Path of the Vampire forum

"--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--"

Doc: Lucretia had sent him a mental photo of the female she had in mind to experiment on. What she wanted to do with the Blond, Doc had no clue, but he was happy to oblige. He felt he had found a kindred spirit in Lucretia, and he was more than willing to share with her his knowledge and tricks of the trade. Step one was procuring the Blond, whom Lucretia said seemed to staying about the hunting grounds. He had canvassed the area for a couple of days before he caught sight of her. Then he trailed the Blond from a far to see where she was headed. This was going to be easy. The blond had a campsite in wilderness. From the looks of it, it did not look as though there were multiple people that called the campsite home. That made things ever easier. There would be no bodies to have to clean up, in case someone missed her.

Doc waited until the moon was high in the night sky and melted into the shadows. The tent barely rippled as he slid inside. As he coalesced over her, she woke with a start. Her eyes flew open staring into his as syringe connected with her neck, and he pressed the plunger. She clawed at his face in a vain attempt for freedom, before the sedative took effect. He grinned as the scratches healed almost immediately. “Like shooting fish in a barrel.”

Pyper: The kill room haunted her dreams, what dreams she could remember once she abruptly startled into an upright position. The man made more appearances, lurking in the corners of her periphery. At the bend of a building, or split in half by the shadows speckling the ground like two dimensional, black veils of snow. At the moment he catches her - and he always manages to do that - that forceful vice hold on her bicep rips her out. Then she's wide awake. The Altaire had never seen his face, but the moonlight her subconscious was generous enough to begin to provide for her shed light on half of his lower jaw. He didn't shave, the facial hair thick and coarse. It's sandpaper. She's tried to push him away more than once. Before he could touch her. Noting the way her brain waves interrupted and manipulated, she practiced a couple of nights breaking into buildings and honing the skill with the guards. The police sought her out, open shot on sight. The last new nights she brought home wounds, and garments soaked with blood. She stitched, and dressed the wound to the best of her ability. It didn't show through the black scrubs, which she put on for the night's events. They were a size too big, rendering her the appearance of a small girl. Or exaggerating it. Her hands cradled her phone, they brought up Charles' name from the contacts. She began to text. [ P ] Can I come now?

Doc: Getting the Blond to the dwelling had been easy. He had the sewers memorised from his previous forays in abduction. The task had given him a rush. It had been just like old times when he collected specimens for his experiments. Only this time it was for Lucretia’s benefit. The Blond, now considered the ‘Specimen’ was secured to the gurney by its wrists and ankles. The Specimen ceased to be a living breathing human with thoughts and feelings of her own. Now it was merely a Specimen. He prepped the Specimen by removing it’s clothes. He tossed the cut up remnants of the clothing into the incinerator. He would need to show Lucretia how to use it. The remnants would be a nice test burn.

Doc: The Specimen remained unconscious from the sedative that was being pumped into it via the IV. A specimen was only as good as its health allowed them to be. The IV served a two-fold purpose. It kept the specimen hydrated as well as knocked out. The Specimen would be easy to bring around when the time came. He would mere administer a dose of amphetamine to counter the sedative. He began to set up and prepare the surgical trap with the various instruments that Lucretia may require. Then he heard from her. He smiled as he texted, *text* Yes. Everything is ready.

Pyper: The phone blared out an ominous cascade of baritones that made her ears peak and settle back into place. Something about those lower octaves that opened up a piece of her. It controls her, puppets her limbs into movements quite disturbingly dependent of what she's thinking they should be doing. Dancing on her own, was one of the things she derived enjoyment privately. If Ethan had stumbled onto his sire absorbed in a world of her own in the work room (he often times used the computer for his hacking endeavors), he had been courteous enough not to scrutinize his sire's quirky hobbies. Lucretia's eyes doubled over the reply and typed one back. [ P ] I will be there soon. - The word 'soon,' is a relatively loose term that Pyper adopted. *Soon could really mean at any time, to anyone. She had things needed to be done before she left. Her inspection of Ethan, for wounds. Eli hadn't been seen in weeks. So she compensated by being very diligent in caring for Ethan. Suffocatingly so. He proved to have not been home but inside of the work room, Charles' bone saw laid on the butcher's block. She should return it, she promised. Her palm folded over the rustic metal implement and it was then that she finally made her exit from her apartment. Then the Flats building, and into the sewers where she spent the better part of an hour locating the laboratory. She knocked with the rounded edge of the saw against the door. "Charles?" she whispered it more than called.

Doc: At the sound of the knock, Doc opened the door, “Lucretia.. welcome.” The words were said with genuine warmth. He stood back to allow her to enter. The entrance of the dwelling opened right into the main examination and dissection area. The Specimen was strapped to the gurney further into the room. He shut the door and secured it, after she entered.

Pyper: Her moccasins helped with a stealth factor she learned improved her breaking into buildings. It was the nerves that caused a ripple in her predictions of the guards' movements. Where they would go next. Her anxiety of being caught overstimulated her, which judging by the three gun shot wounds, was detrimental. "I brought, your saw back. I kept, forgetting before. I had, it a long time. Still, pristine. As it can." Once he's divided from the door, she held out the borrowed item, head partially turned away to look at the woman on the table. There wasn't a discernible expression written in the edges of her face.

Doc: "Thank you." He accepted the proffered instrument, then moved to a cabinet opening it and returning it to it's rightful place. "I was unsure, what instruments and tools you would need." He said as he closed the cabinet and gestured to the surgical tray. "I set up for a generic out-patient surgical procedure. If there is a specific tool your require that you do not see, I am sure I have it.. or something comparable in one of the cabinets." He allowed her some time to get used to surroundings.

Pyper: One other time had she set foot in the room, explored what if offered, the objects it possessed. She saw the dried blood, wondered if it would ever come off the walls, or the floor. Lucretia pictured whose hands they were, tried to reach deep into a void of nothing for something more. Some memory of them echoing in the space. She couldn't, but she didn't fully understand the very distinct things she was capable of. Trying never hurt. "A light bulb. Please." That trigger word she found out about the other night. That selected supernatural hold she could yield on the human mind, she didn't know whether it worked on vampires. If it did, she'd have to apologize and explain afterwards.

Doc: At her request of a light bulb, he paused for a few seconds. It was an odd request, but he complied. He opened the cabinet back up and reached to the top shelf where he stored the light weight items. Collecting a light bulb, he stepped toward her offering the object to her. His face wore a quizzical look. He had no idea what she had in mind. But knowing her unique view on things, it would be ‘enlightening’. His lips curved into an amused smirk at his silent pun. “Anything else?”

Pyper: All she had required for the trick she had promised - she remembered it only because of the lighting - and a quick back track over their texts. Then they were erased. She didn't want other people invading her privacy the same way she broke in theirs. "No, just the, bulb. Is she, awake?" A couple steps brought the human into better view. Ethan asked her through an e-mail why don't they aid in humankind anymore? Why don't they heal? Pyper didn't think - with their requirements to survive - that they should. They are the minority, they have to be the fittest to continue to just exist. The girl was pretty, in regards to Lucretia's opinion, an altered subgroup of what the word 'pretty,' meant to her. "She, has to hear me. I, want to show you, what I learned. For tonight."

Doc: “No.. not at the moment, but that can be rectified easily enough.” Doc moved to the surgical tray and picked up a syringe and a vial. He slid the needle into the rubber-topped vial and drew 10ccs into the syringe. Depressing the plunger to get rid of the air, he then injected the specimen in the neck with the syringe. He lifted his wrist and glanced his at watch. “Shouldn’t be too long. Couple of minutes at most. You may have coax it to open it’s eyes. Rub your knuckles on it’s chest. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, usually works.” He looked at Lucretia. “It’s not a ‘she’ anymore. It’s a specimen. A thing. An it.”

Pyper: Her smoothed out facial default pivoted at the neck and craned to face him in the most direct sense. The body stalled and delayed in following the repositioning of itself. She listened to him correct her, while twin rings the hue of sun off the side of a glacier dart from him to the woman and back. It wasn't a frantic roll, as if one will disappear or create too much room from the other. She took her time absorbing the scene. Then her mouth turned up, it formed a smile. Her first one since coming into the laboratory. It belied all of the excitement she had been feeling for the better part of the week. "Food," she added, coming to the edge of the gurney and tenderly kneading the muscles of the subject's face. Like her copies, she had to project a certain lifeless quality into it. It's a doll, like Renee's doll.

Doc: Doc slowly nodded and smiled in an approving manner, “Precisely.” He moved to the opposite side of the gurney to observe Lucretia as she felt and manipulated the specimen’s facial muscles. His hands were clasped behind his back. He didn’t wish to distract her by any subconscious movements he might had made, should his hands remained at his sides. He was quite curious to see this trick. To his mind, it probably wasn’t a ‘trick’, so much as a unique power that she could harness and use. The specimen’s eyelids began to twitch, showing that the drug was countering the sedation that he had kept it drugged with.

Pyper: Her voice softened, it lulled faint utterances into the ear when she hunched to put the suggestion to work. "You have to wake up." The fluttering began, the whites shuttering through. "I have, food." The light bulb turns at the metal fixture, thumbed in a rotation by her thumb. Her hands seemed steadier. Her focus was undivided from the specimen. The thing. The nothing. "You, have to, open your mouth." The invisible snake of her conscious tore out of her cranium - unseen - and bore into the hazy web of its intended target.

Doc: He refrained from forcing the specimen’s mouth open. This was Lucretia’s specimen. She obviously has had very little experience with the care and use of specimens. She would understand in time, that one could not treat a specimen with affection. Because once that happened, the specimen would try to bond with her. Once the bonding happened, the experiment was doomed and the specimen had to be destroyed. Doc wanted to explain this to her, but not at this precise moment. Keeping the specimen in the dark was one of the best ways of dealing with them. This allowed for the fear of the unknown to take hold of the specimen’s mind. The unknown was typically more horrifying than what was actually planned. But he could not explain this in the hearing of the specimen.

"--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--"

Pyper: It nestled around something, a deeper floor of consciousness. It penetrated and burrowed to take root. Her suggestion became an idea, it expanded and echoed until it's all the lifeless organic form can hear. The jaw swung open, from the drugs, it's a slow action. Enough, after patience stretched on, to fit the bulb at the opened maw. "It's, food. You have, to bite down." Pictures of fruits, vegetables. Things that crunched. A popular one was an apple. They molded to the core concept she was storing into the foggy mind. "You're hungry, you have to, eat." Its teeth showed, it put pressure on the brittle surface.

Doc: Doc lifted an eyebrow as the specimen did as commanded. Alright as first he thought she was being too nice, or kind. But now he saw she was influencing the specimen’s actions. He wanted to ask her how she did. He wanted that power, but he knew that he should break her concentration either. He nodded. He was impressed. She was so much younger than him, and had powers he would kill for.. while he was stuck with lame ‘vampire jesus walk on water crap’.

Pyper: It splintered, broke open but bore no yolk inside. The blood was faint, then it flowed steadily. It chewed, did as she had said. Saw it as a form of legitimate sustenance. "Swallow, before, more." Her hand came away, taking away the glass. She took a step back, and watched. "Ethy, asked me, why we don't, heal. Humans. Help them. We have, these secrets. These things. A superior, minority." It didn't matter what the specimen looked like. All she sees is Anais.

Doc: “Yes. We have secrets. But our powers do not heal the living. Our powers can heal our kind, or hurt our kind and humans. But heal them? Not that I am aware of. So, knowing we cannot heal humans, but we can harm. And we are stronger, faster, we don’t die the way they do. we would be seen as a threat. The weak always view the strong in fear. Though weak, if they banded together, they could decimate us. So our secrets protect our very existence.”

Pyper: The minority loses. Her eyes bring themselves away from the woman eating glass to look up at Charles. She looked presentable, her hair washed. The curls were unruly, more than other nights. She'd gotten her hair done for the party and the chemicals to help relax it were washing out. The make up was minimal. Just eyeliner, due to the lack of knowledge about products and application. The black made her eyes stand out. She blinked slowly. "It is, beneficial. To harm, in some, instances. This. To show, and practice." A hand reached out, touched the outside of the human's arm. She finally looked away, murmuring. "You, are full. No, more food."

Doc: “Yes. It can be beneficial.” He nodded but paused, “However there are those of our kind that would not agree. For this reason I am selective about who knows what, in regard to my ..” He shrugged, “.. ‘extra-curricular activities’.” He looked at her, “You too may wish to be equally selective when sharing information?”

Pyper: "No, one knows. About the room. Location. That, I go. What, we do." It was a secret. Another one, that piled on the accumulating storage of others. "I like, you to show me. These things." Once the 'It' slowed and ceased to grind its jaw together, she touched Charles' hand. She could have gotten his attention another way- but being she already had it, the action was entirely unnecessary - but she was curious about his hands. "What, things, can I do. Here? With her, your tools."

Doc: “That is entirely up to you. Exploration? Dissection? Experimentation? What would you like to do?” He looked at her evenly, the tone of his voice was that of a teacher, asking a student to think outside of the norm. To stretch their thoughts and move past the generic. To embrace the search for information.

Pyper: She needed to start somewhere she was already familiar with first. Something that allowed her more depth in the area. She worked with animals, an amateur artist in the dead kingdom. "Dissections," she chose, a direction best to start in. She's wanted to have Charles provide a visual lesson of his techniques. She could see his hands move. The attentiveness she could try to mimic.

Doc: Doc grinned, it was lopsided and genuine. “Alright. Dissection it it. What part do you wish to dissect first? While you are mulling that over, we will need to knock it out again. See this?” He held up the iv clamp for her to see. his thumb was on top of the iv roller wheel. He rolled the wheel back on the iv clamp to allow the sedative to start flowing back into the specimen’s veins. “I just unblocked the IV. It will now start to allow the sedative to go back in. You roll forward to block, roll back to unblock. You also adjust the speed of the drip with a partial block. You try it.”

Pyper: The device was something she remembered from another life. It was more modern than the ones that were used on her. Now she would be using them on someone else. On the illusioned Anais strapped down, forced to endure things beyond her control. "Yours? Or, taken, from a hospital?" she asked, coming closer and taking it in both hands. The nail of her thumb caught on the rotating cog and delivered a hefty dose of tranquilizer that hushed the human from shifting the glass wedged into her mouth. "You, have, wonderful things," the telepath said in a dreamer's hum. The hypnosis lacing her voice like a poison couldn't be staved, she didn't have that much control over it yet.

Doc: He watched as she became familiar with the IV and then as she calmed the specimen down. “Mine. Another reason I have a lab. To have a legitimate reason to order this type of supply.” He moved to the cabinet and pulled out a couple of sets of disposable scrubs. He laid a set on the legs of the specimen, “Those are for you. They may be a big large. I typically only get my size. There are gloves there,” he gestured to a box of latex gloves, “And antiseptic hand wash there.” He shed his jacket and shirt, and pulled on the scrub top, then pulled on the bottoms over his pants.

Pyper: Having scrubs on already, she looked at the ones he provided. Her hand set down the IV control and then collected the garment. It was probably better to use his and save the blood from her own. Walking above ground with bloodied scrubs wouldn't have been abnormal if she could convincingly impersonate a medical practitioner. It was an unlikely possible route. Since they were big enough to accommodate his bulk, it was an unnecessary step to remove her own clothing. They would fit right over, and they did. The sleeves covered more of her arms. It would catch more blood if it were to spray, or squirt from an orifice unexpectedly. With tunnel vision, she barely was aware of him prepping himself. She began to wash her hands. It was like a heavily realistic game of doctor. She had never been given the opportunity to play as an adolescent.

Doc: He tied the pants at the waist, and then made sure to the pull the scrubs over the top of the pants. The scrubs were there more to make cleanup easy, than to mitigate infections. He looked at her, her hair specifically. That could prove to be problematic. “Lucretia, we need to secure your hair.. may I?” He was reluctant to touch her without her permission.

Pyper: With eyes that widen at the sound of her name, she looked like a doe within the sights of a hunter. It made her a target, and then she reversed the roles; Pyper had a camouflage that helped her feed. She honed it, used it. Perfected it. "My hair?" She hadn't been aware the mane it had become since it was teased by a professional's fingers. Then her own early evening after washing. "Yes. Better, to not, get it in the, way." She stepped closer and remained as still as a statue. Nurses brushed her hair, it was a familiar request.

Doc: He moved behind her and used a method he had seen one of the surgical nurses use, when they had been pulled into an emergency trauma surgery. He pulled her hair back into a ponytail, then twisted it tightly and pulled it up and used his pen to secure it in a downward thrust. Then he tied two masks together, one mask to cover her face, the other to hold the wad of hair close to her head. “Next time.. you should bring a rubberband or whatever your females use to hold your hair back.” It was said matter of factly as though he fully expected there to be a next time. He then stepped over the a lower cabinet and pulled out a pair of pruning shears, and laid them on gurney, between the specimen’s legs. Finally he cleaned his hands and pulled on the latex gloves. “Ready?”

Pyper: She didn't know if there was a stash of rubberbands at the apartment. If there was, then they belonged to Ethan. He may not notice when they go missing, if they ever did. The gloves were snapped at the wrist. They slipped on and smothered the skin. They weren't loose; perhaps a box of one size fits all. There were clothing lines that ran that way, too. "I, am ready, now." The follicles at the base of her scalp stung a little from his pulling. It paled to any of the nurses. Paled to Anais, whose yanking relieved her skull of a handful of thick blond coils.

Doc: He picked up a scalpel, “This is a number eight scalpel. I am partial to the number eight, you may find you like a ten or a six better. You’ll have to practice. I will get you some heads to practice on.” He held the scalpel and showed her how to hold it. “Hold it thusly. You guide the blade with the index finger, and stabilize with the ring finger and pinkie. Let the blade do the work. You are merely guiding it. We start with a “y” incision. The ‘y’ starts, here under the clavicle down toward the upper third of the sternum.” He made the incision. Then offered her the scalpel. “Start here.. “ He pointed under the other clavicle, “End here.” He pointed at the end of the first incision.

Pyper: The directions were similar to the ones that she had read in order to perform the post-mortem incisions on the birds for Phoenix's cage. The other animals had been more of a trial and error process. The work that surgeons have done on cadavers prior to modernized medicine. Being told how to correctly dissect something and the terminology of not only the instruments that they will use, but the techniques that he knows as part of his profession. Anais and Doctor Proulx would often times believe they had lost her to their jargon, that she never absorbed nor comprehended their back and forths. She retained more than presumed. "Here," her voice copied his word like a parrot. It's her right hand that wields the scalpel, and the left that held onto some part of the body to steady the line to be relatively straight. It meets the point he had showed before the blade met flesh. "Not, as straight. Not like, yours."

Doc: “Perhaps not as straight. But it was steady with no hesitation. Relatively good depth as well. Very Good. Now, we need the base of the ‘y’. Start here, proceed to the bottom of the sternum.” He pointed out both points, and swabbed the incision out of habit. “Let the blade do the work, you should just barely feel the blade bite into the bone. You will know if you have too much bite, the blade will bind up. It will take practice, so don’t be nervous.”

Pyper: Other things caused overdoses of anxiety to spill into her circulatory system and block out the rational thoughts. They made panic out of nothing, and paranoia cradled her in a deceivingly warm hold. This was like work, and work calmed her nerves and the things that spun and crash into other things inside that mess of blonde springs. "I collected, rats. When I came, here first." She stopped speaking, saved her looks for after as the breakage of tissue continues. She gave it a lighter touch, it's often that she didn't realize how much pressure she put into her work. In anything. Opposing the petite size, the Telepath used strength to compensate for the fragile look she has preserved in herself and will for a vampire's lifetime.

Doc: Doc smiled behind his mask. He too made conversation as he worked. Sometimes he would as the nurses about their hobbies, other times he would tell the surgical staff some of the stories of odd and weird surgeries that he had been apart of. “As did I. But probably for different reasons.” He disliked rats. They were vermin and full of diseases. He abhorred things that he considered dirty, so he hunted them and burned them. “Now that we have the ‘y’ complete, we peel back the ‘y’ opening up the check cavity. You may need to deepen some of the incisions, so that they fold back.” He reached the pruning shears, “Then we are going to take these, and cut the ribs from the sternum. We could use a bone saw, but that takes a lot of time, we don’t really need to waste.”

"--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--"

Pyper: At this suggestion, of going over her work, she craned over the body and checked the initial outlines to see whether or not she would need to slice through a second time to ensure that the flaps of epidermis would go back. "If you, do, the same things. As people, who hurt you. Does that, make you the, same?" There's a line of grey area that separated her black and white. The moral understanding between the lessons Charles was passing on to her were blurring. If she wanted this human to be Anais and they experimented the same. It made him Dr. Proulx, and she, Anais. Wasn't that how it worked? It was Pyper against Lucretia. The present and the past mindsets battling within the same standing period of time. The blade retraces its steps and her other hand slipped underneath to pry up the weighty meat.

Doc: Doc looked at her over the top of his mask. That was tricky question to answer. If he said yes, he could lose his pupil. If he said no, in a way it could be perceived as a lie; and he would lose his pupil. “In fairness, I would have to say it depends on the situation. In some cases yes, we would be the same. In some cases no, we would not be the same. So then, the question becomes, why do we do what we do? Is it to be sadistic? Or is it to learn? Those that harm, would be the sadistic type. The type only doing it to inflict pain and the get enjoyment from the pain. But why do we do it? To learn. To become educated. But ultimately you have to answer that question for yourself.”

Pyper: This made sense, that like animals, the humans were being harvested for their material. For the education that she could be given using what they had been born with. Their structures imitated her own. In a way, Lucretia was seeing what was inside of herself. "For me, it would be, to learn. I have, bad feelings. When, I attack, someone. Close. Family." It had happened only a couple of times, but she bore cognizance of consequences. The individuals in question are, or had been held within - nearly - sacred regard. This wasn't one of those times. Cruelty wasn't part of this, aside from the demonstration of a human's broken will. That, under internal retrospect, was used with the intentions of impression Charles. She derived something from that. Pyper didn't know what to call it, what it was.

Doc: “None of us are perfect Lucretia. Anyone who believes that they are, is deluding themselves. We all have some cruelty inside us. How we treat those we care for, that is what I see as important. And each of us will be unique in that respect. So judging one another based on those morals.. is much more difficult. This is why I judge based on the masquerade first and morals second.” He positioned the pruning shears on the lowest of the ribs first, and brought the shears to together causing the rib to snap cleanly. He handed her the shears. “Fluid movement. You go to slow, you splinter the ribs. You want a quick firm snap.”

Pyper: Everyone did? Cruelty was something inflicted on her day in, and out. It was purposeful but it was a misguided idea, polluted by the ideas of a touched woman. So not unlike herself. The diseases related, but their effects held wildly variant results. She'll keep this in mind when she found herself tucked away in the in the abandoned asylum under the quarantine sector of Harper Rock. She'd record her thoughts, figure out one puzzling thought that spliced and clashed with another to form a hybrid. A cautious touch, as the bone white phalanges relieve his grip and replaced it with hers. The next rib popped with the same snap as the first. She was quick, it helped her pickpocket. The pop of the bone made her laugh. She did another, and another.

Doc: Her laughter was a carefree delightful thing to hear and witness. Especially when she was normally so reticent. She showed no hesitation as she snapped rib after rib. He allowed her to work at her own pace, until the last rib was severed. “Well done.” He removed the now loose sternum, and pointed at the heart that was slowly beating. “As the sedative increases in it’s system, the heart will slow more an more. But now you, you can watch and observe the mechanism that is the heart. Notice the look of the lungs as they appear now. Soon, when the heart slows the ability to re-oxygenate the blood fails. Note the difference as it happens. We can learn a lot from the subtle changes in the bodies tissues.”

Pyper: There was a form a disappointment that arose when her task was complete and there were no more ribs for the sheers to break apart with their sharpened blades. The aid was set at her side. It imprinted a bloodied shadow of itself on the outside right thigh of the scrubs. "What, is the name, of the sedative. We are using, now." The blue pools observe the heart; it's a beautiful red entanglement of veins and thickened muscle. Her hand didn't want the glove to act as a barrier and she yearned to touch the beating epicenter of blood flow. Lucretia leaned in, holding the side of the gurney. Like a curious feline sniffing at an upturned, deceased rodent. "That, is where, people put their, love?" Where did it fit?

Doc: “Propofol. The same drug that was attributed to the death of Michael Jackson. It is a short acting anesthetic. But too much can kill.” He looked from Lucretia to the specimen, “It won’t wake.” He watched as Lucretia moved in for a close perusal of the organs found within the chest cavity. He remembered his first experience with seeing the movement of still live organs. There was fascination and investigation. He saw in Lucretia the same feeling he must have expressed. “Don’t be shy. Discovery is about exploration.” He mulled over her second question. “Figuratively yes. But not really. Love, at least the way it has been expressed in literature and the media, in my opinion does not exist. Care and concern yes. But nothing more. At least in my opinion.”

It's a broken bird, its wings torn from the torso. The solicitous physical coveting of the primary organ made it known that the pulsating heart was feeble. She had the awareness to know she could stop it. She could pull it out and nestle it to her until the thud finally stopped. His explanation about the way he perceived love clicked for her. She could make assertions of her own to fit her morals. Her preferences. They were said aloud. Charles was there to bounce her ideas off of. Whether he knew it or not. "Then, why do people, say they love? Hard to, connect feeling. To the word. A word, is just a word. It, is a great feeling. Blocks, rationality. Inhibits, clear thoughts? Chaotic, messy. Can, you care, too much? I don't, understand it." Where did someone cross the line for one kind of caring to another? Why did they flirt? Why do they change for other people?

Doc: “If it my belief, that they want so much to have or feel that ‘elusive emotion’ that they hear everywhere.. that they delude themselves into thinking they have this feeling. It is just a word. You are correct. But people obsess. The more they obsess, the more they long for that unattainable thing. God forbid their friends start to experience it. Then all the more they too must find and have ‘love’.” He paused, “Caring too much? Or is it obsession? I would argue, that caring would be the opposite of smoothing, clinging, and trying to dictate every action for the one they ‘supposedly’ love. Therefore, they do not care. They obsess. And flirting?” He smirked, “Men flirt to get laid. Females flirt to feel wanted.”

Pyper: Simone had never told her those things when she suggested flirting to begin with. It was was an average behavior, one that the Altaire gatherings had hanging in the air, passed around like a virus. It wasn't a requirement then, it was not the message she wanted to transmit. Or was it? Lucretia wasn't sure, so the issue was tabled. Portions of it, at least. The lungs were expanding and contracting with a sluggish pace. Did hers still do that? Her head dropped to inspect her torso and she inhaled. "You cannot, change people." People had tried with her. She found partial compromises blanketed with lies of omission to best suit her needs. That was the best she could give to the people that dominated her social group.

Doc: “No. You cannot change others. You may want to. You may believe you can. But you cannot. And many people, who want to change themselves.. are often too weak to do even that. So how can they expect to change someone else?” He watched her as she took in all the nuances of the of functions happening mere inches from her. “That is why I have several ‘faces’. There is the ‘face’ that you and a few select others see. There is my business face. And then there is my public face. The face many ‘think’ is the real me, but they would be wrong.”

Pyper: "Charles Nilson," came her impression of the very first telephone conversation that they had. He had a somber tone, one that dealt with a lot of business strict calls. With stifled but still twitching finger joints, the Altaire's curiosity overwhelmed her and her palm folded over the human's heart and constricted enough for it to force back her hold on its exterior. It was an experience that lured her in. One that she never saw herself going through. Not at the Ward. Not even in Harper Rock. Charles gave that to her. "I like, one face. On me. My face. I wanted, to be something. Not me. Change. For better. Improving is, changing." There was a bout of circular reasoning, all of her conversations brought her back to working on herself. She still wanted to be Pyper but a Pyper that she liked. She didn't know what it meant, or how to get there.

Doc: Doc nodded, he understood that. ONce upon a time he too wanted to be who he was and not ‘pretend’. But killers are not accepted. Even as a vampire, killing was not an accepted norm. Those like Elliott made sure of that. ******* peace and love hippy. The irony was a bitter taste in his mouth. Elliott preached tolerance and love and peace. But only when it suited Elliott. When it didn’t suit him, he was just as caustic and twice the asshole Doc ever dreamed of being. He chose not to counter Lucretia’s words. Perhaps she would find a way to become what she wanted. Doc knew, that for him personally, it would never happen. He hoped for her sake she was successful where he was not.

Pyper: The face exuded a peaceful rest. Chosen for her untimely appearance in Lucretia's strolls, the woman had been a lesson. One that branched out in subsections with questions that stem from there. "What, other things. Can I see? More, before.. We will, dispose?" The latter held the tonal characteristics of a question. She didn't know what would end up happening to the woman until their excursion in the cavern of the human body was completed. She wanted to see an extended version, wanted to see everything. Perhaps it wasn't possible tonight but Charles implied other nights. There would be other nights, even if it meant hounding. Or using the room in her own spare time. Boxes that kept one potential bomb of epiphanies were closed, their lids were secure. Prying them apart later would be a task. This work had wielded so many derivatives of inquiries and pathways of screaming words she may not be able to weed through it all in one night. She knew that she wouldn't. It was a fact.

Doc: Nodding, he moved to tray and collected a fresh scalpel. He elongated the vertical incision and made a reverse ‘y’ cut over the groin area. Folding back the skin, the digestive organs held in the abdomen were exposed. He now used the scalpel as a pointer, “This is the lower esophagus, that connects to the stomach. You can tell by it’s shriveled appearance, it’s last meal was many hours ago.” He tracked the stomach to the intestines, “Here food moves from stomach to the large intestine, through this, into to the small intestines.” He severed some of the connective tissue that kept the small intestine in place, and began to pull it from inside the body. Then pointing again, “That small item right there.. is the uterus. The uterus is where an embryo implants in order to gestate.”

Pyper: The typical conversation most of the time, fell past her vocabulary and dropped her into a state of bemused intensity. Simple, infantile syllables hitched in her throat when she tried to implant them where they should properly be inserted during the introductory example. These more advanced (if advanced is correct to say - it is relative to the intellect) parts of English had more practical, factual use. They were slivers of memory. Each had risen from the mouth of her previous primary care physician and his assistant. It was helpful to see these words in person. Have the corporeal diagram laid out. The intestines looked like the balloons she'd seen clowns use in lowly rated horror films. They had more length than width. The ones inside the lesson were filled with tint amounts of fluid. They sagged in a pathetic manner. The sight is humorous to her. She found a smile stretching across her face. "You, did this. For a job?"

"--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--"

Doc: “I did.. I do. Though in fairness. I usually save the patient.” He pulled his hands back, and explained pointedly, “When I was human, it was my goal.. my determination in life.. to extend human life beyond the normal 80 or 90 years.” He stopped, pressed his lips together then continued. “I discovered blood thieves. Hybrid human vampire mutants. I thought they were the key. Then I discovered.. vampires. I saw them as usurpers. As interlopers. I was determined to foil them. Then I died and was reborn as one of the usurpers.. interlopers.. and after some time. I realized.. They are not the interlopers. They.. WE.. are the superior race. It is by our grace.. that the human race advances. Now I heal the humans .. not to allow them to progress.. but so they do not .. digress.”

Pyper: "The, intellectuals. Deviating, processes. Occur, still." The discussion was a drug that acted as an imitation alternative to speed. Her nerves were grinding together, they were sparking. Had she ever been truly alive before, Lucretia may have had an accountant of thks very sensation. The blond attempted, "Inconsistencies, infect masses. Your intention, to sustain, humans. It aids. In progression, still. If they, exist. Anomalies. Higher, intelligence. Certain individuals." She didn't know whether she was clear enough for him to understand what exactly it was she had rambled about. Her eyes blinked owlishly, trained pupils boring into the center of his forehead. Then the right eye. The left.

Doc: “Yes I understand this. However, as they make advancements, ‘we’ benefit from those advancements. So much about our kind has been lost due to the holocaust and the fact we needed to keep information safe. We haven’t scratched the surface of what we should know. We are currently in re-discovery mode. And while we rediscover, the humans do progress. But with their progression, we gain that progression as well. We now have the ability to retain and store information in an encrypted fashion that vampires of old did not have. So.. we progress of the humans helps us as well. The key is, making sure they do not progress in ways to find out and thwart us.”

Pyper: This reiterate explanation satisfied something, it massaged out the misunderstanding. The nod of her head is slow but it appropriately showed that she did in fact understand. "Like hacking." She has deleted files and pictures that betrayed the existence of their race. It endangered it. It was compromising. "I try, to inhibit. To save. Delete, in my head. I still, have documents. Too. From some, buildings." They were shoved and taped underneath the butcher's block at her apartment. So no one would find them.

Doc: “Yes. Very much like hacking. And we need humans to support our businesses. We need to build wealth. Existence for eternity will no doubt be expensive. We need them as a food source. Some of my experiments will no doubt add humankind in the field of medicine. However, the advancements in genetics will no doubt help us as well. We are not perfect. We have our issues and foibles as a race, as well. Why not use that work to fix us?”

Pyper: "Ethan, still, hasn't met you. He should. I'll tell, him. Where to find, you. He is, not very social. He likes his, work. Solitary. You could, tell him things. In ways he, will understand. Ways, that I cannot." Ethan would appreciate a mind that worked at the same caliber as his. Instead of the abstract way his "schizo," as he more affectionately referred to her, mind worked.

Doc: “I would not be averse to meeting him, as long as he doesn’t feel forced.. What does he do for work?”

Pyper: "Helped, people. In the truck. EMT. Work." That was if she ripped the correct three letters from her storage. She should double check with him soon. "I'll ask, I won't, force."

Doc: "That's right.. you told me that before. Emergency Medical Technician. Why is he solitary? Is he having trouble adjusting to what he is now?"

Pyper: "He missed, his family. Was mad, for a long time. He still, could. I haven't, asked. I don't, want him to disappear. I haven't, seen Eli since.. " Since he kissed her and she rejected the action. She was under the impression her status was spoken for. She had been wrong and Eli wasn't around anymore. It was a regret but not one she would have changed. She didn't reserve those feelings for him.

Doc: Doc looked at her. Eli.. Wheels? "Wheels left? You haven't seen him since.. when? Could be he dead?"

Pyper: "Ethan. He has, the wheels. I like, his wheels. Eli, was the second. Not since, a while. He spent, a night at the, apartment. I have, not seen him since." Thinking of him being dead made her frown down at the human's open cavity.

Doc: "Ah.. I have not met either of them. They both have "E" names.. I thought Wheels was not the EMT. I must have gotten them backwards.." He Frowned. "How long since you have seen him?"

Pyper: Maybe she was swapping the two professions. " I will, ask to be sure." Ethan was going to school. Genetics. Maybe he had not had a professional and she substituted the lack but imprinting Eli's career into his background.

Doc: He realized that maybe now wasn't the best time to grill her about her missing childe. "So.. Change of subject. You had asked about using a paralytic." He Picked a vial. "This is propofol. What we used for this subject. Doesn't paralyze per se', It puts them out. Too much will kill." He replaced the vial, and then picked up the other one that was on the tray.. "This is Anectine.. generic name is Succinylcholine Chloride. This paralyzes. In higher doses it too kills because the body suffocates as the lungs are paralyzed."

Pyper: The vials held solutions that could be mistaken for other common household items. While she could not ingest human food correctly, she familiarized herself with things people could eat. To better understand the Allurist. To better understand the humans. What she used to be but was not anymore; she wanted to learn what she could have been and the things she could have had. Some of those items or events she still could but food and drink weren't any of those things. "Slows, lungs. Makes, them stop. Propofol, how does it, kill. If ot, doesn't slow, things down like, the other?"

Doc: "It does.. but not in the same manner. If to paralyze is the goal, propofol is not the best option. However, anytime enough of a sedative is used.. the lungs will stop." He looked at her, "I suppose I would need to know what you would need the paralytic for? So that I can tell you the best option.."

Pyper: "No. I don't, need it. Not now. Yet. Just, for knowledge." Her hands waved themselves away from the body. An almost defensive maneuver, to stave the implication.

Doc: "Oh.. alright then." He hadn't been judging her, he was merely trying to give her the best answer for her needs. He saw how reacted defensively and decided to drop it. "In that case. Let me show you the incinerator. It's in here." He stepped into the adjoining room.

Pyper: Incinerator. She had never seen one before. She didn't know what she expected it to look like. "This, is how, we get rid of everything?" Her hands waxed the air in the general direction of the cavity. The opened shell of anatomy. It would have to burn it, so that there was nothing left. It meant fire.

Doc: "Yes. This is what we use. It's old.. but effective. Flip this lever up." He pushed the lever on the wall up. "That turns the power on. Then flip this switch. to turn it on. But its better if you load it first... not after you turn it on."

Pyper: "So, you, don't burn." She had had many sunburns during the time spent inside Harper Rock. She didn't know if Charles was aware of that. How much he and Phoenix ever spoke about her. "Can, I? When we, load the, .. thing."

Doc: "Yes.. You can do the honors.. " He grinned at her. "Would you like me to load it now?"

Pyper: "I, can help. Grab, something. Carry." Lucretia didn't like to be a bystander when she was capable of lending help. She realized, after a time, that she needed to also learn how to best train her skills to help. Use her strengths to their best.

Doc: "Do You know how to carry a body.. effectively?"

Pyper: "No. It's, open, too." They should close it.

Doc: "Closing is easy.. I will show you.. " He headed back to the body. He looked it over, it was dead. He folded the skin back into position. And grabbed the medical grader stapler. "We just staple it." He stapled starting at the clavicle, placing the staples about an inch apart. After four staples, he offered her the stapler.

Pyper: This was a new tool. She'd never needed to use one. The Altaire was waiting for the needle and the thread. Those were the things she used to close wounds, intentional and unintentional alike. Her fingers are unsure, they grabbed the artifact and turned it from left to right. "Why, don't, you use. A needle. Thread?" It could have been a waste of supplies. That was a possibility.

Doc: "I don't need the practice. Techniques for this sort of stitching is different from delicate stitches,, and can ruin the delicate stitch technique." He looked at her, "This is one of the reasons, surgeons that specialise in specific field, allow others to close when a surgery is over. They do not want to ruin a technique."

Pyper: In Honeymead, there was a book that listed the techniques by name. She couldn't form their titles, couldn't pull them out from their box inside of her head. Lucretia worked by her muscle memory. She had perfected a few but not them all. "You, had someone, else close." It was stated before the click of the staples grappling to seal the incision sights closed sounded.

Doc: "Yes Most times I do. It also gives Interns good practical experience."

Pyper: "Interns." She knew that word, too. The last metal clip in the series sunk into the flesh. "Where, do I put this?"

Doc: "On the tray is fine.. " He moved to the other side of the gurney, "Best way to move.. Pull the legs toward you, let them hang off the side.. " He demonstrated, "Then shift the upper torso so the body is not perpendicular. with the bed, pull the legs so the hips are at the edge of the bed. Put your arms under the armpits to pull the torso up, and over your shoulder." He showed her. He stood up straight. the body over his shoulder. "To the incinerator."

Pyper: Lucretia stood far from the table, to observe the entire picture unobstructed by objects or the table. Twin glacier orbitals scan left to right, from his head to his shoes. They watched, took in the scene so she could try this again. On her own time, and have success in it. "We load, turn it on... Do we, clean, the inside, after?"

Doc: "Not every time no. Every so often, I clean it ashes out.. Get rid of the worst of the coke build up. " He dumped the body in the incinerator. "This is an old incinerator. There are no safeties on it. So you can open the door while its on. Don’t." He shut the door, and stepped out of the way. "fire it up."

Pyper: The lever never fell into the center of her palm until he said that it was okay. The last thing Phoenix would be - although current circumstances put this into question - happy about was her biological father set on fire. 'Fire it up,' he said and her arm rose and the lever was flipped. She wanted to see the fire flare up. Her head poked in the way to watch. She held caution with less regard than Charles did.

Doc: "It starts slows. It will take about seven hours to get it to ash."

Pyper: "I can, stay here, and watch?"

Doc: "If you really want to.. I am not going to stay. But you welcome to stay and explore."

Pyper: "I think, I will. I don't, have my head, into. My projects. Roman's present, is my next one. A bow, arrows. Don't know, how they, will look."

Doc: Doc nodded. "alright.. have a good evening Lucretia. Stay safe."

Pyper: She crossed the room for as long as it took to fold her arms around his waist, hug him. "Thank you, Charles. I will, see, you soon? Another lesson?"

Doc: *Doc returned the hug. He was getting used to them. Females liked hugs.* "Absolutely.. " He gave her a lopsided grin.

Pyper: "Learn their habits. The routines, that they maintain. Based, on the information, fit into the routine. Like a piece, to a puzzle." It would all be dependent on what they did on a day to day basis.

Doc: Doc nodded, "Good. And your site, and manner of deletion?"

Pyper: "Site, would be far from, connections. The places that can link, to them." Her eyes shut. Manner of deletion. "Homicide, suicide." Both.

Doc: Doc nodded, "Yes. That would work." He turned, collecting a pen and the paper that had 'ha ha' written on it. He wrote down an address. It was in Toronto. He held it out to her. "If you think you can handle it on your own."

Pyper: A competitive edge turned its blade in those eyes. "I can handle it." Whether it was on purpose, or whether Charles was unaware of how much his pride in her meant, it was the little things he did that motivated her break through her boundaries. Her hand took the paper, the hazy smile default as her eyes worked over the lettering.

Doc: Doc smiled, "Good. Take the time you need. Don't rush. But do, check in with me for status updates." He expected her to succeed. But if she failed, he would not hold that against her. this was a learning event. People learned by trial and error. When mistakes were made, the next time faced with a similar situation, that mistake was not repeated. "If you require supplies, let me know."

Pyper: "For tonight?" The timing was off, she needed a timeline. A date, a gun to go off to initiate the beginning of this assignment. Is this how Roman proceeded with the FBI? How his work was handled. The paper was being folded, shoved into her pocket.

Doc: “Tonight? No… “ he shook his head, “I meant when you go to Toronto. If you need special supplies, let me know. I will have them sent to you. I suspect you will have to look at, and study things before you are even close to acting.”

Pyper: "With Phoenix," the blonde was reciting the plan, for her own memory storage purposes. Humans probably thought that she mimicked words and phrases because there was a slow hitch in her brain. That, in general, she was slow. "I can go, when I'm prepared," she mumbled the last part, telling herself that it needed to be carefully planned. Meticulous.

Doc: “'Yes. Make your arrangements as you need them. Just keep me updated." He noted her become somewhat detached as her attention was taken by planning the new job. He smiled as he watched her. She was dedicated, he appreciated that.

Pyper: "I will." Her head tipped back up, her chin at the meeting of her knees now. "I kissed a woman, the other night." Half true. Pyper had kissed only after the initial suction of her face.

Doc: Doc raised his eyebrows, and looked at her for a long moment. "In your estimation, is it an experience worth repeating?"

Pyper: "We were too similar. He didn't feel that, I could be an influence on his knowledge. I haven't spoken to him. In a long time." Most nights she didn't think of him. It was still a work in progress. "I have, watched, sex. So I know what should be happening. It seems... like there should be stretching, beforehand."

Doc: 'It doesn't hurt to loosen up some." he grinned. "I am confused, if you know how.. what do you want to understand?"

Pyper: "It is different, in those movies. The two people know beforehand. But when you are not, part of that movie. You have to go from one step, to another. Point A, and then Point B. I stick on Point A." Pyper had charms of her own, she could be alluring though it was unintentional. The utilization of her charms to seduce was what she was missing.

Doc: "Ah.. You mean.. the female tricks of the trade.. how to make the male want you to that point?" He frowned slightly, "There has to be a hint of attraction first. And you need to learn to read those signs, before you try the tricks..." he felt rather odd, he should not be the one telling her this. "I don't know that I am the right person to be telling you this..."

Pyper: "But we are friends," she wasn't going to understand his retreat from the discussion. Or it was an open refusal. "We are talking now, like we said. Who else should I talk to, about this?"

Doc: "I know what turns me on.. but I am not every guy. And.. I don't know that I would be telling you right.. since I am not a female. There are things that females know.. and **** it .. if I understand it. I am not trying NOT to tell you.. I am honestly not sure I am the best person for the job. We need another female. I could invite Mortll.. but Phoenix hates her.. I don’t.. your call.."

Pyper: "Phoenix, has not liked very many people, that I speak to. She is, busy with Blake. She is happy. I will, talk to Mortll, please. For answers, that I will like to have."

Doc: Just then Doc received text from Mortll, and he grinned, "Alright.. here is a good example.. of one of the tricks of the trade.." he turned his cell around for her to see.

docs_dark_path :Mortll: *Text* Any chance of wrapping up soon I’m so thinking about warm soothing water and i do have to admit you look damn good in those trunks of yours . *Mortll Snaps a quick picture of herself in the swim suit they bought in Rio; and sends it to him.*

Pyper: Her brows knit together, she turned the phone a little to better face her. "Pictures?" She sent one picture. Just her face to Axton. He told her she looked sixteen. Pyper: "Learn their habits. The routines, that they maintain. Based, on the information, fit into the routine. Like a piece, to a puzzle." It would all be dependent on what they did on a day to day basis.

Doc: Doc nodded, "Good. And your site, and manner of deletion?"

Pyper: "Site, would be far from, connections. The places that can link, to them." Her eyes shut. Manner of deletion. "Homicide, suicide." Both.

Doc: Doc nodded, "Yes. That would work." He turned, collecting a pen and the paper that had 'ha ha' written on it. He wrote down an address. It was in Toronto. He held it out to her. "If you think you can handle it on your own."

Pyper: A competitive edge turned its blade in those eyes. "I can handle it." Whether it was on purpose, or whether Charles was unaware of how much his pride in her meant, it was the little things he did that motivated her break through her boundaries. Her hand took the paper, the hazy smile default as her eyes worked over the lettering.

Doc: Doc smiled, "Good. Take the time you need. Don't rush. But do, check in with me for status updates." He expected her to succeed. But if she failed, he would not hold that against her. this was a learning event. People learned by trial and error. When mistakes were made, the next time faced with a similar situation, that mistake was not repeated. "If you require supplies, let me know."

Pyper: "For tonight?" The timing was off, she needed a timeline. A date, a gun to go off to initiate the beginning of this assignment. Is this how Roman proceeded with the FBI? How his work was handled. The paper was being folded, shoved into her pocket.

Doc: “Tonight? No… “ he shook his head, “I meant when you go to Toronto. If you need special supplies, let me know. I will have them sent to you. I suspect you will have to look at, and study things before you are even close to acting.”

Pyper: "With Phoenix," the blonde was reciting the plan, for her own memory storage purposes. Humans probably thought that she mimicked words and phrases because there was a slow hitch in her brain. That, in general, she was slow. "I can go, when I'm prepared," she mumbled the last part, telling herself that it needed to be carefully planned. Meticulous.

Doc: “'Yes. Make your arrangements as you need them. Just keep me updated." He noted her become somewhat detached as her attention was taken by planning the new job. He smiled as he watched her. She was dedicated, he appreciated that.

Pyper: "I will." Her head tipped back up, her chin at the meeting of her knees now. "I kissed a woman, the other night." Half true. Pyper had kissed only after the initial suction of her face.

Doc: Doc raised his eyebrows, and looked at her for a long moment. "In your estimation, is it an experience worth repeating?"

Pyper: "We were too similar. He didn't feel that, I could be an influence on his knowledge. I haven't spoken to him. In a long time." Most nights she didn't think of him. It was still a work in progress. "I have, watched, sex. So I know what should be happening. It seems... like there should be stretching, beforehand."

Doc: 'It doesn't hurt to loosen up some." he grinned. "I am confused, if you know how.. what do you want to understand?"

Pyper: "It is different, in those movies. The two people know beforehand. But when you are not, part of that movie. You have to go from one step, to another. Point A, and then Point B. I stick on Point A." Pyper had charms of her own, she could be alluring though it was unintentional. The utilization of her charms to seduce was what she was missing.

Doc: "Ah.. You mean.. the female tricks of the trade.. how to make the male want you to that point?" He frowned slightly, "There has to be a hint of attraction first. And you need to learn to read those signs, before you try the tricks..." he felt rather odd, he should not be the one telling her this. "I don't know that I am the right person to be telling you this..."

Pyper: "But we are friends," she wasn't going to understand his retreat from the discussion. Or it was an open refusal. "We are talking now, like we said. Who else should I talk to, about this?"

Doc: "I know what turns me on.. but I am not every guy. And.. I don't know that I would be telling you right.. since I am not a female. There are things that females know.. and **** it .. if I understand it. I am not trying NOT to tell you.. I am honestly not sure I am the best person for the job. We need another female. I could invite Mortll.. but Phoenix hates her.. I don’t.. your call.."

Pyper: "Phoenix, has not liked very many people, that I speak to. She is, busy with Blake. She is happy. I will, talk to Mortll, please. For answers, that I will like to have."

Doc: Just then Doc received text from Mortll, and he grinned, "Alright.. here is a good example.. of one of the tricks of the trade.." he turned his cell around for her to see.

docs_dark_path :Mortll: *Text* Any chance of wrapping up soon I’m so thinking about warm soothing water and i do have to admit you look damn good in those trunks of yours . *Mortll Snaps a quick picture of herself in the swim suit they bought in Rio; and sends it to him.*

Pyper: Her brows knit together, she turned the phone a little to better face her. "Pictures?" She sent one picture. Just her face to Axton. He told her she looked sixteen.

Mortll: Knocks on the door of the office softly.

Pyper: Lucretia looked from the door, to Charles. Luckily she hadn't loosened the screws there.

Doc: Doc pushed off the desk and moved to open the door, "Hey baby.. " He reached forward and pulled her giving her a kiss, "Mortll this is Lucretia.. Lucretia.. this is Mortll. Breaker of mens hearts everywhere."

Mortll: Looked at the woman, she was very pretty, "I can see why. Hello Lucretia, I’m Mortll" she offered the woman her hand after giving Doc a hug and kissing him.

Pyper: "Hearts are fragile." Pairs of men have come up in the newspapers. Male faces she knew, because they had undergone as Charles called 'deletion.' Her eyes watched the exchange between the two. It was after the hand was put out - and she took it, shaking it with an overcompensatory squeeze - that the calmed smile pulled up, brightened. She could help. She trusted Charles. "Hello, Mortll. Charles thinks, you can help me. With men. Things with men."

Doc: "Lucretia and I were discussing feminine wiles .. and how to use them. I am sucker for them.. but I cannot teach the use of them..." He left it hanging just like that.

Pyper: "A student's questions has, stumped the teacher."

Doc: Doc pressed his lips together and nodded. "Quite."

Pyper: "Maybe she should be teaching you, too. For immunity."

Mortll: "Ummm ..." She looked at Charles pausing "I do have to admit this is not quite what I expected and I’m sure it did stump him. Though I bet not totaly.."

Pyper: "He knew some things, show your example."

Doc: "I told her ..she needed to learn the signs.. to know when a man was 'seducible' .. I do not know these signs.."

Mortll: "All men are seducible ... they all want something But you’re wasting your time if they do not want you "

Mortll: "or are just out to use you."

Doc: "See that is precisely the sort of thing.. you can teach I cannot .. but I am intrigued with hearing about."

Pyper: "Sometimes, I do not know, when is good and when isn't. Men are confusing. People, are confusing."

Doc: "Females are confusing! We men, are open books!"

Mortll: "That’s true sometimes it takes a lot of living and just trying things out I will tell you one thing though you need to learn to listen with your eyes and watch what people do and not what comes out of their mouths "

Mortll: Glares at Doc "Yeah right "

Doc: "We completely are!"

Pyper: "I like to watch people, most times. Phoenix said, not to watch people, if they don't know. It's not normal." That was when she caught Pyper hovering like a bee around an unconscious Aubrey.

Mortll: "Well people think its strange if you’re just staring at them ... I’m talking about watching what they do I can say Im a honest person and talk myself up that i work hard . that I’m intelligent and smart but then i go do a string of dumb *** **** and stay in trouble all the time . "

Pyper: "You both talk similarly." A look from Mortll to Charles this time.

Doc: "No we don't. My voice is at least three octaves lower."

Pyper: "Language, usage."

Mortll: "Ummm I don’t know about that ... hes got all those degrees One of the smartest people I know."

Doc: Doc frowned. "And she talks like a ******* sailor.. hell sailors ******* blush hearing her.."

Pyper: "You exceed, some of his knowledge." Attention on Charles, "They would, blush at you, then too."

Mortll: "Hey now you do have to admit being around you I’ve cleaned it up some "

Doc: "And I have gotten ******* worse..I never said a curse word in my life until I met her." he looked at Lucretia and lied evenly.

Mortll: "Now this is one of the examples I was telling you about to watch and listen to what he does and not what he’s telling you "

Doc: Doc prided himself on lying evenly and effectively. So he frowned ever so slightly and gave Mortll a look of bewilderment.

Pyper: "So then he is lying." People often said that Doc was a bad influence. He wasn't good to be around. She couldn't tell that he was lying. Maybe a little, and that was only because him swearing during the confession made it less believable.

Doc: Doc winked at Lucretia as she condemned him. "Soon all my secrets will be known."

Pyper: "And I will still have secrets." She smirked, tapping her finger to her temple.

Mortll: "Doc is actually good to be around you learn a lot from him and if he likes you, well, he will protect you "

Doc: "Alas.. I see I am doomed."

Pyper: "Damned, by all women. For eternity." She made a joke.

Mortll: Smiles "you’ve got the harem."

Doc: “what good is a Harem if I have been castrated?!"

Pyper: "Will, it heal?"

Doc: "It better.. "

Mortll: looks at him evenly "I did no such thing, you make your own choices."

Pyper: "We can experiment." Lucretia hadn't experimented in months.

Mortll: burst out laughing "I think you better watch this one Charles, she could be very dangerous "

Doc: "Oh I know she is.. and I would have her no other way. And," He pinned a look at Lucretia, "No experimenting with my manhood."

Pyper: The schizophrenic deflated visibly. "I still have not disposed, of my copies."

Doc: "Why Not?"

Mortll: “What?”

Mortll: “Either i heard that wrong or she has copies of your manhood?”

Doc: "You heard wrong.."

Mortll: "Ok that's a bit of a relief.”

Pyper: "Why would I want, copies of Charles? Copies don't move much. Don't speak."

Doc: "Because I am exceedingly handsome and bring enlightenment and culture to any room I am in."

Mortll: Exactly, don’t speak. But then, there are only one reason why you wouldn’t want a man to speak. One, he’s an idiot; two, hes a substitute.'

Doc: “Wait.. you said there is only ONE reason.. then you gave two reasons.. which is it?” *Looks at Lucretia* “I am beginning to rethink my thoughts about her being an expert..”

Pyper: "He could be a dumb, substitute and that would be one thing, one reason."

Doc: "Not helping..."

Mortll: Laughs “She’s smart too; but yeah”

Pyper: "I am not here, to help just you. I, clocked out hours ago."

Doc: Doc sighs, "You're supposed to be on my side.."

Pyper: "Clocked out!!!" She was beginning to brim with energy.

Doc: "See.. you females stick together.. "

Doc: "I see how you both are.. there is some sort primal bonding that happens to turn you enmass against me..."

Pyper: "I read in a book once, about victim, mentality."

Pyper: She jabbed at Doc's ego.

Mortll: “Ohhh please I’m not against you.”

Doc: "Oh No.. of course 'you' aren’t... You TWO are..."

Mortll: "We should take this one out to a club one night."

Pyper: "They will have music? If they have music, I will go."

Pyper: "Can I bring someone?"

Doc: "I'm game.. " Drops the angst persona. "They have music. And yes if you want.."

Pyper: "Okay. I will see, if Axton wants to come."

Mortll: "Yeah sounds good."

Doc: "And what night... I need to make sure to keep calendar clear.. I have a new inmate to break in.."

Pyper: "Why are you breaking them?”

Doc: "She is too stubborn for her own good. There are rules that she needs to abide by."

Mortll: You have to teach people routine when they are in a place like that "

Pyper: "People should know routines, anyways." She frowned.

Mortll: “People don’t automatically fall into them. They have to be persuaded."

Doc: Doc looked at Lucretia. "Ah.. I purchased Winterbrook Asylum."

Pyper: "Where is Winterbrook?"

Doc: "East of the Swansdale Transit station.."

Pyper: "I can see it? It is like, the forgotten one. With people in it though?"

Doc: "Yes.. somewhat like that one.. and yes there are inmates." He pulls a business card and writes a note on the back. "Give that to the Nuns.. they will let you have a look around."

Mortll: “Uhhh ohhh you’re going to let her get near Mother superior?”

Pyper: She pocketed that note to lie with the first. "Who is that?"

Doc: Doc gives Mortll a look, "Look at her face.. angelic.. The mother superior wont lay a hand on her. And if I am wrong and she does.. I will simply have to promote one of the other nuns to that position."

Doc: *looks at Lucretia* I have nuns running the place. The Mother superior is a rather embittered old thing.”

Pyper: "Winterbrook. Is that where Beverly came from?"

Doc: "Not to my knowledge."

Pyper: "She was kept, by nuns. She has this thing, on her thigh."

Pyper: "It cuts, bleeds, drains her life out. To make her, not a lesbian."

Doc: "It's not working."

Mortll: “Thats ******* cruel.”

Doc: “It’s the truth!”

Pyper: "I told her. It is fine, to like girls."
Doc: “Oh you meant the nuns..”

Mortll: “It’s why I hate nuns none of them I knew ever had any sympathy for anything other than what they were taught or believed.”

Pyper: "They maintain, impressive, devotion."

Mortll: “She should meet miss Zodiac.”

Doc: “They also maintain obedience in the asylum.”

Pyper: "Beverly should? I can, tell her to. Might be nice, for her to see other people."

Doc: “Yes.. She should..”

Doc: “Those two would get along famously..”

Pyper: "How, would she find her?"

Doc: “Mortll will introduce them…”

Doc: “Wont you Baby?”

Mortll: “Yes I can Zo can make anyone feel comfortable with being who they are.”

Pyper: "I think it would be, good for her, to. I helped, a little." A partial aversion of eye contact.

Doc: Doc said nothing, but watched Lucretia's reaction. Interesting.

Mortll: "Ohhh do you like kissing girls?'

Doc: “Who doesn't?”

Mortll: "True and boobs do hold a fascination with majority of people even straight ones."

Pyper: "Boobs are nice. Handfuls." She made some gesture of sorts.

Mortll: "This one is not going to have any problems "

Mortll: “At least not with attracting someone that catches her eye."

Pyper: "I have, had issues. I think, I chose a pair. Not a couple. Too much alike, not different enough."

Doc: "A pair?" He knew the one, who was the other?

Pyper: "Yes. A pair. Two things that are, too similar. They cannot, make couples together."

Doc: "And yet.. you said Mortll and I were similar.. are you suggesting she should dump me again?"

Pyper: "No. But that was why, Roderic and I, did not become a couple. We had been, trying. Testing. Then nothing. Because, we are a pair."

Mortll: “Doc we are similar in some ways but there are just as many that we are different on and you know it better than anyone.”

Doc: Doc slides a look at Mortll, "I was making an analytical argument in order to spur discussion.. "

Mortll: “And you are going to fight as a couple.”

Mortll: “It takes work and a lot of understanding to make it work.”

Mortll: “along with the fun and good times.”

Pyper: "Fight? I don't know, if I want to do, that. With a couple-person." She remembered the cracks in the walls of her apartment.

Doc: "I dislike fighting.."

Mortll: “He does chop wood like a champion now.”

Pyper: "I don't understand, that reference."

Mortll: “ehhh it was a way to try and relieve stress.”

Doc: "Mortll likes to fight.. I refuse to.. I chop wood instead."

Pyper: "I argued with, Simone once. In the library. My head through a book. Fighting, isn't a good thing. It takes, too much."

Mortll: “I don't like to fight i like to talk things through ... he is the silent brooding type that needs to get away from it for awhile.”

Doc: Doc almost said, 'you don't like to talk things through you like to point out my failings'... but he did not.

Pyper: "You don't peek inside?" It was often that Pyper invaded certain people to see things she might otherwise not.

Mortll: “I have the ability but I do not.”

Pyper: "Is it unfair?"

Mortll: “I don't want to know he will tell me when hes ready.”

Mortll: “If he trusts me and has confidence in me, then he will.”

Pyper: Pyper silently absorbed the last bit.

Doc: Doc opened his mouth, and closes it. "That makes it sound like there is something to tell.. what if there is NOTHING.."

Mortll: “Then there is nothing to tell.”

Mortll: “I will tell you this about women we worry too much.”

Doc: “That is ******* true enough.”

Pyper: "Hey!"

Mortll: “No hes right.”

Pyper: "Calix is not a woman."

Mortll: “I’ve put him through hell a couple times over nothing to worry about.”

Pyper: Her eyes dared Charles to be rude.

Mortll: “Calix Archer?”

Pyper: "Yes."

Doc: "Gotta be a transgen.. "

Mortll: “I don't know him very well. Hes just tried to lift my purse a few times.”

Pyper: Her mind lashed out like a whip. It pushed at the air, knocked into Charles' chest.

Pyper: "He is, a nice man. But he worries."

Mortll: Eyed the woman "That was rude use your words."

Pyper: "He was rude, first!"

Doc: "Was not.. " Absently rubbing his chest.. "That ******* hurt!"

Mortll: “He did not touch you, however you could feel that in the room "Call him a dick head whatever, dont just smack him around."

Pyper: Pyper recognized being reprimanded. Her mouth twitched at the corners. "Okay."

Doc: Doc glared, and didn't speak.

Pyper: Crack, crack, crack. Her fingers pulled at one another and twisted.

Mortll: Mortll sighed thinking about her swimming pool.

Doc: Doc counted.

Pyper: "I should go."

Doc: "See you tomorrow."

Mortll: “Nahhh its been nice meeting you. You and Doc finish up ... I’m going to head home and find a nice spot in front of the fire place i think.”

Pyper: "Oh no. I'm leaving. Bye."

Pyper: She walked out, quickly. Almost running.

Doc: Doc moved to catch Mortll's arm.

Mortll: She turned facing him "Your chest ok ?"

Doc: "******* hurts.. "

Mortll: "I can imagine you could feel the power of it I didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable "

Doc: “Calix is ******* girl with man bits.”

Doc: “He whines worse than a woman giving birth.”

Mortll: "Thats pretty bad, what is he to her ?"

Doc: He claims her because Phoenix was mad and sent him her way.... but **** that **** I claim her. She shows ******* promise. Like **** I will let a mewling whiner like Calix **** her up.

Mortll: “I can understand that. Why isn’t Nix taking responsibility?”

Mortll: “I’ve only had to disown one of mine and that was because he refused to quit breaking the masq and there was nothing other that I could do with him but kill him over and over like everyone else was doing.”

Doc: She is... She was upset.. and Lucretia was asking questions.. and Phoenix pushed Lucretia off on Calix. Then she told Calix to look out for her. What Phoenix did not explain, that was that she meant, ‘look out for her for the night’, not for ******* ever. But Calix the Transgen.. gets a maternal feeling and starts playing mother hen. To the point Phoenix pretended it never happened, hoping it would go away.”

Mortll: *Laughs*

Doc: *he rolled his eyes* Lucretia bonded with Calix.. because she thought Phoenix didn’t want her.. at all.. ever. ******* Females.

Mortll: “Ummm.”

Mortll: “Well when you’re first turned all sorts of weird **** happens.”

Doc: “Which is why I don’t blame Lucretia.”

Mortll: “You either learn quick or you burn.”

Doc: “But ******* Calix.. where the **** does he keep his testicles?! In a freezer?!”

Doc: “Because they stone cold dead.” Pauses. “Alright.. Enough of him.. her.. whatever it is.. Come here..”

Mortll: “Well she gets her back up when you say things about him that's for sure …” She touched his chest carefully.

Doc: "Ow." he grumped, "She's lucky I am not carrying.."

Doc: "Why don’t we go back to your place.. for mad passionate sex.. and then a soak in your pool.. and then more sex?"

Mortll: She unbuttoned his shirt slowly and looked at the red whelp that was quickly turning purple. It was already turning it should be better pretty soon. "That sounds like a plan to me quite a wonderful one in fact "

Doc: Doc linked his fingers with hers, "Let's go.. "