When In Italy

[Elizabeth]

Doc almost seemed to be confused at what Elizabeth was asking, until he mentioned losing. Her brow rose, hinting at Elizabeth's skepticism on the matter, as she listened to what Charles had to say. She had tried her hardest to pack the least amount of things she could, because that was what their bet was about, wasn't it? Even if she more or less 'cheated' when ordering clothing to be ready for their arrival for her. The woman on the phone had been a little hesitant on attempting the request, given Elizabeth would not see the garments until they were finished and sizing was so crucial, but after repeatedly assuring the woman that she was more then familiar with a measuring tape, the woman finally agreed. Reminding Elizabeth that all sales were final. Still 'cheating' she was not willing to openly share; Charles would find out soon enough when they eventually made their way to the hotel. Still, it begged to question just what was he going to wear these next two weeks or so? Knowing Charles, Elizabeth had no doubt that he too had something up his sleeve that had yet to be revealed. Maybe a luggage that had arrived before they did, or after?

Skepticism was replaced with intrigue as Charles explained his thoughts about Italy and their fashion sense. And once again complimented her. Elizabeth parted her lips, and tilted her head to the left a little. “And there is that charm again. One should be careful...” Elizabeth warned Doc teasingly before her eyes dropped from his eyes, to his lips. “I may simply not know what to do with myself at this rate.” The blonde haired Telepath laughed softly, before there was that hint of skepticism in her eyes again that raised their way back to Doc's eyes.

“It is that easy, hmm?” She asked as the plane started to descend towards the airport. “Everyone here? All...twenty or so of them in this area?” Elizabeth was amused at the thought, but was well aware how difficult it was to bring anything on board that seemed to be a potential weapon. “I do not discredit your...abilities, but the odds are slightly against us.” Elizabeth admitted, knowing that even if they were successful in this cabin area, there was a whole other cabin area that might be alerted to anything suspicious or hostile in and around them. The co-pilot came on and thanked everyone for flying with them as they continued to descend, mentioned some credit card offer that gave triple points until August 1st, and wished everyone a pleasant time, no matter where their final destination was.

[Doc]

Grinning, he leaned his head toward her and whispered, “We don’t take them out here.. We surveil, watch, and plan. Then one night, when we are bored or annoyed, we draw a lucky name out of a hat. We find the owner of that lucky name, we inform them, they have just won life’s jackpot, which consists of them being on the receiving end of a blade, bullet, or mortal neck injury.” He leaned back in his seat, as the wheels hit the tarmac. “I understand Italy is suffering from horrible attacks on tourist this season. Something about open borders and refugees.” He gave her an innocent look.

The next twenty minutes consisted of collecting their carry on luggage, deplaning and Doc surveying the faces of those that deplaned around them. He may have made it sound like an amusing jest, but one never knew when the situation would arise that called for him working off some irritation. They followed with the crowd, which were mostly tourists that were all trying to find their way to baggage claim. Even though they had carried their luggage on, they needed the taxi stand area, which was conveniently by baggage claim. As Doc held the door to the waiting taxies for Lizzie, he glanced back at the two he had selected and smiled to himself, before following Lizzie out.

It was only after Lizzie and Doc was in a taxi and headed to their hotel, did Doc attempt conversation again. “Tomorrow.. Have you made plans? If not.. I have an appointment at Canali’s and Ermenegildo Zegna’s for measurements, and you have one at Fausto Puglisi’s. After hours, for more personalized attention. If you have plans, I will need to call and cancel.”

[Elizabeth]

She listened, amused at the thought process of Doc and just what he might do, if he needed to do it. Elizabeth could hardly judge, after all...hadn't she left a woman in her own blood back at the bookstore in Germany? The thought had her glancing down to the smear of blood on the orange part of her dress, before her attention shifted to those departing the plane. It was night, and while she was keen on getting to the hotel that Doc had chosen, they had no reason to be in a hurry as they had been while in Germany. Time was actually on their side tonight.

Elizabeth was not oblivious to the luggage Charles had claimed on their way out, the woman giving him a simple raise of both her brows in amusement. If she had waited until they got to the hotel, judging by what she had ordered and expected to be at the hotel and his three bags, Elizabeth was almost certain she would have won the bet. A lesson learned with Doc.

When he sat next to her, Elizabeth glanced in his direction as he asked if she were busy tomorrow. There were a few things that she had planned, some more important than others; such as figuring out where she was going to safely get blood. Elizabeth was not adverse to killing anything, but too many bodies in a specific time frame or area could be problematic. So, other solutions were going to have to be made. But, nothing the blonde haired telepath could not handle with an hour or two of research. “Nothing that I can not shift around to accommodate anything pre-planned.” She informed him with a smile as she took in the rest of what he had said. She had never heard the name of person, or place he was referring to, but given his word drop of 'measurements,' it did not take Elizabeth long to put two and two together. The taxi started slowly pulling off, waiting for one of them to indicate where they needed to go. “Apologies, Hotel Santa Caterina, please.” The driver nodded his head in familiarity, then moved to the farthest lane from the airport sidewalk. “Thank you for taking care of that...you will have to ensure I receive your bill.” She had not forgotten the wager, loser, which was her, had to pay for the winner's (his) clothing bill. “Anything specific I should ask for, or is it lady's choice?” Her attention fluttered off of the scenery before them, to besides her where Doc was sitting.

[Doc]

“My dear Lizzie, .. it is lady’s choice, always. We males are here on this Earth, to do nothing more than than ensure our lady’s pleasure.” Doc winked at her. “Some of us.. Namely myself, do struggle with this. Females are not so easily understood. Including yourself,” Doc gestured airily, “though I find it more than enjoyable,” His look was sincere, “to attempt to untangle and win at the puzzle.”

Doc wanted to tell her, he wasn’t going to hold her to the bet. But he had learned enough about her, to know that Lizzie would take offence if he told her this. He smiled to himself as he slid a look her way. There was only one thing to do, he had to double the bet; and make sure he lost. The smile though for his his thoughts, worked to his advantage as he added, “However.. More dresses like the one you wore to the museum.. Wouldn’t go amiss.” His voice drifted off as his thoughts went back to the encounter on the plane, and had she been wearing that dress.. Well.. He smiled to himself.

It was as he was thinking back to all their previous meetings, it dawned on him, he had never seen her in slacks. “Though a a couple of pairs of jeans wouldn’t go amiss. Since we will be trudging in the underground..” he glanced at the driver, before adding, “On that tour in Turin. Hopefully we can find some wellies without too much trouble.”

Suddenly he grimaced, “And Lizzie.. Do not let me forget. I have get trinkets for the Spawns. To be honest, I have not the first clue what one gets on holiday for others.” He sighed and gave her a sheepish look. “Last time that I actually remembered.. It was in the airport on the way home. The neck pillows were not well received. I personally thought they were ******* awesome. They could be used on the transits.. But no. Minx smiled and said it was great, but the next time I was at her place.. The dog was wearing it. In fairness the dog seemed to love it. Though it caused his cape to bunch in an odd manner…”

[Elizabeth]

There were a few things that Elizabeth was starting to pick up about her traveling companion. The words 'my dear' were usually put together in a sentence when Doc was attempting to prove something that he fully believed to be true. It may be true, she was not disregarding the claims behind his statements, just making observations about him. In this case, she tended to agree with him, usually. She offered a stiff smile and a nod as her thoughts temporarily drifted before he mentioned the words win and puzzle. “The thing about puzzles, Charles” Elizabeth took a breath in and scooted a little closer to lower her voice. “Is that once you have put all the pieces together, there is nothing left to figure out as all the pieces are in place. It comes to an end at some point, and that ending may be exactly what you were hoping for, or not..” Elizabeth's blue hues remained steadfast upon his face as she continued, her left index finger finding the farthest side of his chin to keep their gaze intact. “Games, however...can go on forever. Rules can be changed, variables added or removed...games are where the real fun is to be had.”

The suggestion about a type of dress did not go amiss and she tipped her head away from him to nod, indicating she had heard his request, but since it was lady's choice...he just might not get what it was he was asking for. “Perhaps, if one had a reason to wear such a thing again...it could happen.” Insurance that if Doc wanted to see her in that sort of dress again, then he would have to find a reason to get her in it. All part of the never ending game. The finger on his face dropped at the mention of jeans, her nose wrinkling even a little bit. Elizabeth had no idea what 'wellies' were, but she couldn't imagine something that sounded so...masculine looking anything like the shoes she normally wore. She would have to find a compromise somewhere with both the jeans and the 'wellies.'

The subject was changed right before the taxi took a turn and Elizabeth retained as much as she could from the conversation. She had never seen a neck pillow, or if she had, she had never paid it any mind. And while she knew about the name 'Minx' she had never met the woman, or any of his 'spawns.' Shopping for strangers were not her forte, but they couldn't hate the suggestions any more than they apparently hated the neck pillows that a dog ended up wearing, along side a...cape? Elizabeth hoped that if the dog was wearing a cape, that he also had a top hat to go with it, because that was what one wore with a cape, at least that was what she recalled around the seventeen hundreds. She pressed her lips into a thin line to keep from laughing, imagining a wolfhound in a cape and top hat, given the dogs her family owned when she was a child. “I am certain before our trip is finished that we will find something suitable for your spawns.” She assured Doc, though that would require a fair bit of effort on both their parts, given he would have to tell her things about his spawn and she would have to decipher between his opinions and what was factual.

[Doc]

A couple of hours later, the cab dropped them off at their hotel. Doc allowed Lizzie to check in first, as he waited patiently with the luggage. While he was waiting, he took the opportunity to check the messages and emails from his phone. It was as he was reading an email from Cyril, that he was interrupted.

“Doctor Nilson.” An attractive Italian female about twenty five years of age stood in front of him smiling politely.

Doc looked at her. He didn’t know her and he had only told Cyril his destination. So how she knew his name, and that he would be here, at this hotel, at this precise time, put him on edge. He said nothing to her, merely returned her look.

“You are Dr. Charles Nilson. I have your photograph.” She held out a cell phone to him, with a gentle but knowing smile. “Someone wishes to speak to you.”

Eyes narrowed, lips compressed into a thin line, he took the phone, and pointed across the lobby.

The female glanced over and then back at him.

“Go.” It was said in a sharp curt tone, that brooked no question.

She sniffed in annoyance, and crossed the lobby.

Only after the woman was across the room, did he answer the phone. And he only said one word. “What.”

The voice on the end end chuckled, “Doc.. my old friend. You sound so grumpy. But you have traveled so far, it is understandable yes.”

Doc made no reply. The voice on the other end, “Ah my friend, do not be like this. I have a very simple job for you. One afternoon, and in return, I give you Sophia for the length of your stay. She will do whatever you want. You need something, she will get it. Nothing is too big or too small. I just need you to do one little job. Yes?”

“I dislike being blindsided Sergio. I dislike it a lot.” His was flat, with an edge of animosity.

“Yes yes.. I know.. I know.. You must forgive me. I can trust no one else. You will do this for me.. Yes? Old friend?”

Doc did not reply.

“Doc.. alright I see I have handled this badly. To make up for this breech of protocol.. I give you this bit of information. You are on that the International Watch list my friend.”

Doc’s jaw clenched, “Am I?”

“Indeed yes. As you know .. in my business, I must be careful. So when I see my old Friend’s name being flagged on a watch list, of course I am curious. But then again.. I see how fate has stepped in, to help me out. I realize this was meant to be.”

“She has the details?”

“Yes.. she has the file and will procure anything you need.”

“Fine.” doc disconnected the call, then curled a finger at the female to get her to come back over.

The female wore a smile, and was pulling a manilla envelope out of her shoulder bag as she walked. Once she reached him, she held it out to him.

Doc took the envelope. “Be back in three hours.”

She frowned at him in confusion, then smiled in a condescending manner. “You have travelled all day and it is late. I will return in the morning. My phone please..” she held out her hand for the phone.

“You will be back here in three hours .. or he can find someone else to do his ******* job. And I am keeping the phone.” He voice was cold.

“But that is ...my phone. I will get you another one.”

“Do you want me to call him back and tell him you are already being difficult?”

The smug confident look the female wore, faltered ever so slightly. “It is no big thing. You want the phone. You keep phone. I do not care. I will be here in three hours. You will see.” She turned on her heel and stalked out.

He watched her leave, and then turned back toward the front desk, to see if Lizzie had completed her check in.

[Elizabeth]

After Elizabeth had acquired her set of room keys, she leaned forward and placed her right elbow on the counter top so her chin could find a resting place in her palm. “One more thing...I believe you have some boxes waiting for me...five, I believe?” Elizabeth asked the desk clerk, blue eyes on the guy as his eyes flickered at the reference of the boxes. He turned to look at the shelf behind him, then pointed to the aqua coloured boxes with white bows wrapped around them, in an attempt to secure the contents in the boxes. “Thank you. May someone bring them to my room later In an hour or so?” Elizabeth inquired as she dropped her elbow off the counter and took a step back, oblivious for the moment on anything going on with Doc. That was, until Elizabeth turned to look towards him and noticed the woman walking away from him and out of the hotel's front door.

While it intrigued Elizabeth, it was not her business, so she returned her attention to the guy who was giving her information about some local tourist attractions and offering to call her a cab should she ever need it. There was also a suggestion of a local winery about fifteen minutes away, if she was a woman of refined taste. The best in Italy, the clerk proclaimed. He pointed to a small rack of brochures, then informed her that he would have someone bring the boxes to her room in about an hour. “Many thanks.” Elizabeth said with a polite dip of her head, before she moved towards Charles. “To save both you and him time, there are brochures of tourist attractions over there...” Elizabeth pointed to the small rack of them, before shifting her attention towards the long corridor she had been pointed to by the desk clerk. “My room is ready, would you like me to wait for you?” Elizabeth asked as her eyes briefly glanced down to the envelope in Doc's hands. “There is a winery not far from here as well. I may venture that way this evening. If any of your..spawn can enjoy an Italian wine, do let me know. She shared, before Elizabeth's eyes flicked upwards, her loud enough for the desk clerk to hear her, so to save them all time and to avoid Doc hearing the same thing over again, if he had before.

[Doc]

Doc gave Lizzie a polite professional smile and nodded at her comments about the winery. He was annoyed. Thankfully Lizzie recognized it, because she overlooked it completely and dryly told him about the local winery.

Stepping up to the counted, he held up a hand. “Check me in.. and shut the **** up.” Any niceties he had for Lizzie, he did not have for the person behind the counter. Mentally he counted as he was given his keycard and check in information in astonishing speed. Giving over the credit card for any ancillary expenses, he waited with ill grace while the person at the counter scribbled hastily and all but threw his card back to him. Collecting his card, and his room keycard, he moved back to Lizzie’s side.

“Unfortunately I will be unable to tour the winery with you this evening. It appears I have other business to take care of.”

The look he received from Lizzie, made him pause, and give her a briefing. He knew he didn’t have to tell her. But he wanted no ill feelings. His voice low for her ears only, “Apparently I am the international watch list. So certain people of my acquaintance know I am here. They have markers that they are .. calling in.”

The envelope still tucked under his arm had not been opened yet. He wasn’t going to open it yet either. He handed Lizzie the girl’s phone. “If you need a phone..” he shrugged absently, “It wont trace back to us, for the next few days. If you need to make .. any .. confidential calls.”

Doc looked at Lizzie. “It is only fair you should know, I have a dual purpose for being here.” His eyes harden, “Although now it appears I have .. three reasons… now.” His upper lip curled into a subconscious sneer. “If I disappear, do not wait for me. I don’t want to drag you into this. Hopefully it wont come to that.” He paused, and gave her genuine look, “I am sorry. I had no idea this would happen.”

[Elizabeth]

Elizabeth waited patiently for Doc to check in and when he excused himself from the winery tour, she only nodded her head. Elizabeth was not surprised given the mysterious woman, and so all she offered was a smile of understanding. That was, until Doc went on to explain himself. "I see." Elizabeth said as she looked down at the offered phone, but did not take it. "Us, is it? And here I thought they were after you and that you, alone were going to take care of your problem." Elizabeth glanced to the man behind the counter, and the person that had just left the elevator and was making their way out of the hotel.

"The only thing one needs to be sorry about is your reaction to the predicament. One may think they are being chivalrous, but one could not be more insulting, Charles. You have no qualms offering your assistance in my problems, but when an opportunity presents itself in reverse, you feel as if it is your sole responsibility to take on the world. If you think that I am unable to assist, because you think me some fragile little trinket that is better kept upon a shelf, then I will correct you of such an assumption now. You would be sorely mistaken to believe that I am incapable or unable to assist thee, take care of myself, or that I am some breakable knickknack. It is best you remember that, and remember that you have do have an ally in Italy." Elizabeth collected her bag and rolled it to the counter and offered the man behind it a smile. "I will be needing a taxi for the winery tour, in about an hour. Would one be able to procure me a taxi..." ELizabeth's eyes shifted to his name tag for a brief second, finally interested in his name.

"Dante? What a wonderful name. I knew a Dante once..." She trailed off to give Doc a glance. "Keep the phone. I have a feeling you will be needing it more than I will." Her attention shifted as Dante as he offered to be her taxi guide, if she could wait an hour and a half. "Of course. I would be most delighted." Elizabeth dipped her head in his direction, then made a move to head to her room, but paused. "I will be needing those boxes sooner than later, then." Elizabeth's eyes moved to her boxes, then to him as he nodded his head. "Do enjoy your evening, Charles." Elizabeth's steely gaze remained on him as she moved past him on her way to her hotel room to receive her boxes, shower and change for the winery tour.

[Doc]

“You either misunderstood, or did not think to remember that we arrived together Lizzie. Therefore, that makes it an ‘Us’.” He said as she turned away, and headed to the taxi stand.

He stared after her. Was she really annoyed that he didn’t want to involve her with Sergio? He almost sent her a telepathic message that if she wanted to join in the fun, she was welcome. However, realistically, it was better for him and her, if she stayed out of it. He had yet to look in the file. He wasn't about to drag another person into a scenario he wasn’t prepared for.

Doc carried his luggage to his room, tossing it on the bed, and immediately forgetting it. He moved to the small table and opened the file. Expecting a target that needed to be silenced, he almost laughed when he saw what the file contained. There was a series of photographs of a male head. Top, front, both sides. All the photos were done to scale. Putting the photos to the side he started reading the male’s file.

As he finished studying the file, it was almost time for him meet back up with .. what was her name? Sophie? He grabbed the complimentary notepad from beside the phone. He started make a list. Each item on the list was specific with multiple options that the item needed to have. Flipping back to the photos. He flipped back and forth, and then added some more items to the list. Once he was satisfied with the list. He tidied the file, and tucked it under the mattress.

He grabbed the phone and keycard, and headed to the lobby. Entering the lobby he saw Sophia was there waiting for him. The ready smile she had worn the first time they met, was gone. He didn’t bother with a greeting. He held out the list to her. “I need these items. Not items ‘like’ them. But those specific items. I also need to see the location. I will need an assistant.”

Sophia was about to open her mouth, he forestalled, “Medical licensed assistant.”

Doc then looked at her. “The location.”

“What now? It’s almost 1am.”

“So?” He gave her annoyed looked. “There is a lot to be done and I have very little time to do it. Let’s go.”

An hour later they were at the location where a non descript set of cargo trailers were set up. Sophia, smiled, “You will not be disappointed. This mobile unit includes a, pre-op and recovery area, nurse's station, scrub area, operating room, a clean utility room, medical gas tank storage, and bathroom.” Her tone was smug, “It is all self-contained with integrated power, lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing. It even has fire suppression, and communications systems. It is supposed to head to the earthquake area in five days. The roads are not passable yet.

Doc walked through it,he nodded. He had done surgery in worse places. He nodded, said nothing, and got back into the car. After they arrived back at the hotel, before Doc exited. “One last thing for tonight. I need any information you can get me on Enzo Vaughn. I will expect to have the dossier by 6pm tomorrow. Understood?”