING' signaled her chance to get out.

Her steps carried her silently to the apartment door, the key slipping easily into the lock. Vaguely, she wondered if Dhara was home. The woman had been in such high spirits lately, it was infectious. The door opened and she moved inside, closing it softly behind her. Her feet slipped from her shoes and she looked around the darkened space. As was the flatmates usual tradition, Ali called out, "I'm home!" Those words had become their signal to the other, if they were home. More often than not, it was nothing more than talking to themselves.

[Dhara]

"Me, too!" She called out, popping from her bedroom to peer down the hallway. "Coffee?" The inquiry came hard on the heels of her announcement as she glided down the hallway. She had a grin on her face, what she had come to term as a perpetual 'village idiot' smile. She hadn't been able to stop smiling since Calen came in to her life and turned her entire world upside down and inside out, in all the best ways.

She hummed softly as she peered at her roommate, trying to keep her pace slow and even, she bounced over and hugged the blonde tightly. She flashed a grin and turned in a swirl of skirts to head for the kitchen to make 'coffee' for Ali. Her movements were quick and sure, and this time there was no jumping on the counter to get mugs. She'd taken to keep the two mugs on the counter after she washed them. Still humming, she opened the fridge and pulled out a bag of blood. "I never did think to ask, do you have a preferred type? If you do, just let me know." Yep, the question had actually been asked, as if it were normal, every day conversation. And when you lived with a vampire, it really was.

The claret liquid splashed in to the mug, and the mug slid in to the microwave with a click of porcelain on glass. The door closed with a snap and the numbers beeped as she punched them in. From there she set about making a more normal drink, regular black coffee. She kept sneaking glances over her shoulder at Ali, and grinning like an idiot. She had plans to see Calen later, and as he had mentioned he would like, she wore her hair up. Though that didn't stop a few curls from coming loose to hang in her face. She opened the microwave and gave the blood a quick stir before closing the door and turning it back on. When coffee had been poured and the blood heated, she met Ali in the living room. The blonde had moved from the door and she was, to Dhara's best guess, heading for the recliner she'd claimed for herself. She handed over the mug and smiled.

"How was your night? Get any thing interesting?" She knew of her flatmates illicit activities and it didn't bother her. Ali was a good woman and an even better friend. So when they met in the early hours before sunrise, talking over 'coffee', it was usually about Dhara's new love life or her work, and about Ali's hacking and slowly budding social life. All in all, it was a great arrangement and she was glad Elliot had sprung Ali on her. What had initially been hesitation and wariness had turned in to a devoted friendship, leaving the roommates fiercely protective of one another.

[Roderic]

Aliyah comes in and walks past me, and announces that she's home. I don't move. I just wait to see and assess the situation I'm in. Another answers her and before I see who it is, I hear her ask Aliyah if she wants coffee. The human. The one Daegal told me about. I don't care what they're talking about, I have a task to carry out. I don't really like invading private conversations, especially those involving all women. Very few of those conversations make sense to me, so I don't try and figure it out or bother listening.

I move down the hallway, and to the first bedroom I come across. I enter and look around. I can't tell whose room this is. I don't know much about Aliyah and her roommate. Their differences. I back out of the room where they're still talking and move past them, silent and still hidden in the shadows.

I know I can't dink around. This sort of thing doesn't last forever. The hiding bit. As I walk past them, I take a good look at the human so that I can remember what she looks like, should I see her again. If things turn out as I hope they do, then I won't see the human again and she'll just become another number on the street. But if I get the worst case scenario and Aliyah is my cousin, then I want to know who she is.

I keep going and find myself in another bedroom. This one has to be Aliyah's. It's night time, but it's darker in here than the other bedroom. Were there windows in this room? I look to the walls and get a confirmation that there are; they've been closed up with a heavy curtain that blocks out most, if not all of the sun. At least she was adapting to vampirism. Sort of. She did live with a human after all.

I move to the first place I think a hairbrush might be at. The dresser. I don't see it. I look around on the ground near the thing and don't see it there either. I move around the room, searching the ground and come up with nothing. I look on the bed and again, nothing. As I'm searching, I don't notice the fact that I've become visible again, as I lift things and move them around. I leave no area unturned, I'm even on my hands and knees, pulling the comforter up as I look under Aliyah's bed.

[Aliyah]

No answer was really necessary when it came to 'coffee' as it was just part of their nighttime routine. Every night they were both home, they would share a coffee (or in her case, blood) in the living room. They would talk about their night and what they missed out on. Dhara had been becoming increasingly easy to talk to, and she never made Aliyah feel like she was different. Especially when it came to the blood. In fact, the woman seemed to treat it like anything else.

She lowered her tired body into her recliner, the sun's coming beginning to send her into its the usual tailspin. As Dhara came out with their mugs, she accepted her own with a small smile. She brought it to her nose, taking a sniff. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips and she took a sip, letting the dark liquid fill that void her hunger left behind. Her blue eyes lifted to her flatmate at her question. "I managed to get some good ones...they should be worth a good bit of money," she replied, flicking the flash drive toward the woman. "Maybe we can buy something nice for the apartment?"

The apartment was slowly becoming more of a home for the blonde, and she loved that she felt safe and secure there. There was still the fact it was a rather sparse space, and she wanted to make it more homey, if Dhara would let her. It was her flatmate's apartment, first, and she would never overstep those boundaries. "What about you? Did you play anywhere tonight?" she asked, setting her mug down on the small side table near the chair.

Just then, her ears seemed to catch on to something down the hallway, and she turned her head a fraction of the way toward it. Her eyes remained on Dhara, but her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to determine the source. Positive it was coming from one of the bedrooms, she stood silently, urging Dhara to keep talking with her hands. Though she couldn't voice what Dhara could not hear, she hoped the woman would understand.

Aliyah poked her head into Dhara's room first, finding it as empty as it should have been. Her frown deepened,hoping her flatmate had enough to take about as she peeked into her own bedroom. Thanks to her socks, her steps made no noise as she moved into the doorway of her room.

Her focus zeroed in on the stranger crouched by her bed and she prepared herself for a fight, sinking down as if about to pounce. The male's features slowly registered as he grew more familiar with each second. Like a sudden light turning on, his dark hair and broad frame formed a picture in her mind and she straightened out, shock clearly on her face.

"Ric?! What the hell are you doing in my room? In my apartment?" she demanded, voice cold. Her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at her cousin, who was now rudely snooping through her stuff.

[Dhara]

She settled in as they talked, enjoying the nightly routine. Her friends accomplishments made her smile. Ali was proud of her craft and it was hard not to be delighted with her friends progress. She sipped her coffee as she listened and when Ali mentioned buying something for the apartment, it reminded her that she had a surprise for Ali.

"I didn't no. I went to the bookstore and did the accounts then headed straight over to Levi's office." She sighed, feeling almost guilty for abandoning her one true love. "I think I might need to quit going to the bookstore so I can play music more." She'd been about to speak again when she noticed Ali cocking her head slightly, as if listening to something Dhara couldn't hear. But she picked up on the hand motion well enough. Keep talking, keep acting normal. She took another swallow of coffee, burning her tongue on the hot liquid.

"You can buy any thing you want for this place. It's your home, too. And speaking of buying things, I have a surprise for you." She watched her friend move, silent as a shadow, then she rose from the couch, but headed in the opposite direction, towards the kitchen. "I found some new curtains for the living room. The color of the ocean in Sydney." Her voice trailed towards the kitchen as she moved, sounding like nothing was wrong. "But the best part is, they block out almost all light, so if you ever get to where you can be awake, it will be safe in the living room for you during the daylight."

She peered over her shoulder and noticed that Ali had gone down the hall. Continuing her trek to the kitchen, she pulled open a drawer with hands that shook. She wasn't a violent person. Several times, her friends had offered to teach her how to protect herself but the thought made her physically ill. But even still, she curled her long fingers around the smooth handle of a long bladed knife. Pulling it from the drawer, she crept towards the hallway to arm her friend. She heard Ali's startled, semi-angry words and stopped, actually sliding on the floor. She knew the person? She certainly didn't sound happy about them being here. With hurried steps she rushed down the hallway, half hidden behind Ali, she pressed the knife in to the woman's hand.

As she peeked around her flat mate, she stared at the scruffy man going through Ali's things. Who the heck was he? And why hadn't Ali mentioned him before? Was he an ex-boyfriend? A stalker? The thought made Dhara shiver, but she would back her roommate no matter what the other woman chose to do.

[Roderic]

Ali appears from no where, and I'm left standing there thinking of what to say. Or, rather how to say it without her doing the woman thing and spazzing out. Then I see the human and stare at her. Hard. I can barely see her, she's a little shorter than my could be cousin, but I can still make her out. "I could ask the same about her." I point to the unidentified human both lazily and quickly.

"But, I'm looking for something." I tell her, like I have the right to be there. I don't, but I need her hairbrush and I'm going to get it. "You're hairbrush actually." I tell her as I drop down and keep searching. "Why do you have so much-stuff?" I ask her, though I know most women have a lot of crap in their possession. Skylar being the exception. That's one thing I definitely appreciate about my 'girl-friend.'

"So where is it?" I ask as I look back up at Aliyah, expecting her to tell me where it is because I simply asked. "I need it for a test." I ignore the human. Our business is not her business and I've said my piece about her 'pet,' more or less. I don't have time to waste on the human, I have to go to Nate's tonight and get his hairbrush too. Which reminded me that Daegal told me about her time on the college campus.

"How was your meeting with Nathan?" I ask her." There's no tone. I am just wondering for informational purposes. What did Nathan think about hearing he had a cousin he never knew about? Did they plan on meeting again sometime? If so, where? Things like that.

[Aliyah]

Dhara's sudden presence behind the blonde put every muscle back into its perpetual state of tension. As time had gone on in their apartment, she had grown used to the scent the woman left behind. Though it still left a small knot in Aliyah's stomach, her flatmate no longer served as a constant reminder of what she had become and how easily she could take away human life. In fact, it was as if being around Dhara had kept alive the remnants of humanity that she had left to spare.

No, the tension had arisen due to her proximity to Ric and the once-over he had given her flatmate. Her own blue gaze narrowed even further on the male, her body steeling itself for the potential of an attack on his part. Though she was far younger than him in terms of vampiric life, she would fight to her death if it meant keeping Dhara safe. Ali had learned since moving in with Dhara that there was high potential of her death if word ever got out about her arrangement with her human friend. Both of them were at risk.

Except Ric's interest quickly shifted to her things, his demands for a hairbrush painting an expression of utter confusion on her face. "...what?!" she sighed, throwing her arms to the side, nearly putting the knife through her wall. "What kind of test could you possibly need my hairbrush for?!" Her mood was worsening by the minute, and with a sudden realization that this man was snooping through her stuff, she snapped.

"Get the **** out of my room, Ric! Now!" she screamed, moving over to push him away from her bed. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, sneaking in here...going through my things...like you have any right! I don't give a **** if we are family! We are not that close, and we are certainly not on good terms! Her small frame stood tall, her arm moving toward the door with a finger out. "Get. Out."

The sudden exertion of energy left her drained, and she slumped forward. She looked around her room, looking lost. Finally, she turned to Dhara and frowned. "Can you...just make sure he doesn't leave, but...scream if you need me? I am gonna grab a brush, but he won't get it until I know what is going on.." she explained to her friend, knowing she would have so much more to tell her once the man who could be her cousin left. No doubt, Dhara was confused and shocked, and more than a little lost.

Then, she turned to Ric and frowned, waiting for him to leave her sight before getting what he so desperately wanted. She hadn't missed his mention of Nate, and she would find out how he even knew she had met with him. Ali hadn't seen Ric since their first encounter, and there was no way he could know something she worked so hard to avoid notice of.

If he wanted something from her...she would get answers from him.

[Dhara]

Family? Ali and this Ric guy were related? She felt like her head was spinning as she tried to take in all the information. He wanted a brush. He wasn't supposed be here. Ali hadn't invited him. And she was supposed to watch him. Wait... what? She stared at the other woman as if she'd lost her mind. Watch him. Watch a vampire. A strange, unknown vampire... this was going wonderfully. She inched out of the doorway as Ali went storming past her and her amber eyes turned to focus on the rather imposing male standing in her friends room.

"Well... um... Ric..." She began, then exhaled slowly, speaking again with more confidence than she felt. "You should come out to the living room." She stepped back again and waved a hand down the short hallway towards the room she'd just come from. "I'm sure Ali will be back with what you need shortly. Shall we?"

She twisted her fingers in her floor length black skirt, bare toes curling in to the wood as she stared at him. She knew, thanks to living with Ali, that the other vampire could probably hear the way her heart raced, her pulse pounding in her throat. Her mouth was dry and she thought that nothing would be better than a glass of water. But Ali has said to watch him. To scream if she needed help. Dhara had serious doubts that she'd be able to get a single squeak out if Ric decided to do something, let alone a full blown scream. She gave a small sigh, shifting from one foot to the other, her eyes fixed on the man in the room, surrounded by Ali's things. He looked so out of place and Dhara wanted nothing more than for him to go in to the living room like he was ordered to do.

[Roderic]

I just stand there, bemused as Ali throws some tyraid. She was acting like I was stealing her most prized possession or had gone through her private drawers with her clothes in it. All I had done was look on the ground and on top of surfaces. It was hardly that big of a deal and had I noticed that I wasn't as well hidden as I thought I would have, I would have rectified that and she wouldn't have even known.

I don't answer her question as she turns her attention to the human and tells her to not let me leave. I give Ali and incredulous look as I resist the urge to face palm right here in her room. How was a human going to stop me from leaving if I wanted to? The human talks to me and I just glare at it. She's hospitable and it irritates me. Doesn't she care about the risk she's putting Ali in if word got out they were living together? Or that she could end up dead? Both these women must have some sort of death wish. I needed to rectify that. With Ali. If she was my family. It's not confirmed yet, so I'm not going to throw that word around.

"Ok." I say. Almost too easily and too eagerly. Ali doesn't know me, but anyone who knew me would know that I don't just agree with something, I don't agree with. And playing house isn't something I agree with. "Hair brush." I remind the human. I have to remind myself that humans are inferior to our kind to keep from knocking her upside the head as I pass the human. Her very existence in this situation and in Ali's life makes me want to strangle her with my shadows, but I need that hair brush first. Maybe afterwards. "Don't forget it." I tell Ali with a stern look as I pass her and make my way to the living room like I know where it is. Because, I do.