Eyes met his and Rye smirked. "No, I don't suppose you would be. Though I do love that you kept hold of the necessities." Her gaze dropped to his hand still clutching his gun as she started working on his legs.
    There was a quite obvious silence from George for a few seconds, then a quiet, *We're almost out. I'll talk to her about it when I'm there.*
    Gift's gaze had focused on Tristan when he began to speak, and by the time he was done, her eyes had emptied. Her lips curved just gently at the corners as she murmured, "Was he."
    "You'd be the only one," Wes muttered after Ezio's back. Followed by a heartfelt, "Freak," from Queenie. RoA. What did they expect though.
    Then they all fell silent, as Darshan sat up. He looked perfectly whole and healthy at this point, but they had only to look into his eyes to see that he wasn't. Not quite yet. And more than that, they could /feel/ it. It echoed in their bones and in their brains, because he still had control, and he was bleeding badly into them. Eyes went reflective, teeth sharpened in human mouths, muscles tensed and rippled with the urge to go hunting. They all wanted to hunt for him, bring him food and lay it at his feet and make him happy. And not a one of them could've moved if he'd decided to make them lunch.
    But...it just wasn't as bad as it would've been if Terra had been the one who had control of them. They wouldn't /willingly/ die for Darshan's lunch, but...they wouldn't mind it so much.
    Mace wasn't surprised when the dragon took to the sky, because he had self control out the ass and one didn't eat your possessions. He shook his head, looking over at Adrian with eyes gone feral. "Just a little," he said, unable to hide the animalistic growl in his voice. "But he seems mostly better now."
    A few heads swiveled when the sound of a door opened, emitting Christian and George from the hotel. Some mutters and a few gasps were heard when they saw a bloody C.J. in the former's arms, and a few even took an instinctive step in that direction. Because that was Darshan's girl, and she needed to be protected.

    Keller studied the shifter hard for a second, eyes narrowed just slightly. "Unfortunately, we don't. But I have some ideas on who will."
    Price chortled merrily at Sahar's description of his mother. "That's what I've always thought," he agreed cheerfully, and nudged Keller with his elbow. "And just you wait until I tell Galen and Winnie another person agrees with me."
    "It's not fair that you're too old to ground now," Keller said contemplatively into her cup.

    "Well," Nona said, decisively, "I trust you. I trust George and Tristan, too, but they kind of freak me out sometimes." Nolan echoed her thoughts a moment later, and her eyes turned shadowed. "Just like that. One shot to the pelvis to make him talk, and then one to the head to end it. I mean, I can't really blame him, but..." She looked away. "I don't think that I could have done it." She was a bodyguard, not a fucking assassin. True, you had to be willing to kill to protect your charge, if need be, but there was a difference between that and ruthlessly shooting someone who had once been a friend. It... disturbed her, almost as much as David's betrayal did.
    *She looks nervous.* Kawada sounded thoughtful. *She's certainly not a professional... anything.*

    Bright blue eyes drifted down to the gun, and Tristan smirked. "I'm very attached to it. Possibly more so than to my legs. Maybe I should give it a name. Any suggestions?"
    *You got it, boss.* "He was," Tristan said, his voice gently cold. "I believe that George and Nona were successful in locating him, however. George says that he'll tell you about it when he gets here."
    "He'll be fine as soon as he gets some... thing... in him," Adrian said, reaching up to rub his hands over his face, then grimacing as he realized that his hands were smeared with greasy black ashes. Darshan's skin. Adrian had been exposed to many things in his short life, and because of his line of work and his time working for Terra, many of them had been gross or disturbing. But it was only with a great deal of self-control that he resisted the urge to start scraping at his face and screaming, 'get it off! get it off!' Instead, he found a corner of his shirt which was not covered in ash and used it to wipe his face and hands clean.
    "Could someone go get me a bottle of orange juice and an energy bar from the trunk of Kersti's car?" he asked. His work wasn't nearly done, if Christian's summons were anything to go by, but he was already feeling a little drained. The damage done to the dragon would have killed someone else, and Adrian wondered nauseously just who was capable of doing that much harm to someone as powerful as Darshan. He had felt what had happened to the dragon's body, and he knew what the others didn't. Darshan had been -electrocuted-. His body had still been humming with the energy of it when Adrian had started to heal him. Who was capable of that sort of thing?
    Then Christian emerged with C.J., and Adrian didn't even bother to wait for a response to his question. He pushed unsteadily to his feet, his legs cramped from the time that he had spent crouched on the ground, and crossed the parking lot in a stumbling run. "Put her down," he ordered, pointing to the hood of one of the screaming cars as one of the only surfaces free of glass. "What happened to her?"

    "Who?" Sahar asked, with unabashed curiosity.
    Her grin widened as Price chortled, then turned into a snicker when she heard Keller's response. "Probably not too old for a spanking," she muttered, not quite softly enough to avoid being heard, and with a look of feigned innocence on her face.

    Nolan looked at Nona, then grinned crookedly. "I trust you too. And I trust George and Tristan, freaky bastards that they can be sometimes." He was reasonably certain that if /they/ were going to betray him, they'd do it to his face and wouldn't go behind his back.
    A hand reaching up, Nolan rubbed his eyes as Nona spoke. "I think George has a stronger history with Gift than we're aware of," he muttered. He wasn't exactly new to The Hunters, but he'd always stuck to certain aspects of it: bodyguarding, security sweeps, that kind of thing. He wasn't into the assassination thing, or the casual murder of strangers. Much less friends.
    *Anything,* Ry agreed with a little smirk, and when he looked at her again, she was looking back. Green eyes locked with midnight blue and Ry gave her a silken smile. Much to his amusement, that particular smile brought a look of wariness to her face, instead of the usual melting.

    "If you're that close to it, it definitely deserves a name," Rye agreed. "Have you determined a gender for it yet??"
    Gift's lips twitched at the discussion about Tristan's gun, but her eyes remained empty when the vampire spoke. A simple inclination of her head showed her acknowledgement of his words, and she turned to the hotel when people came out.
    "Several somethings, I would imagine," Mace agreed, still looking after the dragon until he was long lost to sight. Then he turned to Adrian, and shook his head. "Boy, you're going to wear yourself out. You're looking that way already."
    A couple of shifters immediately bounded towards Kersti's car. Adrian probably didn't want to know how they were going to get the trunk open, since they didn't ask for the keys. Not that he seemed to care, as another patient was delivered to his feet.
    Mace rolled his eyes as Adrian hurried off, then looked around the parking lot. Oblivion was still talking to Ethan, Ezio was heading in that direction, Koran was cooing with some of the gang, while the female RoA members were standing over beside a smushed vampire on the ground. What an exciting day they were already having.
    Christian looked at Adrian but didn't say anything, because the other man was a healer and wouldn't listen. He gently sat C.J. on the hood, keeping his arm around her shoulders to keep her upright as her legs dangled off the car. "Jayden," he said briefly. "Her face has been cut and she's got a piece of glass imbedded in her back. Should I put her on her stomach??"
    George watched them for a second, then holstered his guns and started towards Gift. She was watching his approach and the empty look in her eyes made him tense, but he didn't slow.
    Once he arrived at her side, she simply nodded at him. "He's dead," he said quietly, glancing over at Tristan. "He chose the wrong side."

    Keller did smile then, because she knew that cat curiosity peeking out. "Gift. I have yet to need something that Gift doesn't know, or can't find out."
    Price grinned in his drink and winked at Sahar as Keller sighed patiently. "Children," she said tolerantly. "I can't even remember being your age."
    "That's very sad," Price commiserated solemnly. "And we've never been the spanking kind of family, so please don't give her anymore ideas." The last was obviously sent to Sahar, along with another wink, because he was a good sport.

    "Maybe you shouldn't," Nona replied, with a humorless little smile. "It's been pointed out that shape-shifters are not the most reliable people to have at your back when there's a dragon on the loose."
    The look that Nona gave him when he mentioned George's history was surprised. She was relatively new to the Hunters, and she couldn't remember their boss ever mentioning his past. "Really? What makes you think that?"
    Kawada didn't say a word. But there was a little mental snicker when he saw the wary look that Kersti gave Ry.

    "Guns are always female," Tristan said promptly, "much like boats. Which is weird, when you think of it, considering the obvious symbolism."
    He looked up as George approached, and when he heard the other man's words, their was a sort of chill approval in his eyes. He said nothing, simply inclined his head in acknowledgment and turned back to Rye.
    "It can't be helped," Adrian said, with a wry smile, when Mace remarked on his wearing himself out. After that, he was gone, on his way across the parking lot to help C.J.
    It was almost invisible, but it was there. Adrian actually scowled at Jayden's name.
    "Her stomach," he confirmed, "and I might need you to hold her when I take the glass out." His expression was sharp and focused, all outward signs of weariness melting away as he confronted this new task.

    "Gift," Sahar said, and bobbed her head in a little nod. "Yeah, Gift is pretty handy. Besides, it can't be a coincidence. Find out who Terra and Jayden pissed on today, and you'll probably find out who it was easily enough."
    "Well," she said, a wicked smile blooming on her face, "if half the stories I've heard about you are true, when you were our age, you were running around slaying dragons and just generally kicking ass. I think you might have been a Jedi, too, but there are some rumors that I just can't give credence too."
    She looked sideways at Price, and snickered again. "My mother is fond of telling me that she wishes she had beat me as a child. I think that she's deluding herself, if she thinks that it would have improved my behavior any."

    Nolan gave a little grin at that. "Okay, well, outside extreme circumstances, I trust you." Because dragons were not an every-day occurrence, so they didn't get a part of the trust rating.
    Shrugging at her question, he said a bit doubtfully, "Just some things I've seen him do, heard him say. How he acts sometimes. I know he's been with The Hunters for a while."
    Jacob finally succumbed and sunk to the floor of the elevator himself, but he simply sat, back pressed against the wall. He got the opportunity to kind of nudge Fang with his foot, since the vampire was taking up pretty much all of the floor room. Jerk. Lucky him Jacob was tempered enough not to turn the nudge into an all-out kick.
    Ry gave Kawada a sideways look but kept smiling at the green-eyed vampire. *Hi.*
    If anything, she became more wary, leaning more against the wall as if trying to get away from him. *Hello.*
    *Part of the gang??* he asked casually, glancing about the elevator.
    *Not really,* was her slow and only reply.

    "Just goes to show who the more vicious gender is," Rye said with a silky smile. "Men just don't like to admit we're worse than them."
    George gave a half-smile at the approval he saw in Tristan's eyes, then turned back to his boss. Who was studying him again. "Anything else??"
    Shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Just typical she's going to take over the world, she's kick-ass, he was tired of still being treated as a second-class citizen." His eyes slid around, before his voice dropped as he continued, "He did say something though. About how he's not the only one wanting a piece of the new pie."
    He got a long, slow stare from his boss on that one.
    Christian nodded once at Adrian's words, and turned C.J. around and laid her down on her belly on the hood. "I'm keeping her calm and relaxed right now, but she's been silent and dazed since I arrived," he said quietly. His fingers were absently smoothing through her hair as he spoke, because he knew how cats liked to be petted and he wanted to keep her calm at this point. Though the way she stayed limp even on the car hood didn't hint at any sudden movement from her anytime soon.

    "Yes, that's been added to my "to do" list," Keller agreed thoughtfully, before taking a sip of her drink. She might've choked on her mouthful had she been a lesser person, as Sahar started rattling off her supposed life story.
    "Do I want to know who you heard those stories from??" she asked after clearing her throat, and shooting her son a sharp look. Price just smiled sweetly and sipped at his own drink. The little brat.
    "Well you seem pretty normal to me, behavior wise," Price told the other shifter, grinning at her. "You probably want to thank your momma for /not/ beating you, or you might be a completely different person."

    "Thanks," Nona said, with an answering smile. The smile turned into a small, thoughtful frown as they discussed George. "How old is George?"
    Fang directed a lazy, sideways glance at Jacob when the guitar player nudged him. "Stop trying to play Footsie with me, Miller. Can't you see that my heart belongs to another?" He waved vaguely in Ry's direction.
    "Please, guys, we don't need any elevator love triangles," Tala said, with a long-suffering roll of her eyes.

    A laugh forced its way out of Tristan's throat. "I'm not about to argue that. Especially with you and Redfern standing within striking distance of me." There was also that silky little smile of Rye's, as alluring as it was dangerous. Only a stupid man would have told Rye that she wasn't vicious, and Tristan had used up his stupidity quota for the day.
    "So, what do you think that I should name her?" he asked.
    "Just do what you can to keep her from thrashing around when I remove the glass. She could hurt herself worse, and I don't have the energy to deal with that right now." Adrian smiled, a little wanly, and it didn't quite touch his eyes. "You should have gotten here a few minutes earlier. Someone managed to take Darshan down. Gift called me a little bit after you did. It wasn't pretty, Christian. Whoever it was, they burnt him to a crisp, cooked him inside and out. If he wasn't what he is, it probably would have killed him."
    The healer sighed, and ran his hands through his hair. "It wasn't Terra, either. I know her handiwork intimately, and this wasn't the kind of damage that she would or could inflict." He let his hands fall to C.J.'s back, running gently probing fingers up to the cut, using both inner and outer senses to access the damage and grimacing at what he found.

    "Around," said the younger shape-shifter with a shrug. "People talk about you a lot, you know. You make for a good story." Laughter lurked in Sahar's eyes. "I could tell you a few more, if you like."
    She looked at Price for a long moment after he pronounced her normal, then grinned and looked back to Keller. "He's sweet. That, or he's just the most tactful person I've ever met. Either way, it's cute."

    Nolan nodded once then shrugged at her question. "Not sure, entirely. At least fifty though, I want to say."
    Jacob's lip just slightly curled in a half-hearted snarl. "Should've left you with the fangirls," he muttered, rubbing his eyes again.
    "I'm just waiting for him to kick off his orgy idea," Ry said calmly, finally pulling his eyes away from the green-eyed vampire. He glanced down at the sprawled vampire. "I wonder who he'd reach for first."

    "Ah, so there is a streak of intelligence in there," Rye chuckled throatily. "I might be able to overlook your getting thrown out of a window for that comment." Her fingers lightly ran over his knee, focusing momentarily on that joint. If he wasn't a vampire, he would have joint problems for the rest of his life. As it was, if Adrian didn't get over there, he might anyway.
    Eyes moved to the gun again, giving it a once over. "That's a very sexy gun," she admitted, "but deadly and vaguely exotic. How about Monique??" Her lashes twinkled a bit in a pale ray of sunlight, before it disappeared again behind another dark cloud.
    George was silent, watching Gift as she looked across the parking lot. Ethan glanced over, as if feeling her gaze, and she twitched her fingers at him. Excusing himself from Oblivion, he nodded at Ezio then started towards Gift.
    Christian absorbed Adrian's words silently, face grim. He kept his mind gently over C.J.'s, making sure she didn't really understand what the healer was saying so it didn't upset her at this point. The fact that Darshan was not in the parking lot gave proof to the fact that he was, overall, fully recovered, but he'd wait to talk to the dragon himself to determine what should be done about it.
    "We'll find out," he said quietly when Adrian confessed his ignorance. "If they're capable of that kind of power, they can't hide that well." Contemplating that thought further, he watched absently as Adrian began to do his thing with C.J. Who remained limp on the hood. Too bad it wasn't always that easy.

    Keller sighed and shook her head. "I'll pass," she said, resignation heavy in her voice. Of course she knew rumors and stories had blossomed about her since the slaying of the dragon, but she figured they'd have died out by now. She hadn't done anything really note-worthy since then, in all honesty. Aside from being Galen's wife.
    Price held up "don't go on" hand, smiling modestly at Sahar, though his eyes twinkled. "You're so kind, and such a flatterer. And pretty cute yourself."
    "He's both," Keller said wryly. "He should've been a diplomat for something."

    "Him and Tristan," Nona said, but she failed to elaborate on exactly what she felt that George and Tristan were.
    "I untied you," Fang objected, "or are you forgetting that it was my clever scheme that got us both free of the evil fangirls?" He tilted his head to look at the as of yet nameless vampire, and grinned. "Well, sweetheart, I'm sorry to say that my love for you is of a purely spiritual nature, no matter how nice your butt is. I'd say Kersti, but her mom would take off my hands and her boyfriend would refuse to fix me afterwards. Tala wouldn't leave enough of me to fix, so..." he looked at Nona and batted his eyes.
    The snake-shifter raised her brows at him. "There's a problem with that, pretty boy. If I've been hired to protect you, who's going to protect you from me?"
    Fang considered this. "That's a good point. I guess the orgy will have to wait."

    "Sexy, deadly, and exotic," Tristan said, with sharp humor, because talking was a good distraction, "maybe I should just name it Rye2, and be done with." The same pale ray of sunlight caught in his hair for a moment, turning it yellow-white before disappearing.
    "It is going to be a very long day, I think," Ezio remarked to Oblivion, watching from behind dark-tinted glasses as Ethan crossed the parking lot to speak to Gift.
    "Can't they? What has Darshan been doing for the past decade, then?" Adrian waved a hand to show that he didn't need or want a response to the question, turning all of his attention to C.J. instead. He wrapped his fingers around the glass, creating shallow cuts in his own fingers, and tugged the shard out, letting it fall onto the hood of the car. "Get rid of that. I don't want anyone misusing her blood." Then he was diving deep into his own power, using it to encourage C.J.'s body to heal itself.

    "Probably wise," Sahar said cheerfully. Her expression turned serious as she scrutinized Keller, and remembered what some of the stories were about. "Darshan really is a nice dragon," she said, fretfully. "Really. I don't think that he would hurt anyone. Not unless, you know, they tried to hurt him first. Or C.J. He can get a little bit tetchy when C.J. is threatened."
    The smile returned when Price called her cute, but the worry didn't entirely disappear.

    Nolan rubbed his eyes, before glancing upwards briefly.
    "And your big ass and even bigger mouth that got us caught in the first place," Jacob muttered. It seemed he'd be holding a grudge about that for a little while.
    "You must be a fan of unrequited love, because I'm not all that spiritual," Ry said, amusement still on his face though something moved behind his eyes when he spoke.
    Kersti, who was studying him now that he wasn't looking at her, tightened her arms around herself. And when he glanced at her after Fang spoke, she looked away again.
    Nolan glanced over at the other unnamed vampire, giving a wry smile. "I think I'm more relieved than anything that he left us out of the running."
    "You have lame ideas for orgies," Jacob informed his bandmate, resting his elbows on his knees.

    Rye chuckled again. "Are you implying I'm so easily competed with??" Yes, it was a trap question. She got her kicks where she could, and men just made it so easy.
    "A never-ending one," Oblivion agreed, eyes transferring to Mace and the gang as they huddled together.
    Christian raised a slow brow at the young healer, but didn't say anything as he began to work on C.J. The sight of blood starting to dribble over the shifter's back actually made his gums start tingling, and he realized he hadn't fed yet. And it had been a long morning.
    At Adrian's...command, he glanced down at the bloody shard, then picked it up. The feel of the blood on his fingers made the ache turn into a tingling pain and he licked the glass, savoring the taste of shifter blood. What better way to make sure no one misused her blood??
    Some of the gang were staring at that point, and it was actually Mace who muttered, "I think that's the creepiest goddamned thing I've ever seen him do in my life."
    C.J.'s body protested at first, because it had already helped heal a broken arm much faster than it liked, and it hadn't even gotten to eat yet today. But slowly, it started to knit together, and she moaned softly against the car hood.

    Keller looked back at Sahar with a calm expression, no inkling to what she was thinking displayed anywhere. At the mention of C.J., she did glance at Price, who shrugged. "I told you," he murmured.
    Eyes thoughtful now, Keller looked back at Sahar. "So how far would Darshan go if he or C.J. were threatened??"

    "I'm sorry, did I force you to go out into that alleyway?" Fang demanded. "Stop whining about it. You weren't the one who got touched in inappropriate ways." His gaze skipped to the vampire. "Yes, well, I'm a glutton for..." And back to Jacob. "I'm sorry, and you would know what about orgies? You haven't gotten laid since boxers girl dumped your ass."
    Tala's head made a solid thunk as it fell back against the mirrored side of the elevator.
    "I think I feel more fear at the thought of being trapped in an elevator with him than relief at the thought that he hasn't yet become desperate enough to turn his attention to me," Kawada said, with a glimmering of dry humor.

    A lazy smile danced across Tristan's lips. "I don't think that anyone could compete with you, and I doubt that anyone would be stupid enough to try. Now, since we both agree that I've done enough stupid things today, I think that I'll refrain from stepping off the proverbial balcony as well as the literal one, and just stop talking about things that might force you to do something violent to me, yeah?"
    Ezio grunted his agreement, and his eyes moved from Ethan to Christian. He watched indifferently as the vampire licked the blood from the glass, and his gaze traveled downward until his spotted the bloody rip in Christian's shirt, slightly to the side of the other man's spine. He grunted again, thoughtfully this time, and inclined his head to Oblivion before he started across the parking lot, moving at an easy, long-limbed saunter.
    He looked briefly at the healer, who seemed to be deeply engrossed in what he was doing, his fingers gently curling and uncurling against C.J.'s back as though he was physically encouraging the skin there to heal.

    "I don't know," Sahar said, frankly, and there was a gentle challenge to her voice. "I don't have a soulmate. How far would you go if someone threatened yours?"

    Ry watched with amusement as the vampire's attention ping-ponged around the elevator. Seemed it was too much effort for him to hold more than one thought at a time in his head.
    Jacob gave his fellow vampire what could qualify as a nasty look. "Like you're not familiar with inappropriate touching. And Fang, not all of us think sex is the life-affirming epiphany it seems to be for you."
    "Are they going to do this the whole time??" Kersti murmured to Tala.
    Nolan sighed deeply at that, and his own eyes traveled up to the emergency escape hatch. "There is that. Usually I can walk away, but this might drive me insane."

    Still smiling, Rye's eyes had gone down to watch her hands gently touching and smoothing over parts of Tristan's broken skin. "Honey, I don't do violent things to the disabled. I prefer a little fight in my prey." Her eyes were glittering as she looked at him through her lashes. "But unless you want to see what other things I'm capable of doing, yes, you might want to restrain yourself. At least until you're properly able to give it back."
    Oblivion watched him go, then moved over to Mace. "Mace, should you be here??"
    The shifter looked over at Oblivion, then around at the gang, then up at the sky. "I don't...know, actually. Darshan's going to come back here, 'cause C.J.'s here, but." He ran a slightly agitated hand through his hair. It would be a lot easier to know for sure if Darshan wasn't playing at being the boss at the moment.
    "Look, we can't do anything here, and he doesn't need us anymore," someone pointed out reasonably. "Let's go back home. He knows where to find us if he needs us."
    "Plus I think it's going to get ugly around here really soon, and I'd prefer to miss what ugliness I could," another muttered.
    Mace looked over at the mostly gathered RoA, and had to agree with that. If they were all here, it was for a reason, and he didn't particularly want to know what that reason was.
    But dammit, he needed to talk to Darshan.
    "Okay, all of you go home," he decided, waving a hand about at the gang. "I'll meet up with you a little later. Stay together, don't let anyone in. And be careful."
    Christian licked the glass clean leisurely, his eyes moving up with predator alertness when Ezio got close. He didn't say anything, just watched the other man. C.J. made another little moaning sound as the wound in her back slowly healed over, skin knitting together in what looked like slow motion, and he absently slid his fingers through her hair again.

    Keller stared at Sahar for a second. Price grinned behind his cup, and winked at Sahar with a semblance of approval.
    Finally, a bit of a grudging smile came to Keller's lips. "Fair enough," she agreed, with a small nod. "But at the same time, with that amount of power comes responsibility. Would you say he's a responsible person??"

    "You only say that because you're not getting any," Fang sing-songed.
    "Yes," Tala ground out from between her teeth. "This is Hell. I've died, and I've gone to Hell, and it's all because of that thing with the spray paint and the matches when Randi and I were in fourth grade." Her head hit the elevator wall again.
    "No escape," Kawada said, a little wistfully. "My father was an escape artist."

    Tristan bent stiffly, painfully at the waist in a little bow. "I'll make sure to get well soon, so that you can kick my ass properly the next time I offend you."
    "Are you sure?" Zeke asked, his expression troubled. He shook his head at his own question a moment later. "Alright. Just... stay safe." He nudged a couple of the other gang members who had driven with him in his car, and ambled towards the mass of parked cars on the other side of the lot.
    There was an echoing alertness in Ezio's eyes as he watched Christian. "You're injured, and you need to feed," he said, and although his voice was flat, there was a subtle offer in the words. It seemed like the most practical choice. None of them wanted Christian to snap and kill anyone important, and the healer-man needed to conserve strength.

    A snort was Sahar's first response. "God. If that man were any more controlled, he'd probably die from it," she muttered. "Just keel over from the effort of restraint." She shrugged. "He's been awake for..." she paused, counting something on her fingers. "Eleven or twelve years, and he hasn't blown up anything important, if that answers your question." She stopped, and smiled brightly, humorous memory glittering in her eyes. "Even I blew up Mace's toaster, once. But he never has."

    "And you're getting too much," Jacob retorted. "Too much blood focusing on one area and not going all over, like it should."
    Kersti blinked gracefully at that particular comment, and Ry smirked. In another situation, these two vampires might've been entertaining to know.
    "Is this something I should know about??" Nolan inquired of Tala. "You're not like a closet pyro, are you??"
    His eyes shifted over to the other vampire when he spoke. "What did he escape from??" he asked with genuine curiosity. Because it never hurt to know ways to escape, in his line of work.

    "I appreciate that," Rye said with a smirk, and pushed his shoulder back towards the ground. "And you do that again, I won't be responsible for anymore breaking bones. Stay still."
    The gang echoed Zeke's sentiments, but Mace was the boss, so they all drifted towards their cars in little groups, talking amongst themselves. Luke gave Mace a long look, along with Wes and Queenie, but Mace gave them reassuring smiles. "Don't worry about it, guys. I'll be fine. I just really need to talk to Darshan as soon as possible, and if I don't do it now, he's likely to disappear on us."
    The three exchanged looks, but finally heaved sighs and nodded reluctantly. "Anything happens, call us," Luke said gruffly, clapping him on the back.
    Mace nodded. "Likewise. Keep on good lookout, Luke, seriously. If you sense...anyone...getting close that shouldn't be, let me know."
    "We will," Luke said with only a small hesitation, and Mace's eyes narrowed after his second as the three walked away.
    Christian studied the shifter for a minute, then his eyes moved past him across the parking lot to Gift. Who met his eyes, and gave a slight nod. So he turned back to Ezio and smiled, a rather gentle smile that showed two very sharp teeth. "It's appreciated."

    A slight grin curved Keller's lips. "I'll put that as a mark in his favor: has not blown up toasters."
    "Mom," Price chided gently. "You know what she means. If he's been awake and about for that long, and hasn't come to our attention yet, then he might be harmless."
    Even the little half-grin faded at that, leaving Keller's eyes cool and neutral. "Price, no dragon is harmless, no matter how much he pretends to be. And he might've stayed clear of our attention for a reason in the past, but he was bound to know the consequences when he jumped on our radar this morning."
    Price sighed, rolling his eyes slightly.

    "Yeah, but who's having more fun?" Fang shot back.
    "Darlin', I so do not need to know what kind of fun you're having," Tala said. Her eyes had slid shut in silent agony, but she opened one to look at Nolan. "Who said that we were using the matches to light fires?"
    Kawada just smirked at the witch, mute and mysterious.

    "Yes, ma'am," Tristan said, mock-meekly, his smile still in place as he allowed himself to be pushed back onto the ground.
    A small inclination of the head, much like the only he had given to Oblivion, was the only response that Ezio offered. He shrugged out of his trench coat, which was so old that the black material had faded to a dirty gray, and tossed it across the hood of the car next to C.J. and Adrian. "Wrist, or neck?"

    "If he knew what the consequences were, obviously he had a reason for calling attention to himself," Sahar said, and she sounded stubborn, even protective. "All he wants is to be left alone, and he did a very good job of it until today. That's Terra's fault, not his. If he blasted her, or whatever, in the house after I called him for help, he did it to help out the people inside. I don't see why he ought to be in trouble for that. If you want to go sniffing around someone, why don't you go sniff around -her-? I can tell you for a fact that she's not up to anything good. She never is."
    She took a deep breath, and pushed her chin out, with a defiance that was more bravado than not. "Look, he might not be harmless, but he's never caused any problems for you, and he's my friend, and I don't think he should get in trouble just on account of what he is. So, I mean, you guys are nice and all, but if you -are- going to be causing trouble for Darshan and getting in his face 'cause he's a dragon - and, no offence, but I can't think of why else you would be talking about 'consequences' - then I think that you had better tell me so now, so that I can get up and walk away from this table."

    “I’m not the one who has fangirls trying to touch me inappropriately,” Jacob snapped in return. Which was true. He hadn’t had his clothes ripped off the night before, now had he?? Because he didn’t wiggle his ample ass at them, like /some/ people.
    Nolan gave her a pained look. “I assumed you were using the matches to spray fire with the spray paint.” Hell, he could envision that actually.
    The look he gave the mysterious vampire was unimpressed and Ry smirked.

    Rye smiled that rich little smile of hers and continued doing what healing work she could on his massacred legs.
    Eyes lingered on Ezio’s jugular vein, just because it was such a tempting thing and so much faster and easier. “Wrist,” Christian said, slowly running his tongue over his fangs. He could still smell C.J.’s blood and it made his eyes narrow with a kind of restrained pleasure.

    Both Keller and Price were staring at Sahar as she went on her little tirade. So polite about it, and calm, but it was still a tirade.
    When it finally seemed to come to an end, the pair glanced at each other. Keller’s brows had lifted and Price’s lips were starting to curve, and they both looked back at Sahar. “So Darshan /does/ have friends,” was his only comment.
    This time it was Keller’s eyes that rolled a little, and she drained the rest of her drink before clasping her hands on the table. “Sahar, I don’t know Darshan, and I don’t judge people before I’ve at least met them. So I can’t honestly say I’m /not/ going to cause him trouble, but if he’s as good as you’re painting him out to be, then we won’t have a problem.” She looked steadily at the other shifter, hiding the thought circling her mind. Which was the repeated question: did Darshan have Sahar under that special shifter spell, where she would do anything he wanted?? Or was she genuine??
    “If he controls his power and doesn’t try to start trouble for Daybreak or anyone else, then there’s no reason why he can’t go back to his quiet existence. We’ll leave him alone. But if this is possibly the start of something big and bad, then I’m going to put a stop to it right now, before it gets to that point.”
    Price was studying Sahar as his mother spoke, and his voice was soft as he added, “I met Darshan, Sahar, and he seemed like a nice guy. He’s not going to get any unnecessary trouble from us.”

    "That was only because they didn't have time to get to you," Fang retorted. Which he figured was basically true. Then he muttered, "of course, if -someone- would touch you inappropriately, you might not be so tightly strung now."
    A small muscle in the corner of Tala's eye jumped. Without looking, she reached out and smacked Fang in the back of the head.
    "Ow!" the lamia protested, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"
    She gave him a look, and he smiled with not-entirely-sincere sheepishness. "Oh, yeah. I should be quiet, right?"
    "That would be it," Tala agreed. She looked at Nolan, and a hint of a grin pulled at her lips. "Well, not entirely."

    Sharp eyes saw the way that Christian's gaze lingered at his neck, and Ezio made a rude sound. "You sure about that?" All the same, he held out his wrist, one long arm crossing the distance between them easily.
    Long minutes passed, before Adrian finally slid off the hood of the car, flesh having knit itself together below his hands, blood cleaned away by the ragged edges of C.J.'s shirt. Another small touch of magic kept her blessedly asleep, where he intended for her to remain until Darshan returned. Sleep could ease so many things, and he really didn't think that it would be wise for her to awake before her soulmate was present.

    "Well, we don't play cards every Tuesday," Sahar said, her voice a little grumpy, "but yes, he is a friend." She leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest and her expression a little wary. Neither the wariness nor the grumpiness faded as Keller spoke, although it did soften a little when Price spoke. "More of your tact?" she muttered to the young man, but there wasn't any real feeling behind it. The fact of the matter was, she liked these people, even if she was worried about Darshan and Mace and the gang and everything else. She couldn't feel angry with them, even if she thought that their judging Darshan wasn't really... fair. She wasn't so young or so naive that she thought that 'fair' was the usual way of things.

    "Thank you," Jacob said to Tala, rubbing his eyes again. "I can't believe I'm getting sex advice from someone named Fang."
    "Oh, low blow," Ry murmured with another smirk. And yes it was, but at this point, Jacob could care less.
    Of course, a second later, Ry's brow inched up. "Fang??"
    Nolan gave Tala a suspicious look. "Do I want to know then??"
    Kersti had her eyes closed and seemed to be blocking all of them out. Smart girl.

    Christian's fingers closed over Ezio's wrist, though he was still smiling. "I won't be so tempted to drain you from down here," was his only reply, before he brought the shifter's wrist to his mouth and bit down.
    Once Adrian was off the car, Mace approached. He had a bottle of juice and two energy bars in hand, which he offered to the healer. "Oscar mentioned you needed these."

    Price shrugged. "Maybe, but also the truth," he said easily. "Mom doesn't have a diplomatic bone in her body, but we've forgiven her for that."
    He smiled at his favorite shifter and received a wry look in reply. "Thank you, son." Looking back at Sahar, she added, "Sahar, I am a fair person. I'm sure the rumors you've heard about me don't paint me as such, but I am. I'm not going to have an army of witches waiting in the background to sic on Darshan as soon as he shows up."
    "No matter how entertaining that would be, because some of those Daybreak witches /deserve/ Darshan," Price said cheerfully. Then he winked at Sahar again. "We figured I'd approach Darshan and /ask/ if he'd like to come to a little meeting, just to check on things, see how life's treating him. That kind of thing. Very civil. Not at Starbucks though. Only so much coffee I can take in one day." Even as the last word left his mouth, he stuck the straw back between his lips.

    Fang made a face, but shrugged. When you had a name like 'Fang', you got used to some teasing. "More of a low blow to my parents than to me," he said, smirking. He nodded a little to Ry, "and really, you shouldn't be mocking my name when I don't even know yours."
    "The less you know, the less you can testify to in a court of law," Tala said, in a manner which was not at all reassuring. She looked at Kersti, and leaned over to speak to the younger woman. "You okay, honey?"

    Ezio's agreement was once again in the form of a grunt. His expression didn't even flicker as the vampire bit down on his wrist. He simply stood there, completely still, with the same undaunted patience that allowed him to spend hours or days learning about a target and setting up his shot.
    "Thanks," Adrian said, and accepted the orange juice and energy bars with a grateful smile. "It looks like Ezio is taking care of Christian for me." Which was good, because the vampire had obviously needed blood and that was still something that Adrian wasn't completely comfortable offering. "Is anyone else injured?" He took a long gulp of the juice, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and then ripped open the wrapper on one of the energy bars.
    He tilted his head back, watching as the slow spiral of the vulture continued. A shape-shifter, or one of those strange breed of vampires that could also change their form, and Adrian wondered what it was that she wanted. In the end, it didn't matter. No one would be stupid enough to try anything hostile with the entire RoA here.

    Finally, Sahar seemed to relax, some of the tension draining out of her shoulders. She reached out for the food, ripping off a chunk delicately between her thumb and forefinger and popping it out, chewing on it experimentally. It was only once she was done sampling Price's offering of food that she replied. "Okay," she said, softly. "Just wait a few hours, alright? It's been a kind of sucky morning for everyone, not just for me." She took another bite of her food, and wondered to herself if everyone had gotten out of the house okay, including Darshan and Gift. She had been eager to put distance between herself and Koran, but she was going to need to find that out soon enough.

    "You do have to wonder what kind of parents would name you Fang," Nolan was the one to say. "You think they were making fun of the Night World through you, or what??"
    Ry's brows lifted some more and gave his smile. "How remiss of me. Ry. I'm Ry. And we mustn't forget Kawada, the mysterious son of an escape artist."
    Kersti opened one eye, which rolled over to look at Tala. "I'm ignoring the guys. Is that okay??"

    The blood coated Christian's tongue like thick sugar and he sucked hungrily at the shifter's wrist. Pain had started steadily getting worse in his kidney and that area, but as he drank, it started to fade, then eased, then disappeared altogether. Energy seeped back into his veins, quickened his heart, vitalized his muscles.
    It was really quite amazing that it only took one thing to do that for a vampire.
    Mace nodded at Adrian's thanks, and glanced over at the other pair. "Yeah, looks like." He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets, looking around the parking lot again. The RoA females were gathered at the fender of a car, Gift talking to Ethan, but Mace could just see someone on the ground between their legs.
    "Looks like someone's down over there," he told Adrian, nodding in that direction. His hands jiggled faintly in his pockets as he spoke, and it was a little obvious that he was feeling a little antsy. After what had happened so far this morning, he didn't like being separated from his gang.

    Price nodded agreeably at Sahar's words, and nudged Keller with his elbow until she finally nodded as well. That done, Price settled his gaze firmly back on the other shifter and raised his brows. "Now back to you. Gift said I was supposed to "give" you to Mom. What exactly does that entail??"

    "Bored and rich," Fang said, and there might have been a faint touch of mocking to his usually bright smile. "I don't think they thought about it that much." He wiggled his fingers up at Ry. "I'm Fang Acacia."
    "Ah, there's a good, solid old lamia family," Kawada remarked, a faint drawl to his voice.
    "Don't remind me," Fang said mournfully.
    A soft huff of stifled laughter caught in Tala's throat when Kersti spoke. "That's fine, honey. I do it all the time."
    "Occasionally," Nona said, in a confidential voice, "when George is talking, all I hear is 'blah blah blah, blah blah.'"

    The eagle-shifter remained still and silent. The predator in him balked at the thought of being prey, but it really didn't bother him; it was simply necessary, so he did it. He was scowling, but that wasn't really any indication of his mood, since Ezio was almost always scowling.
    "I'll take care of it in a moment," Adrian said, a little raggedly. "If it was life-threatening, someone would have come to get me by now." He gobbled down the energy bar, partially because he didn't want to pause long enough to really taste it. The orange juice went down slower, as he let the sugar in the juice rejuvenate him.
    He let the last drops of sweet liquid slide down his throat, then placed the empty bottle on the hood of the car next to Ezio's coat. He patted Mace on the shoulder absently, then floated over to the small gathering. Hew didn't even react when he saw the man crumpled on the pavement, although there was a flickering of sympathy in his stormy eyes.
    He knelt next to the woman who was already working to heal the man, placing his hands lightly over hers. "Ma'am? You've already started the healing, and you probably have a better idea of what needs to be done at this point than I do," he said. "If I channel energy through you, do you think that you can complete it?"
    "Be careful, healer-man," Tristan said, with wicked humor, "she bites."
    "Is there anyone around here who doesn't?" Adrian replied, with his own little flash of dark humor, and a tired smile to match.

    "I don't know," Sahar said, and shrugged. "She just ordered me to march my fuzzy little ass over here, and I don't make a point out of arguing with that lady. I figured you would know."
    She went to tear off another piece of the wrap, then hesitated, drumming her fingers on the table. "Look, can we talk about it in just a minute? I need to find a payphone."

    "Sounds like a therapy bill waiting to happen to me," Jacob muttered to no one in particular.
    Ry smirked again. "I think I'll just call you Acacia for the short time we're probably in company," he informed the vampire. He just couldn't fathom actually calling someone 'fang.'
    A little grin formed on Kersti's mouth. "I do usually try to listen to what the people around me say but the people around me aren't usually talking about mass orgies."

    Christian reached the point where he didn't really need anymore but it just felt so good to keep going. Draw the last few sips out, feel the prey become weak and pliable, then limp, then lifeless. That little burst of energy at the end that meant he had taken a life and consumed it, adding more power to himself in the process.
    That natural instinct was something it had taken Christian a while to overcome, but he was practiced at it and was able to do it with ease now. Releasing Ezio's wrist, he raised his hand casually and wiped his mouth. Midnight eyes were almost glowing, because shifters were infinitely better than humans.
    A simple inclination of his head reiterated his thanks for the offering, and he reached back to feel over his kidney. The skin was smooth and unbroken, though his shirt was ruined. Damn Sadi.
    Mace couldn't quite keep all of the disapproval from his face because he'd warned the healer about wearing himself out. But gods forbid he not help every soul in need, even to spare himself.
    Eyes rolled as Adrin wandered off, then Mace moved back over to Oblivion and Koran.
    Rye glanced up as Adrian knelt beside her, recognizing him because he was in fact Gift's daughter's boyfriend, and a witch of growing reknown. At his words, she considered, then gave a nod. "I believe so, but since you have a better aptitude with healing than I do, you probably want to take it slow at first until I get the feel of it."
    When Tristan spoke, she glanced down at him and smiled something that bared a neat line of white teeth. "Don't think I've met a guy who doesn't like a few bites here and there."

    "I have the general idea, but not the specific," Price admitted, glancing at his mother again. Who shrugged.
    More brows lifted when Sahar spoke, seeming almost impatient. "Of course, go ahead," Price said. "There should be one at he bathrooms, I think." He nodded in that direction, silent curiosity in his eyes. He couldn't help it; it was something he'd gotten from his mother.

    "Or an episode of Jerry Springer," Fang agreed brightly, with a dazzling smile at his band mate. He glanced at Ry, and shrugged to show that he didn't particularly care what the other vampire called him. It was nicer than what Tala usually called him, in any case.
    "Oh," Tala said, her voice thoughtful. "The talk of orgies doesn't really bother me, but I can see how that might get to you, sweetheart. Just plug your ears, or something, and I'm sure that we'll be out of here in a spell." She smiled encouragingly, then let her gaze wander back towards the boys, her voice turning steely. "And you two had best stop traumatizing Gift Redfern's little girl. I don't want her in fetal position when we finally -do- get out of this machine."
    Kawada straightened, almost unperceptively, at Tala's words. *You heard that?* he asked Ry.

    Ezio returned the nod and stepped back, walking in a small circle in order to assess his own condition. A little light-headed, and that wrist was going to ache until it healed, but he was fine. Not that he had expected anything less, because the offer wouldn't have been made had he not trusted Christian's control and ability to judge how much was too much.
    With another small inclination of the head, he grabbed his coat from where he had left it next to C.J., and trotted back to the Durango without saying a word.
    "Of course," Adrian agreed. "It's not wise to move too quickly on something like this, anyway. The risk of something healing wrong a needing to be re-broken is too high."
    "That's reassuring," Tristan remarked.
    A low chuckle dragged its way out of Adrian's throat. "Well, I haven't healed a bone the wrong way around since I was about eight, if you fine that more of a reassurance." He closed his eyes, but didn't seem to need to concentrate as deeply as usual, since Rye was the one who would be directing the power. He started to channel it into her hands where they lay beneath his own, just a trickle at first, pure life-giving energy flowing from him into the other witch.
    "Can't see them complaining, if you're the one doing the biting," Tristan muttered, then fell silent to let the healers do their work. After Adrian's talk about re-breaking bones, he really didn't want to disturb their concentration.

    Sahar twisted around in her seat to look towards the bathrooms, and turned back around just in time to see the curiosity in Price's eyes. She grinned, widely, because as a cat she could understand. "You're welcome to come over there and listen," she teased. "I wouldn't want you to strain yourself by eavesdropping from aaaaall the way over here." She bounded lightly to her feet, and sauntered slowly towards the payphones, giving Price a chance to catch up if he wanted to.
    When the door swung open and the First Son of the House Drache walked in, she paused only briefly to stare. "Huh," she said, then continued on her way, down the narrow hallway that held both bathrooms and public phones.

    Jacob rolled his eyes in tried and true exasperation. It was so hard trying to insult Fang because that boy didn't take anything seriously. One would think he'd given up by now.
    Kersti chuckled lightly. "Well the talk of orgies wouldn't bother me so much with the right person," she murmured back to Tala, with a little grin. "But the idea of all of /them/ in that situation kinda freaks me out."
    "Hear hear," Nolan muttered.
    At Tala's words, Jacob just grunted and continued rubbing his eyes. He was going to lock himself in his room when they got out of here. If anything was /left/ of his room, for that matter.
    Frowning at that, he sent out a little thought. *Tristan?? George??*
    *What is it, Miller??* George's voice was impassive and calm, which made Jacob feel better, for some reason.
    *C.J. okay??*
    *Fine. Adrian fixed her up. She's sleeping now.*
    Jacob sighed deeply, because that was good news at least.
    Meanwhile, Ry was looking at Kersti with a renewed interest. *Yes,* he murmured back to Kawada. *Which means when you start the exit through the emergency hatch, she's coming with us.* Small smirk.

    Christian continued kneading his kidney as his eyes moved upwards. He saw the vulture still circling but looked beyond her, studying the balcony that had caused so much trouble today. They were still up there.
    He looked over at Gift then, who was already looking in his direction. A light brow lifted and the Karnee smiled. *We're taking care of it.* That said, Gift looked over at Ezio as he got to the Durango. *Ezio, we're heading upstairs. Keep an eye out and if you see any of the Clan come out, shoot them.*
    Rye nodded in agreement when Adrian, keeping her hands lightly on Tristan. Maybe she should've gone into healing, she contemplated idly. Getting to touch pretty guys like this couldn't be a bad thing.
    Her expression became amused as she listened to the two guys, and it didn't change once Adrian started filtering his power into her. Of course she knew from Gift that he was one of the best healers to hit the witch scene, but acutually feeling it was something different. Rye was impressed.
    Molding it so that it fit with her own power better, so there wouldn't be an issue as it seeped into Tristan's skin and did a faster, more efficient job of healing his injuries. Her eyes flicked up again as Tristan spoke, and her smile became melt-in-your-mouth sweet. "That almost sounds like you're trying to get a bite or two of your own," she murmured.

    Price laughed as Sahar bounced away but made no move to get up and follow her. Yes he was curious and yes he might ask when she came back, but he didn't /eavesdrop/. At least in public. That was rude.
    Keller was looking after the shifter with something akin to what she used to look at Iliana with. "I haven't met someone like her in a long time," she mused.
    "Like what??" Price inquired, looking at his mother as he finished off his drink.
    Keller smiled a little down at her empty cup. "Brave and loyal and so young."
    "Hey," Price protested in mock offense, and she gave him a wink. During which she saw who walked in the door and a full smile came to her face.
    Price didn't even have to look, just lifted his hand to wave so Galen would know where they were. If he didn't already.

    Tala chuckled softly. "That witch boy, hmm? He's cute, I guess." Even if he looked like a good wind would blow him over. Then again, a lot of people looked frail and delicate compared to the boys that she had grown up with. The men on the homestead were very... sturdy.
    *What?* came Tristan's curt response, although he sounded more resigned than annoyed. *Orgy not going well?*
    The look that Kawada gave Ry was not terribly amused. *You do know that I wasn't actually intending to exit through the emergency hatch, right? I find the doors much more comfortable... although, if I'm forced to listen to these children much longer, that might change.* His eyes took on a shrewd cast, and he looked around. *I don't like it, either. She's too well protected here, especially since they're all bound to be on edge. If you really want the girl, it would be better to follow her and pick her up later.*
    Not that Kawada really saw the point of such an exercise. Then again, he didn't see the point in toying with Ethan Hawke in the first place. He had always felt that killing a person was vengeance enough.

    It was only then that Ezio smiled, cool and hard. He waved a vague hand to show that he had heard Gift, and grabbed a black case from the foot well of the passenger seat before veering away from the Durango, going to find a better vantage point.
    The eagle-shifter had disappeared into the rows of blaring cars when Sonya began her descent to the parking lot. She landed on the side mirror of the car that C.J. was sprawled out on, then dropped the remaining few feet to the ground. She shifted back into her human form, shaking her shoulders as it to shake off the last vestiges of feathers, and glanced over C.J. quickly before her eyes slid away indifferently. Prieten did good work, she would give him that.
    She looked at Mace with the same brief indifference that she had shown C.J., then turned towards Christian.
    The power shifted and changed slightly, as Adrian made his own attempt to fit his power to Rye's, and the trickle increased, but only slightly. Otherwise, he ignored the other two, intent on his task.
    "I'm not sure whether 'yes' or 'no' would be the more dangerous answer," Tristan said, with another flickering smile. His eyes had tracked Ezio across the parking lot, and his expression had flickered briefly to annoyance when Jacob had contacted him, but the smile returned shortly enough.

    The phones were easy enough to find, and Sahar quickly dumped the assortment of change in her pockets out, selecting a handful of it to put into the phone. She ran over the phone numbers in her head, trying to decide who it was best to call for information. She couldn't call the phone at the house, since the address was new enough to the gang that she didn't have the number, and she didn't want to call Darshan in case he happened to be in the middle of something. Like butchering Terra.
    The thought gave her an unexpected, bloodthirsty tingle of pleasure.
    In the end, her fingers moved over the keypad, punching in the number for Mace's cell phone. Really, she was a little worried about him. He had sounded really scared of Terra. Scared enough that he had actually admitted to being scared, which had to mean something. Besides, she had no doubt that he would be able to tell her how the rest of the gang was.
    Galen wove through the crowded coffee shop to where his soulmate and her adopted son were sitting, long legs crossing the room quickly. He touched Price's shoulder briefly in greeting when he passed, then went to slide into the booth next to Keller. The years had treated him kindly, and the only real sign of his age were the faint laughter lines around his eyes and mouth. The pale golden color of his hair hid silver well, and something of the predatory grace of a leopard had bled into his movements in the years since he had chosen that form. "I hear that it's been an interesting morning," he said, in a tone both mild and inquisitive.

    Kersti smiled, soft and sweet and completely private. "Yeah, he's really cute," she murmured, eyes going absent in a completely obvious way. Though one could safely bet she wasn't imagining her and Adrian in an "orgy," so to speak.
    *Nevermind,* Jacob muttered to Tristan, since he really didn't feel like dealing with his picky self, and since George had already answered his inquiry. The orgy question didn't even deserve a reply.
    Ry chuckled softly, leaning one shoulder against the closed elevator doors. *I figure we're going to get sick of these people way before the doors open,* he observed, glancing around. Though maybe if they could gag the males, it wouldn't be so bad.
    He seemed to consider Kawada's words for a few minutes, eyes thoughtfully traveling to Kersti every now and then. The vampire was right, it would be ridiculous to try to get the girl now, when a couple of security members were hanging around who seemed to know her mother. And if their words meant anything, he wouldn't have a chance to get to her if she were to return to her mother, so he'd have to get her before she left the building.
    Well, he'd see how things went.

    Gift noted Ezio moving out of sight and nodded to Ethan. He glanced towards Jasper and Zabri as Gift looked down at Rye. A few seconds passed, then the witch gave a short nod of understanding, and the standing RoA headed into the hotel without a word.
    Koran cooed after them, looking ready to bounce in along with, but Mace muttered something that kept the witch where he stood. Oblivion was watching Christian and Sonya, but he glanced over when Mace started slightly, then pulled out a vibrating cell phone. "Hello??"
    Christian was studying C.J., noting how her back lifted evenly with her steady breathing. Her face had eased a bit and through the tears in her shirt, he could see her skin was smooth again. Of course he expected nothing else from Adrian these days, but it was still good to see. Darshan didn't need anymore to deal with when he got back.
    He looked up when Sonya finished her shift. "How'd it go??"
    Rye chuckled again, though her eyes returned to the four hands on his legs. "I'm beginning to think you're actually a very smart man, despite some first impressions."

    Keller nudged Price gently and he gave her a face. "You're not going to start getting mushy, are you??" he groaned, but slid from his perch to plant his backside in the opposite bench seat. "I swear, any lips lock and I'm leaving."
    "You're amazingly prudish," Keller observed. "You didn't used to be this way."
    "It's grown on me," he answered cheerfully, giving a nod of greeting in return when Galen arrived. His eyes were mock-suspicious as he slid in beside Keller, and she gave her son a sweet smile.
    Price groaned again and Keller chuckled, before turning to Galen. "We have a dragon in our midst," was her calm reply. She still wasn't into beating around the bush. Usually.

    One of Tala's hands reached up to rub away the smile that had formed at Kersti's words. That was just... sweet.
    *If you haven't already* Kawada said, his eyes on Fang, *then you are a far more patient man than I am.* He sighed softly, and drummed his fingers against his thigh. He was not an impatient man, but this was turning into a trial, and there was little enough room to maneuver in here that it was starting to grind on his nerves.

    "Hi," Sahar said, and she actually sounded a little relieved when Mace answered his phone. "You're not dead, right? 'Cause, you know, if you are, you really shouldn't be picking up your phone. It's a little creepy."
    The question made Sonya pause, and a little wisp of a sigh raced past her lips. "In an ideal world, Sadi would no longer be breathing. As it is, I'm relatively certain that a few of his goons no longer are." She reached out long fingers, plucking at the edge of his shirt so that she could see the bloody hole in the back. For a moment, her face turned dark with anger, before it smoothed back into its normal, serene lines.
    "I see that you got the woman out," she added.
    "Yes, well," Tristan said modestly, "I was seldom dropped on my head as a child. Only once in a while."
    "Where did you drop from to shatter your legs like this?" Adrian asked, distractedly. "Or did something run over you?"
    "Balcony," was Tristan's reply. "About fifty stories up."
    Adrian glanced quickly at the man, as if he thought that Tristan might be joking, then sighed when he realized that this wasn't the case.
    "On the bright side, you'll never be out of a job around this group," the security guard said, correctly guessing the reason for Adrian's sigh and completely lacking in sympathy.

    "Yes, I heard that too," Galen said, his eyes turning dark and troubled. "Some spikes in power that felt vampiric, too, I'm told. Do we know where all of this is coming from?" The thought of another dragon did not sit well with him. They had only just survived the last one, and then only because a Wild Power had been fighting on their side. There was no Wild Power, not anymore, and he didn't know what they would be able to combat this with. Even less reassuring, when Nissa had been filling him in on this morning's activity, she had used the term 'off the charts', her gray eyes as cool and analytical as always. Galen couldn't be cool or analytical; instead, he was uneasy.
    He remembered far too well what had happened the last time that a dragon had awoken.

    Jacob had lowered his hands, resting one elbow on his propped knee and resting his chin on his palm instead. His eyes were half-closed, face seeming calm, but he was watching Kersti. Not that he missed the smile on Tala's face either, and he half-grinned. "Why can't everyone be like that??" No point in pointing fingers there.
    *Never questioned otherwise,* Ry said lazily, because he was indeed a very patient person. Had to be, considering the revenge plot he'd determined a long time ago for Ethan Hawke.

    Mace was a little surprised to hear Sahar's voice on the other line, but his own voice was a little relieved as well. "Oh good, you're not dead either," he said. "And no, I'm not zombie enough to manage picking up a phone if I was dead. Shit, when I'm dead, I'll enjoy the rest, so just leave me in the ground. Where are you??"
    Christian inclined his head in agreement. "Every little bit helps," he murmured, looking back at the balcony again. Though Sadi was a main target, getting rid of his army had its perks as well.
    He glanced at her when she touched his shirt, just in time to see the darkening expression. Though no smile touched his face, it flickered in his eyes for a minute. See, she really /did/ like him. But he didn't make the mistake of commenting on it, simply nodding at her observation. "Yes, I did," he agreed, looking again at C.J. "Darshan will be happy and I'm going to suggest putting her in a padded room for the duration of Sadi's visit."
    "Probably those once in a whiles just rattled things about a bit, put them in the proper order," Rye assured him with a little smirk. Which didn't disappear at the healer's words and follow-up sigh. "And you're dating the boss's daughter, so you know your ass is well covered," was her contribution.

    Keller nodded in agreement to the vampiric comment and her eyes slid in the direction Sahar had gone. "I have a few ideas," she admitted.
    Slouched down in his seat a little, absently chewing on his straw, Price watched the pair of shifters silently.

    "If everyone was like that, we'd all fall into sugar comas and die from the sweetness of it," Tala said, but there was no reproach to her voice and she was still smiling. The Soulmate Principle was all well and good, but Tala wondered if it could really make you feel with the same kind of intensity that she saw in Kersti's face. She had always felt that there was something to be said for good old trial-and-error and falling in love in a relationship, without destiny taking any part in it.
    *Tell me when you decide what you want to do* Kawada said, then fell silent.

    "Of course I'm not dead," Sahar said, and this time, the light, happy note in her voice held just the slightest hint of strain. "I'm like the energizer bunny. I keep going and going. Nothing can keep me down for long." She paused, considering, and her tone took on the softest hint of reproach. "Although someone should have told me that Koran isn't allowed to have chocolate." Not to mention, why Koran wasn't allowed to have chocolate. "Are you alright, as well as being not dead? Is everyone else alright, and not dead? Did Gift and Darshan smush Terra?"
    Mmmmm. Smushed Terra.
    "Not zombie enough?" she wondered. "Does that mean that you're a little bit zombie? Does it run in families, 'cause..." Whatever she might have said was lost when she stopped to answer his question. "I'm at the Starbucks down the street from the Paris Hotel. Where are you?"
    "I suppose," Sonya said, running her thumb over the edge of the hole before releasing his shirt. The thought of C.J. in a padded room made her snort, although it sounded less like she was amused by the thought and more like she was trying to hold back a comment. She eyed him critically, and sighed again, deeper this time. "I'm not going to be able to convince you to work for Blaire, am I?"
    "That's my theory," Tristan agreed.
    The quick glance that Adrian gave Rye was uncomprehending. "Why would I worry about my ass being covered?" he wondered, before his eyes slid closed again.
    "Christ," Tristan muttered.

    Galen followed Keller's gaze, and his eyes landed on the little shape-shifter at the phones. She was bouncing on her toes, up and down, as if she could bear to stand still while she spoke. "If that one is a dragon, I think that we can just go to Tahiti and leave her alone," he joked weakly. Then he turned serious again. "What ideas do we have, so far?"

    Jacob chuckled dryly. "You only wish you could," he said, voice half teasing, half something else. Not envy, really, but maybe wistfulness. It would be nice to have an excuse to not receive anymore baby strollers. Though he couldn't imagine putting someone he loved through the trials of fangirls. It was hard, being a superstar.
    Ry nodded slightly, still studying Kersti as he considered.

    "I can see that," Mace said after a second. "The Energizer bunny's kinda creepy, and you have that quality in you too sometimes." His voice was teasing though, which faded away entirely at her next words. In fact, eyes swiveled towards Koran, who was bouncing on his feet as he looked at the hotel. "You gave Koran chocolate??" he mumbled, not loud enough for the other witch to hear. "I figured you would've heard that that's a major no-no by now."
    He fell silent as her words started to mush together, and had to go back in his memory to remember what her first question had been. "I am alright. The gang is alright. Terra is still alive, but hurt. Very hurt, and doesn't have Adrian healing her fat ass, so ha. Darshan was hurt but he's been healed, and he's currently in control of my gang. Gift wasn't hurt. And I do believe my brother is a zombie, so it might run in the family. And I'm actually at the Paris, though I sent the gang home if you want to head back that way."
    Christian nodded once, then turned around so he was facing her once she'd released his shirt. One brow lifted at her question and he leaned his butt against the car beside C.J., crossing his arms over his chest. "Her father just tried to kill me. Again. What're the chances of you working against Blaire??"
    Rye smirked again at Tristan, then just gave Adrian a slit-eyed look. Because, really, he couldn't be that stupid, could he??
    "Think of it this way," she finally said. "If your ass isn't covered and it gets killed, you won't be able to heal anyone else, will you??"

    Keller glanced at Sahar again and half-smiled. "Not quite, though she /is/ the friend and most enthusiastic defender of the dragon."
    A snort from Price, a grin hovering over his lips as he continued gnawing on his straw. Keller gave him a rueful look and kept her eyes away from Galen when she said, “The best idea I’ve come up with so far is Gift. She’s going to know the dragons and the vampires capable of that kind of power, and she’s going to know how to get in touch with them.”

    "Is it that obvious?" Tala asked, and there was an echo of his wistfulness in her voice. Then she shook her head, golden eyes flashing with amusement. "Someone to beat off the next fan who tries to kindle the fire of my loins after hearing about my literary choices, you know." She remembered the toe-sucker of the previous night, and shuddered. "Maybe I should just ask Tristan out, and be done with it."
    "Maybe you should ask Nona out," Fang said helpfully.
    The security guard in question pretended not to hear. "Shut up, puppy," Tala said.

    "Hey, at least I'm creepy in a cute and fuzzy kind of way," Sahar teased, "you're one of the walking dead." A little bit of the humor faded out of her voice when the subject moved to Koran. "Uhm, yeah. No, no one mentioned that. Although, now that I think of it, I can't remember ever seeing him eat sweets. Just lots and lots of wine coolers." She frowned, just a little. She didn't really see the logic of that... but since when had logic had anything to do with Koran? "I know now, though."
    "Darshan is control of your gang?" she choked out, and she sounded like she didn't know whether she should find it funny or not. She lowered her voice, just in case Price had decided to eavesdrop. "I'm sure that he's loving that. What on earth prompted Darshan to put you under his control? He's always been very... not that... before."
    She swung around when Mace said that his brother was a zombie, and stared at the man in question. "He doesn't look like a zombie from where I'm standing," she said speculatively. "Actually, he's kind of cute. Do all Drache men age well? That might run in the family, too."
    The suggestion that she return to the house was met with a shake of the head, which of course Mace could not see. "You're at the Paris? Why?"
    A small, disgruntled sound came from Sonya's throat. "I suppose I'll have to, won't I?" she asked coolly. One final sigh, this one resigned. "Ah, well, the money was good while it lasted." She tilted her head, turning this over in her mind, then shrugged, as if who she owed her allegiance to really was of no consequence. "Well, at least I can use real bullets next time I shoot Jayden." The look on her face turned to one of slit-eyed anticipation, as if she would find some measure on enjoyment in watching Jayden bleed. "Perhaps a kidney shot," she murmured, more to herself than to Christian.
    "I won't take any unnecessary risks," Adrian told her, in the same dutiful voice he used whenever assuring someone of that face. Of course, there were times when Adrian's idea of an unnecessary risk was very different than anyone else's.
    "I am never watching this kid," Tristan muttered to himself, "and I don't care how much they pay me."
    "Shush," Adrian said, "We need to work on the bones in your feet." So many tiny little bones, now crushed into so much dust.

    A glance back at the shape-shifter on the phone showed Galen that she was examining him with a slightly disturbing look of speculation on her pretty face. She had stopped bouncing, but she was drumming her fingers against her thigh now. "She's friends with a dragon?" He shook his head. "Does that mean we know who the dragon is, then?"
    The mention of Gift's name made him pause. He tried and succeeded to hide a grimace at the thought of asking the assassin for help. He considered the suggestion as fairly as he could, and sighed, very softly. "Even if there is another way to get that information, Gift would be fastest, and we probably needed it yesterday, as the saying goes."

    Jacob merely chuckled at her first question, though his expression got the same amusement hers did when she further spoke. "You might not even be so into those books if you found someone to do it for you," he teased. Then of course Fang had to speak again.
    Jacob rubbed his eyes some more as he gave the vampire another nudge. With a little more "oomph" to it, so it was...okay, it was /almost/ a kick, but still not quite.
    Nolan was studying his fellow team member speculatively though. Wonder where his thoughts were.

    "At least people would be afraid of me," Mace said cheerfully. "People aren't usually afraid of the cute and the fuzzy."
    "Cute and fuzzy??" Koran echoed, head swiveling around towards Mace. Who waved a dismissive hand at him without answering. No need for the witch to know who he was talking to.
    "Yeah, you know now, at least," he repeated with a sigh. "I could've sworn someone told you." Eyes cut to the bouncing witch and he lowered his voice. "Are you really okay??"
    Oblivion had taken hold of Koran's arm and pulled him a few feet away, murmuring to the witch so Mace had his privacy. Mace blew out a breath, eyes rolling up to the sky again. "Yeah, Darshan's in control and he's loving it," he said dryly. "But it's better than Terra still being in control." He managed to keep the bleakness from his voice, but it was very grim at the memory. Thankfully it was short, at least.
    Sahar's following observation did nothing to improve the grimness, though Mace did blink in surprise. "You can...see...my brother?? And I'm at the Paris because that's where Darshan was before he got blasted. Or fried, for that matter."
    "There are lots of places to find good money," Christian said dismissively. He was glad it hadn't taken much effort to woo her over because, though physically energized, he didn't have the effort inside him for a long persuasive conversation at this point.
    Her words about Jayden made another cold smile tilt his lips. "Yes, real bullets, and lots of them," he agreed. He didn't comment about her kidney choice. Anything would be good on that bastard.
    Rye's eyes rolled. "I think a healer's opinion of unnecessary differs from a normal person's," she said contemplatively, looking at Tristan. "How about you??" Another smirk at the vampire's refusal to guard, though she didn't blame him. Some people needed a bodyguard, but didn't deserve one for all the trauma they put the guard through. Adrian would be such a person.
    Shifting down, Rye ran her hands lightly over his ankles, making sure to move slowly enough for Adrian to keep his hands over hers. She felt the power still seeping deep into Tristan's skin, could almost imagine the bones building themselves back together. It was still fun to shatter the bone than rebuild it, but this was entertaining of its own. Her skirt had fallen to the side, pooling on the bloody cement below her, and offered a wide expanse of bare leg for Tristan's viewing pleasure. Fallen man deserved some kind of joy in the situation.

    Keller looked at Price, who looked back at her. "Yes, we know who the dragon is," he finally said. "I met him last night. Fine old chap." He gnawed vigorously on his straw to hide a grin and Keller gave him a cool look.
    Turning to her soulmate, she watched his expression carefully as he considered her words. The sigh wasn't lost on her but at this point, she couldn't think of a better solution. "We do," she agreed with his statement. "And we need to know who else is getting involved, because this feels like something big is trying to happen. This way, we can warn Lord Thierry and give him specifics on anything heading our way."

    Tala smiled, but didn't respond. No use giving Fang anything else to comment on.
    "Don't kick," the lamia said to Jacob, but was blissfully silent aside from that.
    "Kicking is rude," Nona agreed vaguely, and it seemed doubtful that she had actually been listening to the conversation up until that point, which explained her lack of response. Her gaze had been fixed on a speck of dirt on one of the mirrors, but now it moved towards the two vampires on the floor. Fang smiled beatifically up at her.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Nolan studying her, and raised a brow in a silent question.

    "Think of the company we keep, Mace," Sahar said, a wry drawl to her voice. "Rotting corpse is pretty much day-to-day stuff, but I doubt that any of them know how to deal with cute and fuzzy."
    "I'm really okay," she reassured him, her own voice lowering in response, and not because she worried about anyone overhearing this part of their conversation. "Really. Oblivion showed up before I got anything worse than a few pulled hairs and a good dose of fear." She didn't sound afraid right then, but her voice was soft and serious and full of the awareness of just how close a call it had been. That Sahar chose to make light of most situations did not mean that she was a stupid woman, or that, after years of warnings, she doubted what Koran was capable of.
    "Of course I can see your brother," she replied, "he's only about ten feet away." The situation with Darshan was food for thought, as was the description of what had happened to the dragon. She thought for a moment, then made a concentrated effort to infuse some of her usual cheer into her voice. "Look, I'm going to wrap up things here, and then I'll come over to the Paris. If nothing else, I can't pass up the opportunity to make a few Kentucky Fried Dragon jokes at Darshan's expense. Oh, and, uhm, make sure that he's alright, of course. Because I worry about him. Frying is just not good for a person, and, you know... how?"

    "True enough," Sonya agreed. She looked around slowly, taking in the destruction in the parking lot from something other than a bird's eye view. "Do you know what happened here?"
    "Yeah," Tristan said succinctly, because really, what else could he say? A healer, a good healer, like Adrian was, would always put the health and safety of others before his own. Which was nice and all, but kind of a pain in the ass for whoever ended up watching the guy.
    As they pieced together his feet, they stopped speaking, and Tristan had a chance to notice just how little Rye's skirt was covering. He tilted his head to one side, unabashedly enjoying the view. "I think I'm lucky that Adrian isn't so good looking. I'd be force to injure myself more often."
    Adrian's lips twitched, although his eyes remained closed. "Then it's for the best all around that you don't find me pretty," the healer said, with a rare touch of humor.

    "Fine old chap?" Galen repeated, with a 'you've got to be kidding' look on his face, either at Price's choice of words or the sentiment expressed in them. "The dragons have never had a reputation for being fine old... chaps."
    He sighed, and brushed a hand over his soulmate's shoulder. "I don't like it, but we'll do what we have to do. If this morning is any indication, this could develop into something really ugly."

    Jacob merely snorted, including both Fang and Nona in that one sound. He rested his forehead against a loosely clenched fist and sighed deeply. It's not like he would be stuck in this elevaor forever. It just /felt/ that way.
    Nolan blinked when Nona's brow raised, and he cleared his throat before shaking his head in an "it's nothing" way. No sense letting her know how dirty his mind could be sometimes. It was all Fang's fault, really. Him and his damn orgies.

    That got a short laugh out of Mace, and he really needed a laugh today. "You got that right," he said dryly. "And somewhere along the way, that's just wrong. These people need help. Myself, I'm all over the cute and fuzzy, but I guess I'm biased." Did it say something about his masculinity when he preferred soft to rotting?? Ah well.
    A sharp look was sent in Koran's direction when Sahar spoke about that particular interaction, but Mace knew it would be useless to try to talk to the witch about it. It was just the way he was, and Mace had accepted that a long time ago. They'd just have to be sure that everyone knew the current guidelines and restrictions when it came to the witch.
    "Good for Liv," he mumbled, looking away from the other boyos. "Just remember, try to never be alone with him, no matter what." He made a face she couldn't see. "Though this morning was my fault. But extrenuating circumstances, yanno."
    The knowledge that his greatly esteemed older brother was only ten feet away from Sahar made some of Mace's skin crawl, and he muttered uncharitably to himself, "What is he /doing/ here." Dammit, this was supposed to be /his/ playground. Not the momma's boy's.
    Sahar's voice brought him back to the phone. "Okay, but hurry, 'cause I'm not sure how long we're gonna be here. And Darshan isn't actually here. When Adrian fixed him, he got up and decided he needed to eat something, so off he flew. And you might wanna hold off on the jokes until you see what kinda mood he is, because he might actually eat you this time." No need to mention how close the gang had come to being lunch earlier. "As for /how/ he got his ass fried, I don't know. Only he does, I think."

    Christian glanced around but not like it interested him much. "I know Darshan was injured, but not the extent or the specifics. I intend to ask when he returns."
    Another smirk and Rye was secretly glad she wasn't all that close to Adrian, because she would probably get touchy when he didn't take care of himself. She didn't /think/ she'd actually smack him or something, but there was that possibility. But, luckily, it wasn't her problem. Let Kersti take care of him. It seemed to be working for the couple so far.
    "Well I think you're pretty," Rye told the healer, her voice dipping seductively just because she couldn't help herself. "Though I don't think I'm willing to fight Kersti for your favors. Sorry."

    Price merely shrugged. "That's the best description I can come up with," he admitted cheerfully. "So maybe he's a different kind of dragon??"
    "Dragons are all the same underneath," Keller disagreed, studying Price. "And your fine judgment of character aside, I doubt Darshan is as fine as you thought, if this is what he's up to."
    "Don't go into this biased," Price warned his mother, along with Galen in the same breath. "Or you're going to get a lot of people mad at you. From what I saw last night, quite a few people seem to like Darshan. Including Kersti."
    Keller's brows lifted. Gift allowed her daughter around a dragon?? Interesting.
    She looked to Galen when his hand brushed her shoulder, and nodded. "I know. She said she was going to meet me here a little while ago, but since Sahar came, I bet something came up. I might call her in a little while if she doesn't show up, and see what's going on."

    Nona shrugged one shoulder, and went back to staring at the wall and ignoring the rest of them. She had found out early during this job that it was, occasionally, the only way to deal with the band, especially Fang. Tune out anything but screams of pain or cries for help. She had just never thought that she would have to put it into practice in such a situation.
    "Tristan is paying for drinks and dinner tonight," she informed Nolan, quietly. The word 'drinks' had a wistful note to it, and idly she thought that this job might turn her into a closet alcoholic. "I'm pretty sure that George hasn't actually informed him of this, but that's what the boss says."

    A soft, snorting laugh came through the phone. "All over the cute and fuzzy? Yeah, I had heard that about you."
    "Yes, I think I'll do that," Sahar said, when he warned her not to be alone with Koran. "It's not your fault, though, or my fault, or even really Koran's fault." Koran just... was what he was. There was no helping it. She was silently contemplative for a moment, before continuing, "I would say that it wasn't Terra's fault, but it kind of was. I also have no qualms about blaming her, so there we go. Whatever. No harm, no foul."
    She heard Mace muttering when she mentioned his brother, but couldn't make out the words, so she remained silent. Instead of speaking, she studied Galen. He didn't look like a zombie, and even well into his forties, he was handsome in the same way that a prince out of a fairytale would be handsome. There was something passingly familiar in the lines of his profile and the way he held himself, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. One moment she could see it, and the next she couldn't, and in the end she simply chalked it up to the fact that he was related to Mace, even though that didn't seem quite right.
    "I'll be there soon," Sahar promised, turning her attention back to the phone. "I'll just say goodbye to these nice Daybreak folks and walk on over." She gave a long-suffering sigh that had just the slightest edge of laughter to it. "I'll also refrain from making any jokes about barbeque sauce until I'm sure that Darshan won't barbeque me." Although she generally felt that if he hadn't so far, he wasn't going to.

    "Darshan, really?" Sonya made a soft, considering noise. "If they took down the dragon, maybe I switched sides too soon." The soft, cool curve of her lips was almost a smile, and the only real indication that she didn't mean what she had said.
    "Thank you," Adrian said, politely. "I think that you're pretty, too." And even if she had been interested in fighting Kersti for his favors, she wouldn't have succeeded, but he didn't say that out loud because it seemed mean.
    Tristan simply shook his head in silent disbelief.

    Galen had started to nod his head at Keller's words. He was a son of the Draches, and if anyone knew what dragons were like and what they were capable of, it was him. However, Price's caution not to go in biased made him stop short, and turned his face grim. Because the other man was right, and it wouldn't be fair to judge this dragon with his expectations firmly in place.
    It was hard, though, to keep an open mind. Everything he had ever learned went against the idea of a dragon who was good, or even neutral. They had drowned the world in fire rather than give it up. How could someone like that be anything less than evil?
    "Darshan," he mused. "That can't be his real name. It's a witch name, if memory serves."

    As Nona shrugged, Ry looked between the people in the elevator, amusement twisting his features. This was the scene involving people who'd been together for far too long.
    "Well what the boss says goes," Nolan said with a sort of quiet relish at the thought of Tristan buying for the night. At this point, he fully intended to put a heavy dent in the vampire's wallet. It was the least he could do.

    "If you've heard it, it's probably true," Mace said cheerfully and completely unself-consciously. He would be the first to admit he liked sex. A /lot/.
    Koran's name brought a certain grimness to the conversation and Mace muffled a sigh. "Yes, blame Terra," he agreed. "All around, whatever happens, it's because of her. She just brings the badness with her." Sounded like a winner to him, anyway.
    Galen being in Vegas was another thorn Mace didn't really need in his side at this point. He wondered if it was possible to just kind of bypass his brother for however long he was around. Though, he'd admit, he always enjoyed playing with Galen's soulmate just to watch his brother squirm. Because, face it, Galen might've been nicer and gooder and more well known than Mace, but he'd never have the extent of Mace's knowledge involving seeex. In truth, whenever he saw Galen's kitty, he wondered if they were still virgins. Heh heh.
    "Nice Daybreak folk," Mace grunted when Sahar's voice rang in his ear. "That's gotta be a pain in the ass. And yeah, just in general, might wanna take it easy on the old stick-in-the-mud for now. And, just so you know, Koran /is/ here with me."

    Christian's eyes looked up at the sky briefly before looking at Sonya again, and that brutal smile slowly came back into being. "I'm actually kind of looking forward to meeting that individual." It had been so long since he'd felt a real challenge in life, and had a chance to feel a gun in his hand for his own personal pleasure instead of money.
    Rye smirked again at Adrian's words and flicked a heavy-lidded glance at Tristan. "See, when he says it, I see no future including biting. You want to give it a try?? I need my self-esteem rejuvenated."