World of Darkness: Attrition - Home Sweet Home [FIN]

[Adrian Moss]

She walked into Sam’s office looking every bit the young, urban professional. She was attractive, but Sam doubted anyone had called her pretty. The woman in her skirt, blouse, and light jacket did her best to hide her social discomfort, but to a student of human nature, it was obvious she was uncomfortable around strangers. She held her designer purse like a shield.

“Hello, Samantha Spaid? I’m Gwendolyn Brooks. I want you to find someone.”

She bit her lower lip and looked around the small, drab office. Sam got the vague impression she had expected … more. Her eyes settled on Sam again – intelligent, educated eyes. The girl definitely needed help in the make-up department, but who didn’t in LA?

“I think it is someone you already know. In fact, you may already have the answer I seek. I want you to find out were Adrian Moss lives. Yes, it is that Adrian Moss, the one you know. He gave me your card and says he knows you. I got the impression you weren’t actually close,” she said with more than a little hope in her voice. “I figured you would be the person best capable of tracking him down to his home.”

She took a step closer to Sam and looked more intense.

“I want to know were he lives, what his house looks like, and what the neighborhood like. Is it a safe place … umm … things like that.”

[Sam Spaid]

Samantha looked at the newcomer, her two p.m. appointment, and then gestured to the chairs before the desk, "Please sit down Ms. Brooks." Sam took a moment to study the girl's features before he reached into her desk and pulled out a yellow legal pad and a pen. The girl looked familiar somehow and yet Sam couldn't place her. It was no great surprise, she was plain, nothing about her looks or poise stood out. In that way Samantha saw part of her reflected back, Samantha had once been considered attractive but work, motherhood, and the job had demanded and conspired to cultivate an unimpressive exterior in Sam as well. She sighed to herself, reminding herself, promising, that she would start jogging again, lose the extra weight and try to at least get her figure back, maybe one day she would be able to attract attention as she used to.

Samantha shook her head and brought herself back to the present. "Adrian Moss? I know him. Why do you need him, or rather his house found? What I mean is why do you need me to do this, if you know that I know him you must also know him, why not simply ask him?" Sam mused that Adrian would probably not answer even when asked but she was more interested in uncovering this woman's relation to Adrian and why she was interested in spying than she was in finding out that Adrian was as mysterious to other people as he was to her.

[Adrian Moss]

Gwen hesitated for about twenty seconds before letting out a deep breath.

"It's a surprise," she lied, sort of. "We just got engaged and I think we are moving in from my small place to his much larger one. You know how men are about furnishings and closet space, and things like that. He's so closed about his life and his lifestyle and getting inside him is like pulling hen's teeth."

She rubbed the ring on her finger were an engagement band should have gone - which she deserved, but which Adrian couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. If only she had managed to put a ring on his finger as well.

"I have your money, and I can pay in cash, if that's how you like it. I don't want him finding out until I surprise him."

She leaned forward, somewhat desperate, somewhat deceitful,

"Can you please help me?"

[Sam Spaid]

Samantha nodded, "Congratulations. He never mentioned that he was seeing anybody let alone engaged." That put an entirely different spin on the man. Now she felt terrible for this young woman, she already knew that her fiancee was cheating on her. Samantha debated telling her, on the one hand it was entirely right for her to do so, on the other she wasn't being asked or paid to follow him. She also wasn't being paid to stick her nose into his business.

Sam stood up and walked to the file cabinet. It had a combination lock and was the one thing in the office that didn't look gently used or worse. She spun the tumbler and quickly unlocked the drawer. "So, I think I have his address in here," she said as she flipped through the files. Some were old cases, some were clients or informants, or just people she needed to keep tabs on. "Here we are," She pulled the file and closed the drawer, spinning the tumbler to lock it once more, better safe than stupid.

She sat back down at the desk and took up the pen. Three-three-eight North Palm Drive, Apt. C, Beverly Hills; she scrawled the address down. She looked up at Gwen studying her features again. "Pardon my asking but do you have a photo of the two of you together? Something to prove you are who you say you are. In relation to Adrian I mean, because it occurs to me that its rather odd that you would be marrying a man who has never taken you to his house even once."

Click to reveal..

Opposing rolls to see if the lie is believed:

(16:27:41) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 5,10,9,1,4.

(16:27:46) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 1d10 and gets 7.

(16:30:07) ChatBot: (Gwen) rolls 6d10 and gets 8,9,10,3,4,3.

(16:30:18) ChatBot: (Gwen) rolls 1d10 and gets 4.

Result = Gwen by 1

[Adrian Moss]

She had to stop her hands from reaching out and stealing the number. She had to blood to burn. She was pretty sure she could to it ... but then what about the woman? Adrian would kill he if she left someone behind who had witnessed her gifts. Gwen would have to wait.

"If you know Adrian at all," she managed to sound civil, "you would know he hates to have his picture taken, no matter what the circumstances. I swear he's going to have a painter do the wedding pics instead of a photographer. That's not really my call. The only proof I had is that he said you were a great detective and that you could be trusted to be discreet. The way he talks about it, I might assume you are old, familiar friends."

"But I don't think that's the case," she added abruptly, trying to convince herself as much as anyone.

"Is this a place you've checked out? Oh, never you bother. I'll go over there myself while he's ... at work. You can't imagine how happy he'll be when he sees me there."

"Address please," and she held out her trembling hand.

[Sam Spaid]

Sam made a face, "My relationship with Adrian is my business alone. Anybody could have pointed you at me as as pee-eye with a solid rep. Listen this is the way it works. Normal rates are one-fifty a day plus expenses, minimum five hundred. If you want me to stop asking questions its double, an even grand. I've got the address if you've got the cash."

[Adrian Moss]

Gwen worried her lip. Obviously she was milling over things in her head. Finally she made her call. She reached into her purse and pulled out five hundreds, but there was sign of more.

"Here you go. Ask away. I have nothing to hide."

Before the money was exchanged with the note,

"You promise me this is his address? Are you sure of it? For the money I am asking, I expect results."

"My ... oh, forget it. Just give me the address."

[Sam Spaid]

Sam eyes the money, a rather easy payday to be sure, but her hand doesn't move from its position holding the notepad down in front of her, her hand covering the address. "OK. Tell me this, where did Adrian go last Thursday evening?"

[Adrian Moss]

Gwen's face scrunched up. Her lips moved as she talked to herself.

"Thursday ... he came home late, around 3am. He didn't say were he's been, but I was asleep and had a 8am class. He is often like that. He doesn't tell me all about his business, only parts of it."

She was looking for something,

"Like did you know he's been looking into haunted properites for some rich clients of his? Well, he has been."

"And ... and he tracked down a serial murder but no one would believe him. I wrote those reports for him, so don't tell me I'm not a part of his life," she said somewhat shrilly.

[Sam Spaid]

Sam nods finally realizing that this was the woman she had seen coming and going from the house she tracked Adrian to. She checked the file again, "Yours must be the off campus apartment near UCLA then?" Gwen nodded, an irritated look on her face. "OK, here," Sam slide the address across the desk and took the money. "That's where his mail goes anyways. His car is registered there. Honestly though I've never seen him stay longer than maybe an hour."

Samantha considered the issue of Adrian's apparent unfaithfulness, she decided the girl should know, even if she seemed a little unhinged upstairs. "You should know something else. Adrian's been cheating on you ..."

[Adrian Moss]

Gwen almost dropped the piece of paper.

"Wha ... what? What do you mean cheating on me?," her voice came out near hysterical. "You have seen her - this woman. God, I've always suspected, but he's been so evasive. Tell me about her?"

Gwen sat down, her free hand gripping her purse tightly. She had a far-off look to her, were her eyes were looking beyond this drab, shaded room.

"It's not her fault," she continued listlessly. "He's so impressionalbe and this woman ... she's been leading him along. Give me her address as well and I'll go explain things to her. He chose me, and if he's still seeing her at all it's not what she thinks," she added with an undertone of desperation. "I need to have her address."

Then a lightbulb came on inside and she looked into Sam's eyes,

"Tell me about his encounter with this woman. How did she behave? How was he when he left. Was he in a hurry to get to me or did he stop by someplace along the way?"

[Sam Spaid]

"I don't know who she was, I'm not even sure he knew who she was. I saw him pick her up at a club, take her home, to her place I gather, and ... well." Samantha turned a rather deep shade of red for a moment. "I saw him pleasure her like I've never seen another man do. You must be a lucky woman."

[Adrian Moss]

Gwen chuckles. The chuckle turns into a laugh and the laugh nearly into a tear-jerking giggle of delight.

"Oh ... <laughter> ... Adrian's like that. He's VERY talented, but that's not ... not his girlfriend. He, ummm, meets lots of women, but he never stays long, or past his welcome if you know what I mean."

"You must be a pretty good detective if you got that close to him without him noticing, as distracted as he was. Okay, I don't need her address. She's noting to him," Gwen says with unnerving conviction.

"Okay, I'll take this address and go find out what I can find out. If you find out anything about this other would-be girlfriend, I would appreciate it."

She gets up to leave, odd client that she was.

[Sam Spaid]

Samantha watched the young lady leave and marveled at the woman's strange emotional swings. She wondered how somebody like Adrian handled such a woman, so prone to swing from apparent anger to mania. She shook her head and chuckled after the door was shut. Sam counted the cash and put it into her purse then prepared to leave, she was hoping to attack the UCLA faculty today about her murder case. She locked the door behind her and took the stairs down to the street where her clunker of a car was parked. As she unlocked it she smiled up into the sunlight and decided that the case could wait.

[Adrian Moss]

The call broke her reverie two hours later. Caller ID identified the persona as Gwen Brooks. Somewhat reluctantly, Sam answered.

"Hello? I'm at your office," said the voice curtly. "The address you gave me was bogus. He doesn't LIVE there. It's his mail drop. What does it take to get a decent answer out of you? What's your game? Are you that kind of friend? Damn it, I want some answers! I paid you for your services and as I see it you are still on my payroll."

"I'll make this simple for you. Find Adrian's home - his REAL home, and I'll meet your monetary expectations. Rip me off again and I'll point this out to the Better Business Bureau and a few friends I've made in the Los Angeles DA. I'm not playing around."

[Sam Spaid]

"Ms. Brooks... Can you hold for one moment..." Samantha held her hand over the phone. "Honey, mommy has a phone call ok? Don't go far please." Timmy looked up from were he was crashing toy cars into each other, his big green eyes wide and innocent. He nodded and returned to crashing the toy cars together and Sam had a brief thought of all the toy spouses who would be running to the toy hospitals to worry over their toy loved ones. She giggled at the thought and then returned to the phone.

"Ms. Brooks, I told you at my office that that address was where his mail went, and where his car was registered. I also pointed out that I had not seen him stay there for more than an hour, tops. If you think that there is another address I will look into it but it will take time. I will apply the money you gave me this morning toward the bill. If you would prefer not I can meet you in an hour and refund you your money, less one hundred dollars, as I did provide you with an address."

[Adrian Moss]

Sounds of pacing follow then finally,

"Okay, okay. Stay on the case. I have more money if you need it, just find him for me."

She didn't sound desperate, just numb. She was probably dealing with some real dissappointment and wasnt' the most balanced person to begin with.

"When do you think I can expect to hear from you? Would it help if I let you know when he was at my place? I could do that."

[Sam Spaid]

"I'll call you in a few days. Sooner if I make any progress." Samantha looked down at Timmy, sitting in the sun and playing innocently, she knew that with two active cases she was not going to be able to take him to the park again for a while. "If that's all I have an important meeting now that I should get back to."

[Adrian Moss]

"Okay," she says in clipped tones. Go ahead you bitch. I know what your game is. You want him too.

Gwen paced in front of his office then looked at her cell. Time for her to get back to her office. She would have to hide her money incase Adrian looked in her purse. Not that he'd ever done it, but she had to be careful. It wasn't like she was betraying him, not at all, but he might not understand. After all, she had tried the normal routes, right? She had asked, and she had the right to know. She was his Ghoul, and his safety was placed in her hands.

Gwen rationalized her actions until she was suitably convinced that she was not in error. A sense of determination with an undercurrent of blazing fear should she be discovered went with her as she headed back to her TA's office at the LA school.

[Sam Spaid]

Tuesday May 5th

Samantha waved goodbye to Timmy as he ran toward the school from her car, his back pack and lunchbox bouncing. She sighed knowing that it was likely that the nanny would pick him up. Work was important, it was the only way to keep everything paid for, but it tore at her that she was a horrid parent because of it. She spent as much time as she could with Timmy but she feared it was not enough, she was gone too often. Sam sighed and pulled the locket over her head. "Let's get this done. Mr. Moss, no more hiding, I will find you."

Nearly five hours later Samantha sat in her car across from a house like any other in a neighborhood near the Hillcrest Country Club. The locket was swinging directly at the house and driving around the area to make sure had proven that it would adjust to swing directly at this once residence. Even were that not enough, and it was, Adrian's Mustang was out front baking in the heat of the afternoon sun. Her own car was uncomfortably hot. The A/C had quit on her a year back and she hadn't been able to keep enough cash together to pay to fix it. Her shorts and shirt stuck to her and sweat had long since soaked her back and bra. Even with the windows open and the fan going she wasn't able to cool off.

She considered her options. She could knock on his door and see if he had air conditioning, explain to him that his fiancee was a little bat infested upstairs. She could sit and sweat and wait and hope that he came out before she was mummified in the LA heat. Or she could call Gwen, tell her where to find him, and collect her extra cash. She frowned and cursed, there would be no extra cash, she'd been paid already.

"Too hot to sit here and bake," Samantha peeled herself out of the driver's seat and got out of the car. She locked it but that was it, there was hardly any worry about it being stolen in a neighborhood like this. Trotting across the street she tried to decide how she would explain this to Adrian. She pressed the door bell and shrugged to herself, "Not my problem."

Click to reveal..

Spending 1 WP to activate Dowsing to locate Adrian's "true" residence

Current WP now = 4/6

Dice Pool = Wits + Occult = 5

Sux needed = 15

1 roll = 30 minutes

(15:19:12) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 7,3,9,9,6.

(15:19:15) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 4,3,2,9,3.

(15:19:18) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 3,6,4,9,4.

(15:19:20) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 10,4,4,7,7.

(15:19:26) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 1d10 and gets 1.

(15:19:28) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 5,10,7,1,8.

(15:19:32) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 1d10 and gets 5.

(15:19:35) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 6,8,8,6,2.

(15:19:45) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 4,2,6,7,1.

(15:19:48) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 9,10,6,7,5.

(15:19:54) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 1d10 and gets 2.

(15:19:56) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 5d10 and gets 8,7,6,8,10.

(15:20:01) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 1d10 and gets 9.

(15:20:06) (Samantha): ok that's 15

(15:20:23) (Samantha): 9 rolls = 4.5 hours

[Adrian Moss]

He heard someone knocking on the door and it frightened him. This was a factor of his disorientation as much as anything else. His instincts told him the sun was bright in the sky, still near it's zenith.

Adrian reached out with his senses as he struggled valiantly to stay awake. The drapes were shading the room strongly at this time of day. He opened the door to the closet and stepped out. The grey mist of sunlight threatened him mightly and he had to stuggle against the Beast. He managed his first steps out into the bedroom, triple drapes giving it a twilight feel.

His mind became clearer and wakefulness came fully to him. Cautiously he went out into the darkened halway and took the stairs down. The filtered light of the sliding glass doors in the back touched the hallway beyond the stairs a bit to strongly for his tastes.

There was no more noise from the door, but then a scuff of a shoe caught his ears.

"Who is it?" he called out carefully.

Click to reveal..

Wits+Auspex to wake up:15:50:18) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 6d10 and gets 4,4,10,2,2,4 = 1 success

(15:50:26) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d10 and gets 7 = 1 success

Humanity Roll to stay awake (needs 5 successes - extended roll(15:50:35) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 7d10 and gets 5,9,7,6,9,8,1.

(15:50:48) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 7d10 and gets 5,9,7,4,7,5,7.

(15:51:01) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 7d10 and gets 6,5,5,10,7,10,5.

(15:51:10) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 2d10 and gets 5,7 = 6 successes.

[Sam Spaid]

The bell chimed inside faintly and Sam stood at the door, shaded by trees and a slight overhang, waiting. She looked at her faint reflection in the glass of the door and winced, "I look like shit." Her hair was mussed and damply pressed to her head, her shorts and shirt also stuck to her from sweat and heat. She was lost in self criticism when she heard Adrian yell from within after what seemed an eternity.

"Who is it?" he called out.

Samantha panicked for a moment, wondering what the hell she was doing here. Part of her even got flustered that he would see her looking as she did. She swallowed hard, "Its me. Samantha. We need to talk." She shouted through the door unsure how well it would muffle her voice or if he would even recognize it. He had sounded tired, confused, she must have woken him.

She wondered, not for the first time this afternoon, if the barrel of a gun would be her greeting, and possibly the last thing she saw. His warning at the diner had frightened her more than she was willing to realize. It had frightened her enough that subconsciously she was avoiding the truth. Avoiding the simple, undeniable, leap of logic that would explain so much about Adrian but would tear down the walls of her supposed safe existence. Fear for herself and fear for her child drive he to deny the truth of the man. Silence reigned and Samantha felt acutely uncomfortable, "I'm sorry to wake you, or whatever, but I need to talk to you."

[Adrian Moss]

Pause.

Inside,

Oh shit! What's happened?

"Hold on."

Adrian comes back down to the door and unlocks to deadbolt and lock.

"Let me go upstairs and get presentable first."

At the top of the stairs once more, he called back,

"You can come back in now,"

came the shout and he faded back into the shadows of the upstairs.

Man, this sucks.

He raced back and shifted out of his clothes, hoping out of his pants and underwear. He knew he had a terrycloth robe up here somewhere. What was he going to do with Sam? This was freaking impossible, unless she had lied to him somehow. Adrian scrambled back and retrieved his pistols. No sense in letting her see them. He stuffed them under the pillow on the bed as he mussed it up.

How was he going to explain this. He was absolutely and totally busted. This was way beyond not eating a meal or two. This was out and out fear of sunlight. He might as well paint VAMPIRE on his forehead.

[Sam Spaid]

"Ooookaaay ..." Samantha opened the door and stepped inside. The first thing she did was half moan half sigh in pure pleasure as a wave of cool air swept over her body raising goosebumps over her skin. She shivered with delight as she closed the door. The house was dark, all the shades drawn the windows covered. A common technique to help minimize the heat impact of the sun. The hall had a mirror at the end and Samantha stepped toward it.

Sam considered her image and realized why it bothered her so much. Gwen had been so clearly worked up about Adrian's secrecy, Sam now she realized that Gwen was jealous of something or someone. Samantha's mind made the leap and she smacked her palm into her forehead as she realized that Gwen somehow thought Adrian was sleeping with her. The idea was ludicrous but it explained why she had been so furious over the phone. To her chagrin Sam realized that the knowledge that Adrian was "off limits", combined with what she had viewed him doing the other evening, had somehow made him more appealing to her as well. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "How could I act so foolish?" she asked herself.

[Adrian Moss]

He creeped back fromt he stray, bent rays of the sun that Sam let in. It held a strong horror for him and he knew why. His left hand rubbed his right wrist were his hand had been burned off.

"What was that?" he called down the stairs. He had heard her, but his ears told him the voice was not loud enough for normal senses to detect. He was still trying to play the game. Then the scent of her came up the stairs and he growled quietly. Sweat and deoderant were familiar to his feeding instincts.

"I'll be dressed in a moment," he called out as he went in and raided his closet handily. Underwear and socks first. He mentally picked out a shirt. Was she going to come up?

[Sam Spaid]

"Nothing!" Sam hoped that he hadn't actually heard her. She went hunting for the living room, it was in the back near the patio. She shook her head at the dark room, "Guy's got something against the sun I guess." Sam sat down and waited, trying to decide where to start.

[Adrian Moss]

When he came down, he was insanely dressed for the heat. Inside, he was only bizarrely over-dressed. Adrian even had sunglasses on, his gloves were on, and his shirt buttoned up. He edged along the interior wall, putting his back against structure.

"Hey," he said weakly. "Funny thing finding you here in my neighborhood. I thought by dumping the card you couldn't pull this stu ... trick on me."

As she looked at him, she could see his hands shaking until he put his hands in his pockets. He was clearly uncomfortable, even fearful. Hell, he was down right on the edge of terrified and he could barely move any further into the living room and the large glass doors and the heavy drapes that covered them.

[Sam Spaid]

Samantha offered a lopsided grin, "Yeah, funny thing about that, I'm more clever than you think. So ... nice place. Kinda dark though." She fidgeted in her seat for a moment, "Soooo... I met your fiancee..." Sam paused awkwardly, "She's a bit nuts in the head you know."

[Adrian Moss]

He stood there stunned for a moment. Slowly his shaking stopped and his terror became something else. Anger warred with concern.

"What did she do? Did she threaten you, or hurt you?"

"Oh crap. Listen I can and will deal with her. There are things she doesn't ... understand. I just never imagined ... Wait, is this why you are here? Because she's been bothering you? What do you want me to do to her?"

[Sam Spaid]

Sam laughed, "I dunno, but I think she needs to get laid or something. Seriously, she was all bent out of shape. Though that might be my fault, I kinda told her you were cheating on her with random cougars. That was after she paid me to find you though. She seemed really keen to know where you lived, which was, ya know, kinda odd." She heaved a heavy sigh, "Anyways I figured I should let you know is all."

[Adrian Moss]

"Okay," he nods. "She just acted weird, not stupid. I can deal with that."

"But why did you think I was cheating on her? She knows ... she knows I go out and see other people. That's just ... did she ask about anybody in particular?" Adrian queried.

The young vampire takes a half-step away from the wall toward Sam then stops himself and jumps that half-step back.

"Thanks for letting me know. I guess you are going to tell her were I live and all. A contract is a contract, a client, a client. Believe me," he says staring intently and with some of that anger seeping forward, "I'll deal with her tonight."

[Sam Spaid]

The mixed signals were starting to overwhelm Samantha's mind. Was he angry or not? If he had an open relationship with Gwen why did she get all psycho? "I think she has it in her head that you and I are more than just business partners. Pretty funny eh?" Sam didn't laugh, instead she actually blushed sightly remembering what she had seen him do. She tried to ignore the anger that was starting to grow in his voice but couldn't, she had no idea what this man was capable of and here she was sitting inside his house.

[Adrian Moss]

On hearing the idea that they might be lovers, Adrian seemed to deflate and became more of the man she had known for months. Then he opened his mouth.

"Samantha Spaid, I would never hurt you. You've been my friend when no one else was. Not great friends, I admit, but still in a time when I knew no one, you helped me. I won't forget that you gave me a chance and have helped me with one of my goals. I pay my debts. If ever you need something, and I can help, I will, I promise."

He is not at all lustful or aggressive.

In a calm voice he continued,

"Let me deal with Gwen. She'll know better than to ever bother you in this manner again. I only gave her your number because I told her you were someone I could trust. It think she misunderstood my communication with her."

[Sam Spaid]

"Uuhhmm, OK." Sam felt acutely uncomfortable, "I think maybe I should go. Sorry to have pried but I figured that if she was your fiancee you wouldn't be mad. If I was wrong ... well it wont be the first mistake I've ever made." She stood and started toward the door, not sure what to say or do next.

[Adrian Moss]

Adrian seemed startled.

"Oh, okay."

He'd never been awake this long during the day before. It was an odd, almost euphoric feeling. He would have to record it in his journal.

"She's not my fiance," Adrian mumbled. "She more like my girlfriend, but with ... circumstances. Oh man ... what am I going to do?"

Seeing Sam head for the door, he found himself edging along the wall into the death-furnace that was the living room.

"Good bye," he managed to say at last.

[Sam Spaid]

Sam was partway to the door when she turned, "Wait, what? She had an engagement ring, she seemed pretty adamant. You sure?" She stopped, her hand on the door, "How you run your shit isn't my business, but I think you need to talk to that girl. And stop messing around, seriously." She turned the handle and stepped outside, "Just so you know I got a thing I'm working on. If I need help can I call you?"

[Adrian Moss]

Before she turned the nob,

"It's complicated. I'll set her straight."

Adrian turned the corner right before the door opened. Sam was talking to the darkened hallway.

"Yes, you can. You know what hours I'm available. Call me."

[Sam Spaid]

"Yeah. Sure." The door clicked shut behind Samantha and she slumped as the heat began to drag at her again. She walked to her car and knew that even with the windows all down it would be hot again. Adrian was a strange man, he seemed almost afraid to get near the windows. Another clue she supposed. Sam wondered if he didn't have some rare disease that kept him out of the sun. "Anything's possible," she muttered to herself as he climbed into the car, wincing as her bare legs contacted the hot upholstery.

[Adrian Moss]

He would have watched he go if it wouldn't have burned out his eyes. Bad news delivered to him, the Beast poked out it's ugly snout and demanded to be fed. Sam smelled like a meal. Fortunately, the Hateful Wheel in the Sky that kept on burning was insurance enough against any vampire attack. No meal was THAT good.

Still, he wanted her at some level now, more than he had wanted her before. She had crossed a line into his Beast's perceptions and there lay the danger for them both. Now he would have to fight that around her.

He pulled himself sluggishly around the wall and down the hall. He locked the door's deadbolt and walked his way upstairs. For once, sleep did not immediately beckon him. His mind turned to vengeance and punishment. Adrian knew he would have to distract it. He turned on the bedroom's TV and flipped around.

He found the something that could distract his darker thoughts adn guide them in a different direction. Adrian found a show that made his temples throb and his stomach clench. It was so bad that he had no choice but to watch. Adrian had found a re-run of Charmed.

He watched the whole hour of it. He almost wept tears of blood from the pain, but his mind was truly distracted and his dark thought has ebaited by the time sleep called once more.

[Sam Spaid]

Sam headed home. About halfway there she called Gwen, the Bluetooth earpiece in her ear allowing her to maintain both hands on the wheel. "Gwen? Yeah I found him. He's at 10299 Club Place. Yes, I'm certain. I spoke him to, I know he's there. We're square now, if you want me to find anything else its a new case and a new fee understand? Excellent, pleasure doing business with you." Samantha hung up the phone, a sour look on her face. She hoped Adrian knew how to handle that woman. She tossed the cellphone into her pocketbook and flipped the car's radio on, after a job like this she needed to distract herself for a while.