Path of the Vampire forum

It was several hours later before Doc checked his emails, and saw the Amalea had replied to his email. As he read her reply, he smirked lightly. She was so perfectly polite and proper. When he had texted her, he hadn’t gotten a reply back immediately, and he forgot about the text until that moment. Pulling the cell from his inside jacket pocket, he looked to see if she had replied. She had.

Since stepping back from work, Doc made the choice not to be tied to his cell as he had become. So he made a conscious effort not to answer .. or even look at the cell, every time it rang or vibrated. So having gotten sidetracked with his planning for the future of vampire kind in a human world, he had ignored the tell tale vibration from receiving the reply to his text. Again, Amalea had been polite and proper.

Doc tapped out a reply, then paused. Rubbing his chin as he pondered the iterations of what he was about to propose to her, he decided the worst that could happen, was he would be hit by a bullet or two. He grinned, getting shot always made the story better in the long run; and she needed to learn to live a little. What better way than pranking a few campers? And if he got shot.. She would have a great story to tell.

[Text] I think we should go camping. There is a group going soon. What do you say? I will supply all the equipment.

----

Cyril Emerson had just received a courtesy call from the legal team saying that they were working on the MoU for Genesis Labs. He drew well satisfied breath. See? When you do things properly, read all the directions, and give people what they need to do the job, you get results. If only others would realize that. Most of his,.. Or rather, Doc’s employees were there for a paycheck. They just half-assed things most days. There was one or two exceptions, but on the whole, most did the least they could do to get by with. That was not Cyril’s way.

Cyril left the his office and headed to Troy’s workstation. The sight of his workstation made Cyril cringe. There toys all over it. Troy called them ‘action figures’. Cyril called them what they were, toys. What grown man surrounded himself with toys of Captain America? He had even heard through the office gossip, that last Halloween, Troy dressed as Captain America.. During office hours.

Clearing his throat, Cyril got Troy’s attention. “Good news Troy! In a few short weeks we will have that answer you have been looking for.” Cyril smiled, “See? I told you.. It would work itself out.. If we persevered.”

“Jesus Cyril.. Weeks?! Why can’t they tell us now?” Troy huffed. “We have all the proper credentials.. They have all the proper credentials.. And if we had a name.. We can then get Doc to give us the details on this Phoenix file. As in.. who is “The Phoenix”?”

“Wait..” Cyril looked at Troy seriously. “You want the name of the match from the other database, and we do not even have a name to apply the match to? Are you serious?! You made it sound like this was life or death. And now I find out… we don’t even know the name of the person.. Just a code name?” Cyril glared at him “I swear to god Troy.. if this code name has anything to do with your toys…”

“They are not Toys CYRIL!” Troy shouted back, “AND I didn’t give it that code name.. Doc did. So maybe you should go ask him why the subterfuge!”

Cyril harrumphed, “I am not asking him anything until we get a name.” He turned around and stalked back to his office muttering. ‘All this time.. I thought this was a legit case.. Not some figment of Troy’s over blown imagination. I wasted a whole a day.. A whole day! On that MoU workup.. And for what? God. No wonder Doc wanted to be free of this..”

Amalea’s night out had been a bust. Everywhere she had gone had been fairly empty which was unusual. Typically there was a crowd somewhere, so she surmised they were all gathered elsewhere. She suspected some new gangster group had tried to move into town and was currently being shown classic Harper’s Rock hospitality. That was the polite way of saying they were being driven out of town.

It wasn’t a huge loss as she had gotten out for bit even if it wasn’t what she had in mind. Returning home, she checked her email; as expected, there was nothing new. She also had no missed calls or texts which wasn’t out of the ordinary for this time of night. Her staff knew better than to contact her unless it was an emergency and most others rarely contacted her.

Still wide awake, the red-head grabbed one of her favorite books, Arrows of the Queen with which to curl up on the couch. Leaving it on the coffee table, she ambled into the kitchen to make a quick snack, settling upon a variety of cheeses and meats with crackers. Balancing the platter with a wine glass, she nabbed a bottle of red on her way back to the living room.

Hours later, the red-head was pulled from the world of her book by the intrusion of technology. Having forgotten to bring her phone into the living room, she sighed as she slid off the couch in search of the beeping device. While not overly attached to the device, Amalea did try to keep it on hand in case of an emergency. Digging it from where it had slid and nestled among the bedcovers, she returned to her spot on the couch.

Only then did she check to see who or what had sent the message. Glancing at the name, she chuckled softly as it wasn’t at all surprising to see Doc was the sender given his earlier proposal. Reading his message, she vaguely recalled that some human had proposed a camping weekend both on a popular website where vampires frequented and another that catered to humans, though the red-head had no idea how it had managed to stay vampire-free.

What surprised the red-head was that he was willing to socialize with what would most likely be a group of humans in a place that tended to be hazardous to a vampire. She knew she also wasn’t the favorite of the fae either, but they just enjoyed harassing her whereas Doc risked physical danger. Amalea trusted he knew the risks and wouldn’t have proposed the outing if he wasn’t sure about it. Worse case, she’d at least be able to help with any blood loss.

Potential issues aside, though, she was excited for the weekend and the opportunity to experience something new. It promised to be an interesting adventure. That she would be spending time with someone she considered a friend was the icing on the cake.

[text] I’d say it’s an exciting plan! It’ll be something new.

--

A simple trip to the bank to pick up some paperwork had abruptly turned into something far more dramatic. Dealing with an armed robbery had not been on Amalea’s to-do list for the day nor did it appear anywhere on her bucket list. She had also spent enough time at the police station to last several lifetimes and didn’t want to see the inside of it again, if she could help it.

She still had no idea how she had managed to be the only uninjured hostage at the end of the standoff. The only thing the red-head could think of was that she had gotten incredibly lucky. It wasn’t like she had any borrowed ability that made her invisible or an attacker uneasy. They certainly hadn’t cared who they hurt as long as they got their cash in the end; the joke ended up being on them.

One thing she had no intention of disclosing to the police was how the one robber outside the vault had had his leg hacked off. The way she saw it, there were three potential outcomes from that admission and neither were acceptable. The first would end with her being committed in the city’s asylum for life as they assumed her to be delusional. Ending up a lab rat for study and endangering the vampire population was another. The third, which she was fairly certain Officer Asshole had been gunning for, was her behind bars. No, the mystery of the limb hack would have to remain unsolved.

Given the late (or early, depending on one’s view) hour she had finally gotten home, she had just locked the door behind her and tossed her keys into their usual place. A quick text had been sent to Rei informing her that she would not be in and that she wasn’t to be bothered except in an emergency. Forgoing anything else, she had crashed into bed.

--

Amalea had begun to work from home in order to avoid unwanted attention from reporters and to avoid disrupting business should they dare show up there. At least, that was the official reason. She also wanted to avoid any run ins with the idiot officer that had confronted her since she didn’t trust him not to be still intent on her being guilty. The real reason behind her new arrangement, though, was both simpler and more complicated; it allowed her to nap throughout the day in order to balance out the nightmares that kept her awake most nights.

Her personal projects were faring no better. None of the paper records had yet to arrive though emailed confirmations had been received stating they would be mailed shortly. One of the agencies had sent a message stating that most of the records she had requested didn’t exist but that they would send anything pertinent to her straightaway. Progress towards opening Crimson Delights was at a standstill given the legal department was still going through the MoU from Genesis Labs. The red-head wasn’t upset by the developments, or lack thereof, but she was becoming slightly impatient with the processes.

She hoped that the upcoming camping weekend would be good for her. At the very least, the wilderness would be a welcome change from her self-imposed house arrest. Socializing with some new faces while trying something new promised to be an interesting experience; she didn’t tend to mesh well with most human. No matter the outcome of the adventure, she was grateful Doc had suggested it before the entire bank mess had occurred.

Amalea supposed she should make sure she had suitable clothing at some point soon in case a shopping trip was needed. She wasn’t one of those women who would wear dresses and heels camping then spend the entire time bitching about the dirt and bugs; she just wasn’t sure if she had jeans that still fit or if she had any suitable tops. Of course, she’d have to keep an eye on the weather to ensure she packed the right mix of outfits. She’d make a list later and get any needed items when she went to pick up the mandatory bottles of sunscreen and bug spray. She didn’t fancy modeling the mosquito-bite speckled sunburn look.

The ringing phone interrupted her thoughts bring her back to her current reality. With a sigh, she pressed the answer call button and gave her standard greeting. The red-head was surprised to hear Sarah’s voice respond and the pair chatted for a couple minutes before the woman revealed her reason for calling.

“I just wanted to call and give you a progress update on the MoU. So far, so good, everything seems to be in order up to the point we’ve gotten. If we don’t encounter anything questionable, we could be done as early as next week. I don’t see it going more than another week and a half honestly. Whoever wrote this was very thorough. “

Amalea smiled as she thanked the woman and told her how much she appreciated their effort in this matter. Receiving assurance that one of them would call as soon as they knew something, she hung up. She had barely placed it on the table when a text message came through from Jennifer stating the heart casts were finally finished and currently decorating her office.

Laughing, she sent a quick thank you in reply and made a mental note to find the woman a token of her gratitude. A trip to Yin later in the evening was likely in order; she had promised to visit to discuss politics. The reality was that she enjoyed visiting for no reason at all; the company was enough. She would have to stop by her office first, though, to package up the little gift she intended to bring with her.

As much as Cyril wanted to ignore the file that Troy was obsessed over, he couldn't help but profess a wee hint of curiosity about it himself. After all, was he doing due diligence in making sure Troy had not been wasting company time and resources on a file that .. could possibly be useless? Therefore having confirmed to himself that it was perfectly acceptable for him to review the file and everything done up to this point, Cyril pulled up the file and started reading it.

The more Cyril read, and researched, the more curious he became. He could easily see why Troy was so enamored of this file. It was a conundrum wrapped in an enigma, as the old saying goes. The file did not use the standard labeling process. It used a code name. It did not use the usual ‘accepted’ baseline. It had no one’s initials on it, other than Doctor Nilson’s. Was this a secret hush hush case? Why would the Doctor see to this file himself, instead of having a lab technician handle it? Unless he didn’t want to involve someone else? Or he couldn't involve someone else? Was there a ‘need-to-know’ clearance issue here?

There was nothing else to do, Cyril needed answers and the only person he could get them from was Doctor Nilson. He mulled it over in his mind for nearly an hour before he finally picked up the phone and dial the Doctor’s number.

When Doc’s phone rang, he briefly glanced at the number, intending to ignore the call completely, but unexpectedly he recognized it as Cyril’s number. Cyril wasn’t the type to call at the drop of a hat. He tried every avenue open to him, before he would call. That was one of the reasons Doc chose Cyril. Cyril was as tenacious as bulldog. He would work at something until he mastered it. So for Cyril to call, it meant there was a good reason behind the call.

“Good evening Cyril.”

“Ah Doctor Nilson, I was afraid I would get voice mail, and I was rehearsing my message. Much nice to speak in person, thank you for taking my call.”

“Cyril.. Call me Doc. Only assholes I hate call me Dr. Nilson.”

Cyril cleared his throat, “Yes.. well.. Thank you .. Doc.” He paused only briefly before launching into his question, “I wanted to get with you about this cold case file. We have had movement on it, but the more we look into it .. the more questions come up.”

Doc wasn’t concerned. Cold case files were cold because of unanswered questions. “I doubt I could be of any help.. But ask away Cyril.”

Cyril released a sigh of gratitude, “Well first it is the code name for the file.”

“Code name? We do not use code names, Cyril. It is a file naming system.”

“Yes! Exactly.. And this file doesn't follow the system. The requires first three letters of the last name, first two of the first name and four digits of the date of the birth. This file doesn't follow that method.”

Doc stopped short. What had Cyril found? His mind went over the ‘illegal’ trials he was running. He never took those files to the lab except that once. ****. He was about to ask a question, when Cyril moved on.

“And the baseline that was used. It was a different baseline than our standard protocol baselines. You see why I have questions.. Yes?”

The more Cyril talked the more dread Doc felt. He liked Cyril. He didn’t want to kill him. But it sounded like Cyril had found something he shouldn't have, and Doc was going to have to silence him, permanently.

Again Cyril spoke before letting Doc answer, “So any information you can give me on this Phoenix file..would be greatly appreciated.”

“Phoenix?” He stopped relieved. Cyril had not found anything. “There has been movement on the Phoenix file?”

Cyril heard the interest in Doc’s voice. “Yes.. yes there has. The Memorandum of Understanding.. That was to get access to the name of the match to the Phoenix file. But the file raises questions Doc.”

“Cyril.. That file was never a Genesis file. That was a favor I was.. Am.. doing for a ..” he paused, and then admitted, “..family member.” Cyril would sooner or later have to be read into the situation, no sense lying to him now. “I am surprised it got a hit. So.. the baseline, was different, because of the nature of the case. Being a family member I was handling it personally. I didn’t want to have staff bill their hours to other cases.

“However, it seems like staff has put in time on this file, including yourself. We can’t have this billed out. It wouldn't be right. Charge your hours and .. who ever else worked on this file, to the training budget.”

Cyril sounded disappointed. “So that is all it is.. ? A personal file for a family member?” That wasn’t nearly as exciting as it had seemed an hour ago.

“That is all it is.” Doc smirked, he could hear the disappointment in Cyril’s voice, “What? You were thinking it was what? A super secret cloak and dagger spy case? **** Cyril.. It’s just a paternity case. I did not wish to air my family’s dirty laundry for all and sundry… alright?”

“Yes.. yes.. Of course. That information goes no further.” Cyril nodded to himself. Apparently Doc had a female relative that was hunting for a baby daddy..or some such. How utterly disappointing. “Thank you for the information and time Doc.. I will let you know when the results come in. I will keep Troy at bay. No need involving him anymore.’

“Much appreciated Cyril. Your discretion as well.” Doc rang off the call and mulled the situation over. There was movement on Phoenix file. That meant they had found Phoenix’ mother. But Phoenix was in torpor. Should he awaken her? Only to have her be pissed at hell..? Or would be she be pleased? Doc sighed and rubbed his eyes. **** him. This was one of those situations where was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't. However, until the MoU was fully executed and he had the positive match in his hand, he wasn't going to worry about it. After all .. maybe it wasn’t the match that Troy thought?

Turning the volume off his cell, he shoved it in his pocket and headed out of the office to the main floor of Yin. He felt the need to mingle, and clear his mind.

===========
Days Later
===========


Doc: It was several days later, after Doc had returned from his camping trip, when Cyril knew that there had been time for the other lab to have received the paperwork, the Cyril knew it was time to give Amalea a call regarding the file. Cyril had gone over this several different times in his head. he would be professional and polite and tell her, that well the circumstances being what they were.. perhaps it would be best if Doctor Nilson handled the file. He took a deep calming breath, then took another, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and dialed her number.

Amalea: Settling back in at work after a couple weeks out of the office had been an interesting experience. Employees she never saw had found their way to her office to welcome her back while trying to subtly acquire details about her absence. It had taken some time to shoo all the well-wishers off and reclaim the office to herself before she could begin to sift through the hordes of email and missed messages. Wanting the most important messages first, she sorted by sender. The phone ringing caught her off guard; reaching over, she answered it, "Sanguine Services. This is Amalea."

Doc: Cyril's voice caught in his throat. Amalea herself, had answered the phone. His attempted 'Oh Hello Amalea' came out as a high pitch squeak, causing him immediately to go into a coughing fit. In between coughs, he wheezed out a "Wait.." before coughing more. Finally breathing heavily, choking off the last cough. "Amalea.. this is Cyril Emmerson.. Genesis Labs.. " Another throat clearing cough. "Oh my. I am so sorry.. Even have that happen? Of course not.. Just .. uh.. ignore that .. The reason for my call.. " he cleared his throat and finally got control of himself. "I thought we could talk about that sample.. The one that got a hit to our case.."

Amalea: Amalea laughed; she couldn't help it. This was reminding her of some comical movie scene where the boy called the girl to ask her out. It was just a more serious, grown-up version. "Sorry, Mr. Emerson. I have had that happen once or twice." She was sure her amusement was apparent, but it had been funny. "Oh yes. I believe that was the sample a Troy something had first contacted us about?

Doc: Cyril's face flamed, but he carried on as though his life depended on it. After all she couldn’t see how embarrassed he was. "Yes.. Troy. You have a good memory. Yes.. Troy was in charge of the case.. but now well we have, that is to say, upper management will be handling it now. We have not received the details on the match yet. And well I was.. or I should say, the lab .. um.. What is the hold up?"

Amalea: "Thank you," she replied absently as she scrolled through her email list looking for the ones from Legal, "It was an unusual request through unusual channels. Those tend to be memorable." Finding the most current message, she quickly scanned it. "The Memorandum of Understanding was approved by our Legal Department this morning. It will be signed and returned today. I believe we've received a signed copy back so the information should be sent out no later than tomorrow."

Doc: "Oh I see. Well .. good." Good? That's all? Engage her in conversation! "That is excellent news! We are quite excited here. It is so fulfilling when we can get a match for someone. Don't you agree?" Cyril rolled his eyes. That was not conversation. That was agreement. Be more direct! "You may not remember.. but I was the one who brought you the camping gear.." He paused. "You camp a lot do you?" God Cyril! He stared at the ceiling. This was not going well.

Amalea: "It is good," she agreed. "It's actually a first for our facility as we only tend to supply samples for research purposes. It is a rather unique opportunity and I will admit, rather exciting." By exciting she really meant terrifying; who knew who was the match. She blinked at the phone, wondering if the poor man was hyped up on caffeine after a long night. "I remember," she acknowledged. "And actually, that was a first for me. It was an interesting experience."

Doc: "Oh? I confess.. I have never been camping. Never thought I was the camping sort.. but I think maybe now I could camp.. I mean.. Do you think you would go again? " Cyril realized how that sounded, and quickly rushed on, "Dr. Nilson said it was an forum group get together. To Meet new people.. " His voice trailed off somewhat. "I like .. meeting new people.. If Dr. Nilson can camp.. why couldn't I? Right?" Oh god.. you are sounding like a loser! Change the subject. "So what all did you do?"

Amalea: The red-head was starting to get the feeling this wasn't strictly a business call; either that, or Cyril had a tendency to ramble. "Likely, though I think I'd go with a smaller group and make sure I knew several of them." She had been wondering how Doc had explained the weekend to the man. "We met several new people. It did seem like several knew each other already." There was that feeling again, "I think anyone could camp at least once... We went hiking, some went fishing, there was some interesting ice breaking games and team building exercises."

Doc: "Oh.. that sounds fun." No actually it didn't. Cyril didn't games, or fishing. No camping wasn't for him. Even the very attractive Amalea could not make games and fishing seem entertaining, much less fun. Time for a change of strategy. "Since you did say .. that you have received the go ahead, why don't I come by your office tomorrow and pick up that file? I could come by about.. lunch time? How does that sound?"

Amalea: "It was a good deal of fun. Was a nice break from the insanity of the city and work." She probably would never go camping with that particular set of people again. Being an outsider on a family affair sucked. Given the fact that her friends were all vampires, the red-head knew any camping would likely consist of tents pitched in Jardin's upper level. Staring at the wall, she wondered if he was trying to propose what she thought he was or if she was reading too much into it. Go with the neutral answer, woman, she told herself. "If it's not an inconvenience to you, you're welcome to come pick up the file. Otherwise, the courier can deliver it."

Doc: Cyril immediately relaxed. Yes! He would pick it up.. "Excellent.. I would be happy to save you the courier fee." He would too. He was going to research restaurants as soon as he hung up. "Well I, have taken up enough of your time .. So I will see you tomorrow? Yes. Tomorrow. Ok Then. You have a great afternoon. .I will." He stopped, that sounded creepy. "You know.. because we are on to the next stage..." ****.. "Of the Case! The next stage of the case." Right. End it.. end it Now. "Tomorrow then.. ta-ta... " he hung up. "Ta ta? Where did that come from?! Who says that? Maybe she didn't notice. Right." Who was he kidding, she was probably staring in horror at her phone. Cyril opened google and search for restaurants.

Amalea: She wasn't going to bust his bubble by telling him they have a courier on payroll. He was reminding her of a child being told he could open a gift early. Or high on sugar, she couldn't decide which. "Yes, tomorrow. And I will certainly try now that I don't have a parade of people trying to get into my office." Thank the goddess she had a day to figure what to do about this situation. "It is exciting. I'm sure your client will be pleased there's a match. Have a good afternoon." She gently replaced the phone back into its base as she pinched the bridge of her nose. How did she get herself in these situations?

======== Next Day =========

Doc: Cyril was moodily punching keys on his keyboard, glumly waiting for Doc to show up and get the file. The file lay on the desk top staring at him. Taunting him. He had shown up .. just before noon in order to pick up the file and suavely ask Amalea out to lunch. Except. She wasn't available. The girl at the desk shoved the sealed envelope at him and made him sign for it and said bye. He was in and out of there in less then two minutes. He never even opened it. It was Doc's family. Let Doc open it. This was how Doc found him, hunched over the keyboard angrily stabbing at it with his fingers. Doc smirked. Cyril was having a bad day. "Cyril.. " There was a hint of amusement in Doc's voice. Cyril didn't even bat an eye, he glared at the file and went back to typing. "Too much work makes Cyril a dull boy.. You need to relax some.."

From the look at the Cyril gave him, Doc decided he wouldn't push his buttons. He liked Cyril. He was reliable. Ethical. And best of all, he knew how to make money. Doc took the file off the corner of his desk, opened it, and started reading it. His relaxed stance seemed to straighten. His brow furrowed. He looked at the file. Flipping the page over. Where was the name?

Amalea: Amalea still hadn’t decided what to do about Cyril when she had arrived at work the next morning. On one hand, it was just lunch. On the other, it was lunch with a viable business associate. A business lunch would be no issue, but she was pretty certain this wasn’t strictly business. She also didn’t want to completely snub him for the same reason. The red-head had to seriously wonder how she kept finding herself in seemingly impossible situations. She had at least 3 hours before he could conceivably show up so she’d have plenty of time to come up with something. The file had been prepared last night, after his phone call, though she had removed the person’s picture and name. It wasn’t exactly standard protocol for Sanguine, but this wasn’t precisely a typical case involving researchers. Sanguine would act as intermediary for the two parties to connect the first time given the type of case.

It was a couple hours past acceptable lunchtime when Amalea finally returned to her office. Her dilemma with Cyril had been decided by the arrival of her Legal department declaring she was needed for an emergency meeting with the city over some paperwork for Crimson Delights. It wasn’t the idea situation, but at least it gave her more time to think. “Hey Rei,” she greeted her assistant,” Did the gentleman from Genesis pick up that file?”

“Why didn’t you tell him he was a looker?” She decided to take that as a yes as the woman continued to babble, “Told him it was an emergency or you would have called…didn’t seem thrilled.” The red-head shook her head as she walked off, leaving Rei to talk to herself. She needed to check on her emails and messages to see what other catastrophes had occurred while she was occupied.

Doc: Cyril's ill mood was forgotten, as Doc went from skimming to reading, no, studying the file in his hands. There was a match alright. But it wasn't a mitochondrial match it was Loci marker match. He shut the file and leaned back in the seat. He stared at nothing as the implications from the file hit him. The Phoenix file had a match alright. But it wasn't through a mother daughter match. It was a sibling to sibling match through the father. He rubbed his jaw absently. Then he opened the file and reread it.

Doc's stunned silence had not gone unnoticed by Cyril. The ordinary file that Doc was doing for a favor for a family member? Well Cyril could tell it wasn't the expected news that he had easily blown off a few weeks ago. "Good news?" Cyril asked slyly. It might mean, but it was somewhat justified in Cyril's mind that Doc have just as shitty night as he was having.

Hearing Cyril's question, Doc pinned his gaze on Cyril. "I thought you requested the full file? There is no name here. What is the ******* point of a matching file if there is no ******* name?"

"Hey! Don't kill the messenger! You broke the seal. I haven't even looked at it. You said it was personal. And I left it at that. I pulled Troy off the case.. .and he wasn't happy. So If Sanguine didn't come across with the details.. take it up with them." His voice got petty, "You have been camping with her.. it shouldn't be that hard for you to get what you need..."

Doc gave him a narrow eyed glare, as he reached for the phone to dial Sanguine's Offices. Cyril smirked, "Have you noticed the time.. you think anyone is going to be there this late?" Doc gave Cyril a middle finger as he listened the phone ring.

Amalea: It seemed as though her office had exploded while she was gone for a mere few hours. Hours had been spent sifting through her email and replying to each as required. The red-head had only paused in her task when Rei appeared with Chinese take-out as some dinner. “Heard you didn’t get lunch either, boss. You’re working too hard for a woman that just returned from vacation.”

Amalea glared at her assistant as she took the offered bag. “Not my fault the city chose today to question every little detail of a plan they’ve had for months.” She indicated her screen as she laid the containers out on the desk, “Seems the company also blew up while I was in that meeting.”

“At least the building is still standing,” Rei reminded her. The red-head gave the woman a look. “Alright, alright. I won’t jinx it. I was on my way out anyway. You go home at a decent hour, woman. Getting sick isn’t an option.”

“I’ll go as soon as I get this sorted out. And thanks for dinner.” And she was talking to herself given the woman had already left. Shaking her head, she decided to dig into the food as she finished up the last few emails. She had just taken a bite when her phone decided to ring, which, given her day was just her luck. Picking the receiver up, she tried to chew quickly, hoping she sounded normal, “Amalea.”

Doc: Doc relaxed a bit as soon as he heard Amalea answer, and not the answering machine that Cyril made him think he would get. He glanced at his watch, it was rather late for her to still be working, "It's Doc.. " He paused, "Why are you still working? Do you know how late it is?" He didn't give her time to answer. "But I am glad I got you. The Sanguine file that Genesis Labs requested.. it came without identification. Yes it shows the match. However, it really doesn't do me any good, without a name." Another brief pause, "Is there a problem with the file?" he wouldn't tell Cyril, but Doc suspected that the identification could be hidden due to being locked by law enforcement. If the person involved was part of an ongoing investigation, that could possibly red flag it.

Amalea: Well, this was interesting. Doc rarely called her and always on her cellphone. "Hola!" She shook her head as she didn't get a chance to reply to his question. His real reason for calling was interesting especially given he had indicated he was stepping away from the business. Unless Cyril had forced him to call, after today, she wouldn't be surprised by that. "Yeah, I'm aware of the time," she laughed softly, "but things blew up while I was sitting in an emergency city meeting that was uncalled for." She paused for a moment trying to decide how best to explain, "There's no problem with the file; we do indeed have a name and even a picture for that particular one," she assured him. "We typically deal with researchers, not genetic matches. It's a strange situation for us since we're dealing with two real people rather than a scientific pursuit." Another pause as she decided if Doc was getting personally involved it had to be important. "I can get you the full file, with name and photo, tonight if you like. Otherwise, I can bring it over tomorrow."

Doc: Doc wanted the file right now. He wanted to see the name. See the face. Then hunt them down and see what they were like., find out what he could. See if he recognized them, or their mother. But... he also did not want to react hastily. He always ended up regretting something that he jumped into without stepping back. The Ball and Chain was an excellent example. He relaxed in his seat once more, "Tomorrow is fine." He paused, he was almost tempted to tell her the full story, after al she and Nix were tight. She might even manage to coax her back. But .. Doc slid a glance across the desk, not with Cyril here to hear. "I will be honest, I was afraid it was tied up due to some sort of legal action. Which would have really put a kink in things for me." He watched Cyril as he spoke, he knew Cyril was trying hard not to look like he was listening.. but he clearly was. "But since that isn't the case. I can wait." His gaze never left Cyril's profile. "So no need to bring it to the Lab. I can meet you somewhere. The file is actually for me.."

Amalea: Amalea stared at the phone for a moment, glad no one else was around at the moment to see her puzzled look. What on earth was going on? "Oh lord, nothing like that. We don't tend to work with law enforcement... just researchers." She shook her head at nothing, "If you're sure it can wait, I can meet you wherever you'd like." She just hoped he picked a uncrowded place with the way things were going. There really was no predicting what would happen.

Doc: "What if I meet you at the Voodoo? After your get off work?" He lifted an eyebrow as he saw Cyril's reaction to his invitation. So he had to add, "It is like our.. usual spot.. right?" Cyril typo'd and cursed. Doc smirked and waited for Amalea's confirmation or counter offer.

Amalea: She silently laughed as read between the lines. Something told her that there was more going on at the other end than she knew. She had her suspicions but she'd get the story later. "Voodoo is fine. And yes, I guess you could say it is. Though I'd say Yin is a close second." She checked her calendar, "Pretty free tomorrow, so whenever is convenient to you."

Doc: "Then.. Seven at the Voodoo it is! I am looking to seeing you. Also.. we can discuss any ideas you have about the idea I proposed there a few weeks ago. I have set up a meeting at the Voodoo in middle of July.. for roundtable discussion/townhall meeting thing; you know to get input. And you point of view will be quite important."

Amalea: She added the meeting to her calendar and marked it as important so no one else attempted to schedule anything on her. "Seven is great. Oh that's awesome news. I'm still happy to help out with that! It sounds like you've made progress and I think I have some ideas that might help."

Doc: "Good.. I will see you then.. " Doc disconnected and gave Cyril a pleasant smile. "She's meeting me tomorrow at seven." He told him, as though Cyril hadn't overheard the whole thing. "So I guess it all worked out after all, right?" Doc rose and sauntered out, as Cyril made a face, and mimicked 'I guess it all worked out after all..'

===========
Following Night
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Doc: Doc headed into the basement of the Voodoo. He was later than he intended. Something had come up. It was a smaller crowd than he expected, as he moved across the room toward the bar.

Amalea: Amalea had been running a bit behind as she had changed from her usual work attire into something a bit more suitable for a nice night out. After last night's conversation, she figured a bit more effort was called for though she still wanted that story. Descending the stairs, she was glad to see Doc had already arrived and the place a bit empty. "Hey stranger," she smiled as she approached the bar.

Doc: Doc gave Amalea a lopsided grin. "There you are.. I thought maybe I missed you.. I got help up." He gave her an appreciative look, "You look nice.. that for me?"

Amalea: Amalea shook her head, "I would have waited, but it took me longer to get ready than I planned." Blushing, she nodded slightly, "Thought it'd be nice." Laughing softly, she continued with a sly smile, "Plus it sounded like you had an eavesdropper last night that you might want to torture again later." (( Outfit ))

Doc: Doc figured it most likely wasn't but he couldn't help it. It was begging to be said. And as much as they had talked lately, she had not divulged any name or even hint of a significant other. So he felt he had to at least devil her a little bit. It was clear she wasn't even remotely interested in him, so it was surprising when she admitted it was. His lopsided grin became a full fledged smile. "I am honored.. " He pulled out a chair for her, "I did. Cyril was eavesdropping. He tried to pretend otherwise.. but he didn't fool me." He pulled out his cell and snapped a photo of her, "Proof for Cyril.."

Amalea: It was certainly nice to have an occasion where she could dress up; it wasn't like she had someone special to impress. One of the reasons she missed her job at the Necro was that it allowed her the chance to wear the things she loved. She liked her jeans and tees but they had their place just as her dresses did. She smiled as she slid into the offered chair, "Thank you." Laughing, she waited till the flash had gone off before she shook her head, "Oh dear. My assistant said he didn't seem pleased I wasn't able to meet him. That should drive him crazy, I'd imagine."

Doc: After helping her get seated, Doc sat across from her, resting his arms on the table, linking his fingers together easily. "Cyril might have a bit of a crush on you.. at least that is what Troy said. But Troy does like to make things bigger than they really are." He smirked, "Like this case, we are here about... He had it all in his mind that it was a major court case, and he was going to break something wide open. He was sorely disappointed when I told him it was personal thing.. and pulled him off of it."

Ariadne: Ariadne managed to sail down the stairs, albeit slightly awkwardly, and landed on the back of a chair, giving a soft hoot.

Amalea: Her mind ran in a million directions though she settled for taking things one at a time for the moment. Baby steps, Lea, baby steps. "Sounds right, honestly. He tripped all over himself yesterday when he called and then tried way too hard to make small talk. A lot of interest in camping, suddenly." She shook her head in quiet amusement, "I really can't see him out in the woods with a tent." She'd have to deal with Cyril at a later time, her curiosity had latched on to Doc's last statement. "Poor Troy. He's certainly a go-getter that could turn into an amazing employee down the line. Though, his imagination is a bit grand so I bet he was pretty disappointed." Prying wasn't her thing and it felt safer to let him lead that conversation."

Doc: "Oh he was disappointed. He saw himself center stage in court detailing how he broke the case." Doc smirked, "He even had a lawyer draw up an agreement for his 'story' in case Hollywood was interested in making a movie about it." He chuckled, "He even had a clause for merchandising.. can you imagine.. Little Troy Bobble head dolls .. I do not think so." Doc didn't notice a file on her, "So did you bring the file?"

Amalea: Amalea could only stare as he detailed Troy's obsession with the case. Perhaps he was a bit too eager for his position and would be better off in film. "Has he ever considered a career in something creative like writing or film?" She shook her head, "He seems suited for that with his imagination." Troy bobble heads? The red-head had never met the guy, but she certainly couldn't picture a lab rat bobble-head. "Me neither," she agreed, as she gave him a look; of course she had brought the file. A hand slipped into her bag to withdraw the requested item, "I wouldn't have dreamed of not doing so," she laughed lightly as she set it on the table in front of her.

Doc: Doc reached for the file. He barely resisted the urge to open it right then and there and see what it said. It would be rude. She got all dressed up, and how would that make her feel that he completely blew her off for a piece of paper? Normally he wouldn't care, if it had been anyone else, he would have opened it right then, but he always had a thing for her. He didn't know why, she was never more than polite to him. He picked up the file, folded it, and stuck it in his inside jacket pocket. "So what was the reason behind, holding back part of it? What type of protocol is that?"

Amalea: Amalea wasn't surprised to see the file slide across the table almost as soon as it came to rest. It didn't bother her in the least though she was a bit amazed that he didn't open it immediately like most people would have. Then again, he had said it was personal, so she supposed that could explain it. The question was sound, she had to admit. "One we're going to have to work on," she shook her head. "This is the first time we're had a sample end up with a genetic match. The rest of our partners are hospitals or research facilities. Hospitals only ask for info if there's an issue with a blood product they receive and researchers usually ask for info to set up a study. For those, we initially contact the donors and once they confirm interest, then the file is sent to the researcher."

Doc: Doc nodded. Made sense. But he could not help but wonder. He lifted his left eyebrow slightly, "That is good to know.. because I was almost thinking you didn't trust me. " Knowing how serious Amalea took her job, he was sure that there was copious amounts of notes detailing the release of the information in that file. Perhaps that was her subtle way of saying, 'keep your hands to yourself, no killing this one'. If only she knew. He gave her a cheeky grin. "You do trust me .. right?"

Mortll: Mortll walked down the stairs of the Voodoo basement It had been a long week and she had just thrown on some jeans and a shirt pulling her long dark hair back into a pony tail. Tonight was supposed to be work free she had stopped by the Voodoo to pick up a bottle and head back to her apartment and curl up in front of the fire place. She was half suprised to see people there even if it was just a few it had been pretty quiet lately Even more surprised that it was Doc she had not known he was back from his trip yet. It was a good sign that he wasnt avoiding her at least she thought as she walked over to the table where he sat with Amalea . "Hello Amalea ... Charles ." ((Outfit))

Amalea: Amalea couldn't help to wonder if she was babbling again. It wouldn't surprise her given it one of the odd little ways she tended to express her nervous energy, which was certainly high tonight. Her head shook as she chuckled, "Oh dear, that certainly wasn't the reason." If she had known the file was for a personal project, he would have had it the night Troy had contacted her. "Yes, I trust you ...implicitly." She nearly jumped in her seat with Mortll's arrival not having seen the woman come in, "Evening, Mortll."

Doc: Doc grimaced and gave Amalea a surreptitious look of warning. She called him Charles. She never called him Charles. She must be regretting what she said the last time he saw her. He would play it cool. Act like it never happened. If he was lucky, he might get out of here without bloodshed. Formally he acknowledged Mortll. "Good evening.." He stood and pulled out a chair for Mortll, "Join us.."

Mortll: Mortll smiled and sat "You look nice tonight Amalea if i was a full time lesbian id ask you out for drinks ..." she winked at the other woman. She was only half kidding. "How was Italy Doc ?"

Amalea: Amalea smiled as she wondered what on earth she had done to have two completely different people indicate their interest. Mortll, she was pretty sure was joking... maybe; she wasn't entirely sure on that. "Thank you," she laughed softly, "you don't look half bad yourself." Italy? That was news to her as she hadn't even known he had gone on a trip.

Doc: Doc reseated himself, and gave Amalea a wide eyed look. What the ****? Was Amalea a lesbian? And he never knew? No wonder she never gave him the time of day. Then Amalea smiled and returned Mortll's compliment. **** me. Doc looked between Mortll and Amalea, and then finally noticed the Owl. Oh yea.. the stars were all aligned.. just right.. and he was the target. His tone was rather absent, as he nodded, "Italy was great.. "

Ariadne: Ariadne blinked... slowly, and groomed the feathers on her left wing.

Amalea: The red-head caught that look and nearly burst out laughing. She certainly was not a 'full time lesbian' as Mortll had put it. Frankly, she had no concern with a person's gender as it was their personality she was drawn towards. She gave him a look with a short shake of her head. Later, she'd had to set him straight if he didn't 'get it' from that look. It could explain some things. Hell, at this rate, she had a suspicion she was going to have a lot of explaining to do. "Great is good, I think?"

Doc: Doc grinned, and then somewhat laughed to himself. All this time, years really, he thought Amalea just completely didn't like him. And it turned out she was a Lesbian all that time. It wasn't him after all. She just didn't swing that way. He gave both Mortll and Amalea a grin. This explained so much. He had seen her shake.. that she wasnt into Mortll.. but he was rather relieved. "Great is awesome.. " He relaxed back in his seat. He felt much better now.

Mortll: "Did you find anything interesting ?" She aimed towards Doc She wasn’t sure what she had interrupted but her arrival seemed to have changed the conversation then she noticed the Owl perched on the back of the chair " Ummm Not sure who you are but if you could assume a more human like form its unlikely a health inspector will ask to come down here but since the Masquerade is broken i have been expecting something of the sort. So if you could Please i would appreciate it ... or am i going to have to call animal control because i have a actual owl that has gotten in the place somehow ?"

Amalea: "I'm glad you had a great trip," she smiled, glad he seemed to relax a bit. Only when Mortll mentioned the presence of an owl did Lea actually realize that they hadn't been as alone as she thought. Curiously, she waited for the answers to both of the woman's questions.

Ariadne: Ariadne ruffled her feathers in a miffed fashion, shedding a few on the chair. She quickly hopped to the floor and obliged the request, the rest of her feathers transforming into her normal form. ((Clothed, btw.))

Doc: "Yes.. Yes we did find some interesting things. It was educational. And .. it was really quite lovely there. I never knew what was meant by 'olde world charm', now.. I do. It isnt an easy thing to put into words.." He winked at Ariadne, Good evening Ari.."

Mortll: "Thank you and Welcome Ariadne I love that dress ..." She smiled at Doc " I have been meaning to go but since that paladin mess Italy is too risky for me too much of the Catholic church and those idiots originate from there... I’ve always wanted to personally go and find some of the old world roses that grown in the gardens there "

Ariadne: Ariadne plucked a feather out of her hair and smiled. "Good evening, Doc. Mortll. Amalea."

Amalea: "Evening, Ari," she smiled as she greeted the other woman. She was content to quietly listen to the discussion about the old world. It was interesting even if she wasn't completely sure what had spurred the trip in the first place.

Doc: Doc eyed Mortll and Amalea, personally he couldn't see it.. and Amalea didn't have the jones to go there, but.. stranger things have been known to happen. "I can honestly say that I didn't pay attention to the flora and fauna there. My time was spent in research. However, still very educational. And I wouldn't mind going back.. But I think I am needed here for now."

Kaelyn: Kaelyn hopped down the stairs, her blonde curls bouncing as she did so. She made her way over to her Papi and pushed a smooch to his cheek...even if he was in the middle of something.

Amalea: Amalea raised an eyebrow at Doc, wondering what he was thinking. Rather than go there, she just stuck to asking a simple question. "How is that project going?" Finally, a safe topic, the red-head thought. Or rather, safe to discuss; the actual execution was likely to be a bit dodgier.

Doc: Doc mussed Chub's curls as he nodded at Amalea, "I have gotten some feed back.. most of it has been positive.. but some has taken the point that we.. should let the humans act on their own without our instigation. That is not my preference.. but I am curious as to the other thoughts that are out there. I am firmly of the mind that we need protections under the law as a group."

Kaelyn: Kaelyn accepted the mussing and then took a seat, listening. Sounded like politics. That wasn't a fun conversation.

Ariadne: Ariadne took a seat and fiddled with her owl feathers

Mortll: Mortll grinned " You know if half of them knew how we protected them ... but that would be a huge mistake to even let out there ... Amalea here is a hell of a fighter " she winked at the woman

Mordechai: Mordechai continued to sit cloaked in the shadows listening to the conversations

Amalea: "Evening, Kaelyn," Amalea absently greeted the new arrival. Her mind was occupied digesting the feedback Doc had gotten. She wasn't so sure about the idea that humans should be left alone; one wrong instance could turn the situation nasty real fast. Vampires would be left to play the defensive position rather than meeting them as "equals". Sighing softly, she rolled her eyes at Mortll's statement. "They shouldn't find out just how protected or different vampires are. Humans naturally tend to fear those who are different from themselves. Waiting till there's a situation means negotiating is done from a disadvantaged position which rarely works out well. Honestly, the best bet is to approach before there's problems, before they become fully aware and start focusing on those differences. But to approach them as equals by essentially giving them a very watered down version of what it means to be vampire."