Conflicted
Conflict Continuum
Digression
Conflicts
Conflicted Rules
CC High Council

"Right... well, I'm going to go enjoy myself." Jumping down from the bar, Fox wandered onto the crowded dance floor and began dancing with herself. Glancing around she noticed the boys all had dance partners and seemed fairly happy. She wondered why none of them ever settled down with a girl but shrugged it off. When they were ready to find someone they would.

The DJ put on a smooth, thumping song with strong base and just enough tempo to dance to when a gentle hand found its way in to Fox's. A man dressed in black, face covered with a mask, stepped out of the dark crowd, unnoticed by anyone it seemed and took up stance with Fox, gracefully moving with her in time with the music. He didn't speak and it wasn't even obvious if he was even looking at her from behind the eyeholes of his mask that were covered with what looked like black glass. He twirled her then pulled her close, turning the two of them. No, you couldn't see if he was looking at her, but his face never turned away from hers, so there were good odds she had his attention.

"Oh!" Fox looked into the face of the masked man, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Well, hello." Cocking her head slightly she allowed this man, if that's even what it was, to dance with her. "Do I know you?" Seeing only a blank mask with no visible appearance really made it hard for her to tell who this was, whether she knew them, or whether they were even man or not. The only thing she could tell was that they were not human.

"No." The voice was warm, comforting almost, and distinctly male. Well, that answered one question. "But I know you. You're Fox, head of the Resistance. I admire your work." He spun her against, lifted into a twirl, then set her back down and continued the dance without the slightest hint of effort and with no sign of wanting to hurt her. "It's selfless. Not many are selfless these days."

"Well thank you. I've been working hard, my friends and I that is. We want this city to flourish once again." Fox was surprised by his dance skills. Clearing her throat she looked into the strangers eyes. "Whats with the mask? You dont want us knowing who you are?"

"In a sense." The man twisted her around so that her back was to his chest, surprisingly firm beneath the layers of cloth, their arms crossed over her chest as if he was holding her in a kind of hug. "I will explain another time," he promised earnestly, the mask near her ear, before he untwisted her and continued their dance, keeping a proper friendly distance between them. "For now, trust me." He paused, looking up at the crowd, then back down at her. "Please, don't tell them of me." He sounded scared. "Please." And with that last word, the song ended and everyone cheered. The man let go of Fox and disappeared into the crowd.

"Hey, sorry about that," a more familiar voice told Fox as Benny stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist before giving her cheek a kiss. "It took longer than I expected."

"No biggy. I had a nice dance." Fox furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. The man had said to trust him. Who did he think he was? Why would she trust some stranger off the street? She wasn't stupid. But for now she would keep him to herself. He hasn't harmed her or done anything out of place so that was a good start. "So... How was your talk?" Fox wasnt sure when she had pulled her mind away from Benny's but she had missed the entire thing.

"Alright.. I think," Benny answered, clearly unsure if that was true. "He seems to care about Talia, so I figured that counted for something. I'm more concerned about the Shade, both from my own common sense and Emory's prejudice." He looked around at the crowd, still not letting go of Fox, and frowned. "Where did she go anyway?" It was a little like a spider on the wall. No matter how venomous, you were always more concerned when you couldn't see it than when you could.

"I believe she left." Fox glanced around and noticed the boys climbing on stage. Smiling softly she laid her head on Benny's shoulder and swayed her hips to their beautiful voices. "I'm very glad we found those three when we did. They've become very important to us."

Benny nodded in agreement. "Like family to us," he replied, knowing Fox would say the same. When the song started he smiled and turned Fox around, quirking his eyebrow at her. "Shall we dance?" he asked, but didn't really need an answer.

For the next few hours Benny did his best to let the world disappear and let his world, Fox, consume his mind. It was nice to have just this little break, away from what the day to day had become and looking at the creatures in the crowd, he was sure they would agree. Their club was that for a lot of people, a break from the tragedy that the mundane had become. It was a struggle, every day now, and some didn't make it, but those who did had become so broken, or so strong. He felt maybe they were all a little corrupted these days, and it was getting harder each decade to know who the bad guys were.

---

Talia gave an encouraging smile to Quinn as he walked off to speak privately with Benny. She turned to the bar to order another drink just in time to see Fox hop off it and disappear into the dancing crowd. "Have fun!" She called after her with a chuckle. Once she had a drink in hand Talia turned back to the room, foot tapping along to the music.

"How sad that you're all alone." Elvira's dangerous voice whispered suddenly from beside Talia. "Don't worry i'll keep you company."

Talia jumped and couldn't help but take a small step away from the shade, wanting to keep a safe distance between them. "You don't have to do that. I'm perfectly fine alone." She said in a polite tone as she looked back at the dancers hoping Elvira would leave her alone.

"Nonsense child, me and you are going to be great friends." Elvira replied with a dangerous smirk as she stepped into the space Talia had created. "I've seen it."

Talias eyes widened and her grip tightened on her glass as the thought crossed her mind to run. Her eyes darted round the room in search of Fox, Benny or Emory. Anyone who would come and help her.

"Shifters are such interesting creatures i've always thought. I mean not even I can change my appearance so freely but you...you can do it just like that." Elvira said clicking her fingers as she spoke. "Makes them very hard creatures to trap." With a swift and sudden movement she wrapped her fingers round Talia's wrist holding onto it firmly. Without a word, the shade placed a dark and unbreakable spell over Talia. At the strike of midnight tonight you will go to Rafe yourself and no one can stop you, not even yourself. She thought as her magic surged into Talia's arm. That is how you capture a shifter. You make them come to you.

Only a matter of moments had passed before Elvira released Talia's arm, any traces of magic invisible. Talia quickly stepped away from the shade, eyes wide at the contact they had had. Everyone knew you should never let a shade touch you. 

"Sorry didn't mean to frighten you. Won't happen again." Elviras tone was sweet again as she stepped away from the bar. "See you later shifter." She smirked one last time before turning and disappearing from the bar leaving Talia frozen in shock clutching her wrist.

After giving Benny one last nod, Quinn made his way back out into the general room to just in time to see Talia next to trouble. He also saw what he had hoped to avoid. There was trouble, and he slid through the people around the bar and to Talia. "Are you okay?" he asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

Talia's wide eyes travelled to Quinn and she had to stop herself throwing herself on him for a comforting hug. She rubbed her wrist lightly then let her arm drop to her side. "I'm fine..just a little shook up is all. No harm done." She smiled weakly. "So did your talk go well?"

"It was fine," Quinn said, looking down where she was rubbing her wrist. Something was off, and despite his hesitations he reached out and took her hand, holding her arm out. And he saw it. Even though Elvira had attempted to hide it, he saw. "No," came out on a whisper. His eyes became concerned, panicked even, and he turned to look around the bar, still gripping her hand. Turning back to her, Quinn's eyebrows pulled together. "Our dance will have to wait. Do you trust me?" His eyes locked on hers and he waited for her answer. "If so, we have to leave. Now."

"Of course I trust you." Talia replied feeling nervous at how panicked the man before her seemed to be and for the first time ever he was gripping her hand making her feel that something was wrong. "Where are we going? And whats wrong?" She asked her voice frightened now.

"That creature did something to you, I can feel it," Quinn said, his grip firm enough to keep her hand. "I think we should try to find Dash. Or...if you trust me..." This was the perfect opening to bring her to Rafe. Get him to remove the spell he sensed. And let him do his thing. But it would be tricky. "I know someone who might be able to help."

"No we mustn't go to Dash! I don't want him worrying or getting angry about the fact I got close to a shade. He would never let me out of his sight again and he'd surely make you leave for not stopping her." Talia replied quickly. "We'll go see your friend and hopefully they can help. Then we'll just go home and Dash should just be waking up. He doesn't need to know anything happened. Please, lets just go." She pleaded feeling sick that the shade had done something to her.

"No matter what happens, I will not allow anything to happen to you," Quinn promised as he led her from the club, careful to make sure that seemed normal and unhurried. He looked back at her, his eyes sad and concerned, but led her through the city, stopping to gain his bearings before leading her towards where he ultimately needed her to go.

---

Jake took the pastry from the nymph smiling gratefully to her. "Thanks." He said then took a large bite as he turned to Dash. "You wouldn't kill me. If you really wanted to you'd have done it already." He said after gulping down his first bite. "This is really delicious you should get one." He grinned then turned back to the stall asking the nymphs about each of the different pastries they were selling as he continued to eat the one in his hand.

"Well well you really did leave me waiting for quite some time." Came an irritated voice from behind Dash. Elvira stood, hand on hip glaring at him. "That was really very rude of you, you know. Its just lucky that i'm in such a good mood today otherwise there'd be consequences.." She had wondered down into the marketplace intent on replenishing her stocks of potions and other items and was surprised to find the unmistakeable scent of Dash. "Nevermind you're here now..." She paused looking past him at the hooded figure and a small smirk crossed her face. "..with that. How interesting."

Dash had, just for a second, begun enjoying himself as he saw Jake enjoying the stall, until Elvira's distinctive voice sent a shiver down his spine. He turned to face her, moving so he was between the shade and the human. "That's mine," he told her simply, as if Jake were property. "As for making you wait, I'm sorry. I needed sleep. It wasn't my intention to stay away." He forced his blood to slow, to calm his heart. He would not panic over this. He could grab Jake and run in just a moment if need be, but for now, he had to deal with Elvira, just like he promised. He handed the nymphs another ten so that Jake could get another pastry of his choice to keep him busy while he dealt with Elvira. "So," he said, as if he'd just taken a moment to give a pet a treat. "What can I do for you, Ms Shade?" He still didn't know her name, and he preferred it that way, so he simply referred to her the way he had before.

Elvira raised an eyebrow at the way Dash treated Jake and her smirk widened as she watched the human boy carry on browsing happily unaware of her presence behind him. "Well if you remember correctly I had wanted to help with the rebellion and had asked you to escort me to the leaders of the group. But fortunately I found the place myself." She said even though she had never mentioned any word of the revolution to Benny or Fox. "Nice little bar and friendly people, one man in particular. Oddly familiar though. Maybe you know him? I think his name was Benny." She watched Dash for a reaction to the name then carried on talking to see if she could anger him further. "Didn't get talking to many others though, just the girl behind the bar and..oh who was it? Oh yes! A shapeshifter!" She said brightly with a grin.

Dash's body tensed ever so slightly at the mention of his brother but his eyes dilated to almost pinpricks when she mentioned Talia. She didn't sound like she wanted to be helpful. He licked his dry lips. "What.. do you want to do for the Resistance?" he asked. He wasn't sure how a shade, who was always in it for themselves, could possibly help a movement meant to help everyone else. "You've said help, but help how?"

"I'm sure it doesn't take a genius to see that I have magic that no one else has most of which can be very useful." Elvira replied having to hide her glee at the reaction she had got from him. "This world tires me now..all this fighting and nonsense. I want something new and interesting, somewhere that i'm not having to move from shadow to shadow hidden from sight. I don't exactly blend in you know." She shrugged lightly then let her eyes fall on Jake again who had just selected the second pastry he was going to eat. "Why did you bring that pup down here anyway? Not exactly the safest place for him now is it?"

"He's been good lately. I figured I'd take him for a walk, buy him a treat," Dash basically dismissed her question. Of course she had magic that would be useful, and of course she would want the world to change, but she meant in her favor, no doubt. Greedy beast. "I think it's been long enough though, and you clearly know where the resistance is now, so you don't need me. We'll be going now." He placed a hand on Jake's shoulder and carefully started to move him away. He had to return this kid and then head to the club immediately. If she knew about Talia- Talia. He had been in Talia's apartment! And she hadn't been there, nor had that damn Deiciden- He had to get to the club. Now.

Jake looked up as he felt Dash's hand on his shoulder and waved a sad farewell to the nymphs. He could have quite happily have stayed there all day. "I suppose its time to go." He said in quite a sad tone as he readjusted the hood over his face and began moving with the other man.

"So soon? Thats a pity. You should really stay. I'm sure everyone else would like to meet your new pet." Elvira called as a nasty smirk spread across her face. "Well I guess they'll just have to say goodbye to him then." She flicked her hand lightly in the air and by some force ripped the hood from Jake's face. "Say goodbye." She waved mockingly to them as many of the surrounding creatures suddenly turned, eyes narrowed as the fresh scent of human filled their nose.

Dash made a face and rolled his head and it was obvious he was groaning and swearing in his head. With a last 'why'd you have to do that?' look at Elvira, he grabbed Jake and ran straight at the shadowy wall of a stall, seeming to 'fall through a puddle' of darkness near the bottom without a sound.

---

Dash hauled Jake away so fast even he felt the cold bite at his skin. It felt like forever to him to get away and when they finally stepped out in to daylight again, it was a few streets away from Talia's apartment building and they stumbled a bit. Dash let go, leaning on his knees and breathing heavy. "Fucking SHADES!" he yelled suddenly, turning around to punch the brick wall of the alley. It cracked slightly but mostly he pulled his hand back, shaking it in pain. The bloody wounds on his knuckles pulled themselves shut almost immediately and he sobbed for a quiet moment. Finally, he sniffed and turned back to Jake. "You need to go home. You need to go home now." He held his hand out for his hoodie, sniffing again and trying to keep tears from falling from his eyes. He had barely had his soul mate and he had already allowed her to be in danger.

Jake had stumbled forwards and had just managed to stop himslf falling to the ground. He jumped at Dash's angry yell and took a step back from him when he punched the wall. Quickly he peeled the jumper from himself then handed it over. "Is..everything okay?" He asked slowly noticing the line of tears waiting to escape Dash's eyes.

"No everything is not alright," Dash snapped and pulled the hoodie on roughly before using the battered sleeve to wipe his eyes. He turned on Jake. "And you wouldn't know anything about it. That.. THING is a very real threat to my family and she's much more inclined to kill them than we are to kill humans. Just- Just go home! I have shit to deal with." Without even a wave Dash went back into the shadow they had come out of and hurried toward the club to find Talia.

Jake visibly flinched when Dash snapped then watched as he disappeared. "Thank you for today!" He called suddenly not knowing whether he would be heard. "It was amazing.." He sighed and turned in the direction of home. Fifteen minutes before I need to be back..hopefully i'll make it. he thought then started walking with a hurried pace, disappearing back into the busier side of the city where he lived.

---

"Fox! Benny!" Dash didn't register, or didn't care, that he was scaring people back a few feet in his search for his brother and brother's soul mate. When he finally found them in the crowd he didn't seem to register he was breaking up a relaxed mood either. He sprinted to them and grabbed Benny's shirt, making his brother stare him down in irritation and concern. "A Deiciden took Talia-" A few people in the crowd curled in on themselves, a couple of them concerning their dates. Not everyone knew what one was, but those who did, didn't want to have anything to do with them. "And a Shade knows about her-"

Benny let go of Fox, ignoring the protest of his heart and put a hand on Dash's shoulder to try and calm him down. "We met them earlier, unless there are multiples but we both know they prefer traveling alone. How do you know he has her?" he asked, in regard to his Deiciden comment. He was still pretty sure 'he' wasn't right but couldn't care less.

Dash made a face. "Talia's become friends with him... he was at her apartment, we were showing him around today. I didn't trust him and now, now they are both gone! I woke up because of a human-" He stopped dead on the word at the look Benny was giving him.

"Because of a what?" Benny asked, his voice dead.

".. Human..." Dash replied quietly, but enough to be heard over the music as the boys continued to play to try and calm down the audience from Dash's outburst. "A troll was going to kill him-"

"We will talk about this later. For now, let's try to find Talia." Dash nodded and Benny turned to Fox, giving her an apologetic look. "I will be back soon, do not get out of their sight-" He pointed at the boys. It was clear his concern was selfish, he wanted her safe but his brother was in a panic over his own soul mate. He would have to leave, again, but he would rather Fox be here than with them where it could be much worse.

It was just before Benny left that Quinn reentered the club with Talia. He looked wary of the people, as he had the first time he entered, and looked around quickly for any sign of people he knew. Seeing Dash and Fox and Benny, Quinn turned back to Talia. "There they all are, no need to worry about hunting them all down," he said quietly.

"Oh no.."Talia whispered when she saw Dash's panicked state. "We just went for a walk..thats all." She spoke quickly to Quinn then moved round him and towards Dash allowing herself to smile brightly as she did. "Dash! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be resting." She said slipping her hand into his. "Is everything alright?"

Dash caught sight of Talia just before she addressed him. He jerked his hand out of hers, but immediately followed it by hugging her close, almost crushing her with relief.

"Dash... Dash, she's not stone," Benny told his brother gently as he put a hand on his shoulder. Frowning, he looked at Talia and Quinn. "He's been very worried," he explained.

Dash let go suddenly to grab her shoulders, holding her at arms length and letting his panic show on his face. "I woke up, and you were gone, and-" He turned an icy look on Quinn. "He was gone." His face relaxed into concern again as he looked at Talia. "I didn't know where you had gone, or why, and- Where have you been? This Shade- She knows who you are Talia, to me, to us." He motioned to Benny.

Quinn took an involuntary step back away from Dash, bumping into the wall directly behind him. Talia had left him standing there, and he felt the immediate abandonment. But she surely wouldn't leave him to face the wrath that was going to head his way if anyone found that he was responsible for them leaving.

"Dash i'm fine. Honestly. Emory and I just got bored of being stuck in the apartment so I suggested going for a walk that's all. We came here to listen to the music but then the shade turned up and I didn't feel comfortable around her or when she tried to talk to me so Emory and I decided to go out again for a little while in the hopes that when we got back here she'd be gone. That's all. I didn't mean to worry you." Talia replied as she looked at Dash with a reassuring smile. "you need to stop worrying. I'm perfectly safe and don't blame Emory for any of this. it was all my doing, okay?"

"She's lying..." Fox stood behind Benny. Her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes glowing white. "I believe we need to take this conversation upstairs." Searching through the minds around them, she noticed that the other creatures were growing restless. Fox tried blinking her eyes back to normal, but it didn't really work like that. When she was getting a vision, it couldn't be helped. "Now." Her voice was stern, and left no room for argument. Pressing her hand to her head she cringed slightly at the pain that was coursing through her.

Dash gave Emory a last dark look before he promptly grabbed Talia again, told his brother he'd meet them upstairs, and disappeared into the floor with the shapeshifter, giving her no time to argue. He wanted her separated from Emory, and he wanted it now.

"Forgive him," Benny told Emory as he gave him a gentle little pat on the shoulder. "He's still pretty protective." He gave the Deiciden a smile meant to comfort him before he motioned that he should follow. One arm went around Fox's waist as he led his girlfriend upstairs, hoping Emory would take the offer and join them. It was best to sit in the quiet and discuss this anyway, and Fox needed a break from the noise, so he was glad they were getting this settled now rather than later. Besides if they were innocent and had done just as Talia said (which he doubted because of Fox) they should have no reason to protest.

Quinn watched Talia disappear and immediately grew a little more despondent. He shivered, but followed, wishing that he didn't have to do this. Not surrounded by people he didn't know or trust at all. Talia was one thing, but these people didn't like him.

Fox led the way upstairs and unlocked the door. Stepping inside she held the door open for Benny and Emory to come inside. Once the doorway was clear she closed the door and relocked it. Taking a second to calm down and breath she blinked a few times and felt her eyes softened and change back to their normal color. "Much better..." Turning back to the room she frowned deeply. "Now, I think it's best that you stop lying to us. Ill be able to tell." The only two people who had ever really mastered shutting her out were Benny and Dash and they've had a long time to master it.

Benny recalled all too well the early stages of shutting Fox out, protecting his mind from her. It had been sheer panic,and anger, at first, and then simply a habit. He had so many images he simply didn't want her to see, things he reveled in that would only scar her. He stepped behind her and wrapped steadying arms around her shoulders, just holding her, forehead resting against the back of her head, as just support, for the moment.

Dash, eyes sharp as glass, was staring down Emory where he had Talia on the end of the couch furtherest from all of them, himself in the middle, and an arm around her, his body language defensive. He did not plan on budging. He was not necessarily angry, he was just still in a bit of a panic, that this might not be Talia, or something worse, but he was also wanting to protect her. He was not going to hurt anyone, but he did need a few moments with her before he was going to calm down. It really was not a good idea to separate them at the moment, and he was sure Benny understood that. He had once been inseparable from Fox, and it took a very long time before she could be out of the room without Benny needing to keep her in sight.

"Dash would you relax please.." Talia pleaded from where she sat beside him, pinned to his side by his arm around her shoulders. She glanced over at Emory nervously unsure what to do. She had promised to keep her meeting with Rafe a secret but she couldn't stand the thought of lying to Dash and the others when they obviously knew something was up. "Honestly guys i'm fine..so just forget about it okay?"

Quinn couldn't deal with the looks he was getting. He stood nearest the door and finally leveled his gaze at Dash. "I told them the Shade was no good. And I saw her talking to Talia. I was worried about her, so we went out to get some air to make sure she was alright. Hate me all you want, but I simply wanted to be certain that she you love was unharmed." He turned again to open the door, pausing only to take a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. He knew of the mind reader's abilities, could see that easily enough, and focused on the fact that what he had said was completely the truth.

"No, we will not just forget about it!" Fox clenched her fists at her sides as her eyes began to change once again. When angry her powers always took over and sent her into unwanted visions. Tampering down her anger she sighed heavily, trying to control herself. Her eyes burned, letting her known they were shifting. Once they were pure white the burning ceased and she glared in Talia's direction.

Benny squeezed Fox gently to try and help calm her as he looked at Talia as well, though his expression was more of a concerned frown. "If there is nothing to hide, you could just tell us the whole story Talia. There's no harm, right? And I'm sure it would ease Fox's and Dash's minds-" He looked at Quinn, his frown deepening. "Emory, please sit. Leaving wouldn't really be advisable right now, especially if you are truly Talia's friend."

"Why would you lie to us at all?" Dash asked Talia, having not let go of her at her request. He hadn't relaxed yet and his eyes were showing his surprisingly well hidden utter panic. He gave the barest of glances at Emory before he looked back at Talia, his expression shifting slightly but it was uncertain if that was fury or despair. "Did something happen... that didn't hurt you?"

"Emory didn't hurt me, I swear." Talia replied watching dash with a little fear in her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She but her lip lightly then glanced at Emory, an apologetic look in her eyes. She could not lie to these people. "okay.." She sighed lightly looking back at dash. "if you let Emory go I'll tell you what happened. But only if he's not here." She knew that if her three friends heard that Emory had led her to rafe they would not be happy. "Emory your should go home." She finished meaning back home with rafe.

Quinn stopped with his hand on the door, ready to leave, but the words behind him made him turn again. He looked at Talia, knowing what she was about to do, knowing full well that she was about to sell him out. The betrayal sat deep in his stomach, making him feel ill. But none of it showed on his face apart from the slightest of wrinkles forming between his eyebrows. "She is lying to protect me," he said, never taking his eyes off of Talia. "Because it was by my suggestion that we leave in the first place. That Shade...I knew what it was capable of. I warned all of you. And it tried to do something to her." In his eyes he was urging Talia to acquiesce to his statements, which were the truth. He looked over at Dash. "If you must be angry at someone for taking her out of where you can protect her, be angry at me."

"You're damn right I'm angry with you!" Dash practically snarled at Emory as he turned furious eyes on the Deiciden. Still, he didn't budge from his seat. "You both knew damn well I didn't want her alone with you! Gods only know what you would do to her, or someone else for that matter! Talia is strong, but what if someone had recognized what you were?! You think we hate you- You are so misplaced. I don't know how you got so sheltered, Emory, but I can not even begin to believe you are stupid enough not to know what other creatures would do to you, or your friends. And no, maybe you didn't hurt her, she looks just fine, but when I think of what could have happened- that it might not have 'hurt' her-" He looked positively nauseated by some thought.

"Dash." The word was quiet, but it silenced the fuming blood mage who sat practically shaking on the couch, surprisingly not tightening his firm grip on Talia nor getting up to physically threaten Emory. Benny supposed he had to approve of that. The elder brother looked between Talia and Emory. "Whatever you two did, you had better confess right now," he told them gently, then looked at Emory again. "He will maul you," he warned with just the barest air of 'but this isn't a threat'.

"He can try," Quinn said, his eyes falling to the ground. His voice had yet to raise above a normal indoor level despite the raised tones around him. "He may succeed. However your threats mean nothing when while she was under your supervision Talia was the recipient of a curse from the Shade." He glanced apologetically at the shapeshifter before looking at Benny. "I have done nothing but protect her since I met her. You refused to escort the Shade from the club and endangered everyone here, and Talia would have suffered for it had I not intervened." He backed up until he was pressed to the door, one hand on the handle. "What could I have done to her that could be worse than being touched by a creature such as that?"

"This is a sanctuary. We don't turn away most creatures. Especially not by the words of a stranger. Not all shades are evil." Fox paused for a moment in her speech. Several things floated around in her mind. A commotion downstairs and a strong feeling they still weren't telling them everything. Next thing she knew there was a knock at her door. Removing herself from Benny's arms she unlocked the door and smiled as Rain poked his head in. "We have a situation downstairs. A few Drow, one not so friendly, heard of your movement and want to join in. I mentioned your busy but they refuse to leave." Fox thought this over for a moment. "Let them stay. Keep an eye on them, but as long as they're not hurting anything it's fine." Rain nodded his head and ducked back out. Closing and locking the door again she turned back to the room. "You're still not telling us everything."

Talias eyes quickly darted between the three people before her and she couldn't help but bite her lip nervously. "Okay!" She finally exclaimed loudly. "What Emory said is the truth. The shade touched me and did something to me..Emory could tell right away and he wanted to protect me so he took me from the bar. He has a friend who he thought could help me." She said deciding it was best not to mention Rafe's name. "So we went to him but he could do nothing for me. But what he could do was summon the shade and make her remove what she had done..As soon as Emory knew I was alright he brought me straight back here.."

Benny stopped himself from telling Emory to get out of their home for what he had just said and instead looked at Talia, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. He was quiet a moment, then looked at both, what he was starting to see as, guilty parties. "And who exactly was this... friend... that you and the shade share?" he asked Emory, his tone indicating that he wasn't about to take silver-tongued answers. He might have let it go before, but not now. His brother wasn't nearly as calm, despite not having moved.

"You're wrong, she was under your supervision," Dash told Emory quietly, still glaring daggers and clearly displeased with what he had just said, for multiple reasons. "You're the one who took her away from the apartment and left her, alone, when you knew the shade was bad news. You are just as at fault as my brother may be, and don't use the 'I had someone who could help her' excuse because we both know that Shade could have done worse-"

"Dashiell."

"Sorry." Dash muttered the apology to his brother's chastisement and dismissed Emory for the moment in favor of turning concerned eyes on Talia again. "You knew I didn't trust him... and you went anyway..." he told her, sounding betrayed. His eyes fell, retreating inside himself slightly. "I failed to protect you..."

"He is not exactly a friend," Quinn said, telling the complete truth. He really hated mind readers. "And I do not even know his real name." Also truth, as far as Quinn was concerned. "But he has many contacts and I thought he might be able to help." He looked at Talia, his eyebrows pulling together. "I am sorry. I did not know there would be this type of reaction."

Talia looked between Dash and Emory as they spoke to her and groaned lightly as she covered her face with her hands. "Would you both just stop it!" She spoke through her fingers before suddenly vanishing and a small bird appeared in her place which fluttered over to the window before changing back into Talias human form. "I mean you.." She said pointing at Dash. You could never know how happy I am that we're together but you need to stop thinking that you have to protect me every second of the day. I am no damsel in distress and never will be. I can take care of myself alright?" She sighed then looked at Quinn. "you don't need to apologise either." Her expression hardened then and she frowned lightly at Fox, Benny and Dash. "What business do your have questioning me on what I do when not in your company anyway?"

"You obviously don't understand how this soul mate thing works. They have to protect us. It's who the are." Fox inhaled and exhaled deeply. "And I thought we were your friends. Also, I'm trying to save this city, bring it back to its former glory. If there is someone out there that could be dangerous, or help us in some way, wouldn't you want to tell us?" Fox's eyes shifted back to the crimson color as pain took over. "I thought we were friends." She repeated, pain clear in her voice. Talia clearly didn't understand her anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Quinn felt that this was where he should leave. There was no reason to stay any longer because there was no hope that Fox, Benny, or Dash was going to agree to allow him around Talia without a fight. He looked at the woman he had sworn to protect and frowned a little. He didn't believe in soul mates anyway. "Can I leave now?" he asked, feeling the tension in the room.

"Friends? Friends don't accuse each other of lying Fox which is all you've done since I got here." Talia replied with a snap. "And if I felt this acquaintance of Emory's would be of any use to you do your really think I'd keep it from you? Maybe I should be the one saying to you I thought we were friends..." Her eyes narrowed slightly before she finally sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'll go too if you want..its obvious that because of my new friendship with Emory you don't trust me." She glanced at Dash and gave a sad sigh. "Maybe it would have been better for you if you had never seen my true form...then you wouldn't be experiencing this much heartache and disappointment. Would you have prefered never to have met your mate?"

Dash's eyes widened in panic and he tried to open his mouth to answer but Benny cut him off. "Dash physically can't answer that," he intercut, looking away from his struggling brother to Talia, furrowing his brow at her. He didn't like when people questioned their race. It was better if they just didn't try to understand. "His answer would be different now than it might have been before. We CAN NOT reject our mates once we have found them. Even if you suffocated him until he passed out and threw him off a cliff, his answer now would still be 'I'm glad I met you'." He paused, frowned, and then glared at her. "You hurt him on purpose, knowing he's going to come back anyway, I'll make sure you regret it." It wasn't that he wanted to hurt Talia, but Dash came second only to Fox. When Dash immediately turned a threatening glance at him and was about to yell at him, Benny again cut him off. "Cram it! I'm not going to hurt her you idiot." Dash did not look convinced and so Benny turned his half glare back to Talia. "You see? You see what you did?" he asked, motioning to the man sitting on the couch, looking both like he wanted to run to Talia and hug her and adore her, and at the same time was clearly, deeply upset and felt like he had done a great wrong, as well as showing a little hostility at Benny for his words toward his soul mate. "Talia... we've been friends a long time now. No, we don't trust Emory, but we tried really hard to get to and you outright do something you KNEW was going to upset Dash, I'm willing to bet only because you though he wouldn't notice." He looked at Emory. "No you can not leave," he snapped. He pointed to a bar stool, on the other side of the living room across from the couch where the little island of the kitchen separated it from the living space. "If you are Talia's friend, you won't leave her here to take all the heat-" He pointed at Talia. "You're not leaving either. Dash could stop you, I couldn't, but he could, but I'm sure he's not going to, but if you love him, you will stay. put." He looked back at Emory. "You'll stay and stand up for your new friend. I don't think you want to give us ANOTHER reason to distrust you, so park it." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair (it would seem he was picking up habits from Fox). "If you don't want to give up a name, fine, but tell us exactly what you did after I took Emory aside to talk to him, Emory, from the time you left me, and don't lie. I don't want to keep arguing, and I don't think you want to either."

Fox had yet to move back to Benny's side. She hasn't seen him this angry in ages. Biting down in her bottom lip she frowned. Glancing at Talia she sighed heavily. The girl clearly didn't understand. She was practically innocent or at least she didn't think about the hardships that were going on. If she did, she would tell them who this friend is. Any number of people can help them, no matter how small.

"I will tell you exactly what I saw and did," Quinn said, standing a bit taller but not moving to hide behind the island. "When we left that room, I was looking for Talia because she is the only person here who actually seems to like me. I saw the Shade touching her, and knew that it meant something bad." He didn't want to tell them that he could read people's etheria. It would only make him look worse. "So I went over to her and the Shade took off. Since I did not know what was done, or how dangerous it was, I asked her to come with me to see if we could be rid of it. The rest you know. Then we came right back here because she told me that Dash would be worried for her. I never meant to get her in trouble with you. And I have no idea what you are talking about with this whole 'mate' thing. You have to understand that what you talk about is a foreign concept for me."

"I would never hurt Dash on purpose!" Talia replied with a shocked expression as she watched Benny then turned to look at Dash. She sighed lightly then moved back to his side and sat down. She gently placed her hand under his chin and directed his face to look at her. "You know I didn't mean to hurt you, I never want to hurt you. I'm sorry.." She sighed lightly then looked back at Benny, lowering her hand as she did and slipping it into Dash's. "Alright..you took Emory off to talk so I waited by the bar. The shade showed up and started talking..I tried to politely move away but she wouldn't leave me alone. She talked abour being friends and how she thought shapeshifters were interesting..she was talking nonsense about how shapeshifters are near impossible to catch then she grabbed my arm." She said then paused to take a breath. "She only had my wrist for a few seconds before letting it go..then she left. Said she'd see me soon." She frowned lightly. "Then Emory came back and he knew instantly something was wrong and he acted quickly, taking me from the bar..protecting me from the shade incase she returned. He took me to this person he hoped could help but as I said they couldn't but fortunately they could make the Shade undo what she did. As soon as she had I told Emory I had to come home. I couldn't bear the thought of worrying Dash.." She finished speaking her eyes still on Benny.

Fox blew out a breath of air and nodded her head. Turning to Emory she shook her head. "It's not that we don't like you, we're just very old and know better than to trust every creature that comes along. Especially one as rare as you. It'll take time before we trust you. And with how things are nowadays, that's why I pushed for information. Even one person could help our numbers, or crumble them." Looking up at Benny, to dash and talia and then back to Emory she shrugged. "The mate thing is harder to explain. They are blood mages. They are gifted with one soul mate in a life time. They are devoted to this soul mate. I am Benny's and Talia is Dashs."

Benny nodded to the explanation Talia and Fox gave on each topic before absentmindedly holding an arm out to Fox, asking her to come to his side, more for his comfort than anything. "I know you were both worried," he told Talia and Emory, glancing at each person to emphasize the direction of his words. "Shades are bad news, I already knew that, but I was hoping her private agenda didn't have to do with us. Let's hope she only did it as some kind of joke. Nonetheless, Talia, you should have told us before you left. It would have only taken a minute-" He looked at Emory with a frown. "We worry too, you know. You aren't her only friend. We may not agree, for now, how to help her if she gets into trouble, but please, be patient. We need to know these things, otherwise we feel a little betrayed. You don't like it when we shut you out like you are some kind of enemy, so we're trying not to. Please, afford us the same courtesy." He sighed, trying to think through what to say next as he looked over at his brother who had taken to wrapping his arms around Talia to hug her close, a little more at ease that she wasn't rejecting, or just mad at, him. "Thank you," he said finally, looking at Emory again. "For helping her. She seems alright, and that is what is most important I suppose. I won't pressure you for the rest of the story, as I'm going to trust-" He paused, emphasizing the word with a look. "That it will not bring harm to our family. If it does, I will hold you personally accountable." He frowned, then said in a slightly teasing tone while jutting a thumb at her over his shoulder. "And Talia a little bit."

Talia smiled as she settled into Dash's arms. "Don't worry. I haven't found a reason not to trust Emory yet and if it turns out he was lying and I shouldn't have trusted him..he'll have me to deal with." She said jokingly with a grin at Emory before chuckling. "I'm kidding. So now that we seemed to have settled this, how about we just relax..get back to the bar I mean, i'm sure they're wondering where you guys got to.." She said smiling over at Benny and Fox.

Rather than be reassured by their joking manner, Quinn seemed to shrink against the wall at the threats that hung in the air. And all pointed right at him. He blinked a few times and stared at the ground, wanting to just move on to another less dangerous assignment. Maybe he could find a place to settle down with no one around for miles. But that wouldn't happen anytime soon. He didn't make any comments, just nodded a little at what they said.

Fox turned her attention to Talia and narrowed her eyes. "Rain was just up here. They know where we're at. But we will talk more later. Everyone but Benny is free to leave." Crossing the room to the kitchen she braced herself against the kitchen sink and sighed heavily. Most of her energy drained from listening to everyone's minds. She'd forgotten how taxing it was on her.

---

Elvira paced back and forth in the old rundown building, a look of frustration on her face. Rafe had given her a job to do but she knew she couldn't just simply walk back into the bar and simply ask for a list of names of the people involved in the revolution. She wasn't trusted and no matter how hard she tried Elvira knew she would never be trusted. What I need is someone they do trust or will grow to trust and get them to work for me.. She thought then stopped her pacing so she could think properly. But who? She growled lightly at her growing problem. Surely Benny and the others had already warned their friends and anyone they knew about her so most people would be wary of her. I'll bet Quinn has been doing that too to try and keep me out of the way. She growled again then suddenly her expression brightened when a solution came to mind. The human. She cackled triumphantly. "Silly Dash probably sent him on his way all alone and unprotected." Grabbing her cloak she quickly clasped it round her throat before moving out into the street, magically masking herself from the human eyes around her. Time to track down a human. She smirked before disappearing in a blink of an eye.

Jake sat in his father’s office, a look of boredom on his face. His father was once again reciting the long list of known creatures wanted by the police and showing any pictures that had been taken. When Dash’s name was mentioned, Jake tried his hardest to keep his expression the same, not wanting his father to know that he had in fact met him and had had no intention of turning him over to the police.

“Come on dad. We’ve been over this too many times before. I know their names and what they look like..” Jake complained with a roll of his eyes.

“Jake this is important. You’ll need to know all of this for when you’re police chief one day.” His father replied.

“I don’t want..” Jake’s words were cut off by his father’s stern glance and with a long sigh he slowly stood up. “I should go..mom will be expecting me.” He spoke as he grabbed his backpack and moved to the door. With a final farewell to his father he turned and wandered from the building, descending the stone steps down into the street before turning and wandering off in the direction of his home.

Elvira strode confidently through the streets, sniffing lightly in the hopes of catching the scent of the boy she had met at the market. Now where are you? You’re surely not hiding. She thought as she glanced at the faces that passed her, knowing that they couldn’t see her. She carried on walking, determined that she wasn’t going to fail this one and after what seemed like several hours she suddenly froze, eyes lighting up with excitement. There he was, emerging from a building just across the road. Hmm..the police station? So you’re connected to them are you.. She smirked triumphantly then took off after him, following close in his shadow.

As he turned a corner, Jake couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to find someone close to him. He sighed and shook his head when the area seemed empty and he carried on walking. As he passed by another abandoned building he was suddenly thrown inside where he tumbled across the floor and hit the far wall.

“You should really trust your instincts human..” Elvira’s cold voice echoed in the room before she appeared before him, grinning down at him.

Jake groaned and rubbed his head before looking up with wide frightened eyes at the Shade who was looming over him. “You! What do you want?”

“Your assistance…”

“You need my help?” Jake asked looking confused but no less terrified. “I doubt that and even if you did, I would never help you.” He slowly pulled himself to his feet, leaning against the wall for support.

“And who said I’d need your permission?” Elvira sneered before holding her hand out and pinning Jake to the wall with an unknown force. “I need information from your new friend Dash but unfortunately I can’t just can’t go up to him and ask him for it. If you couldn’t tell down in the market..he doesn’t like me very much. So that’s where you come in human.” She grinned now. “It seems the only way I’m going to get any sort of information from Dash and his friends is if I have something of theirs to bargain with. You. They give me what I want and they can have you back safe. Simple. But of course if they decide they don’t actually care about you..then I have another plan. I believe you have a small connection to the police..” She raised an eyebrow, her grin widening further before she suddenly gripped his arm. “Time to go.." Before Jake had time to respond they had disappeared into darkness, leaving only his backpack abandoned on the ground.

---

Elvira stepped lightly through the door of the bar, lowering her hood as she did. She walked confidently over to the bar, ignoring the swift movements of the others around her moving to get away from her. She looked at one of the guys behind the bar then cleared her throat. "I wish to speak with the owner of this establishment. Immediately. Just tell them their friend the shade has returned. Now go." She waved her hand sending him back a few steps before watching him turn and hurry off. He quickly climbed the stairs to Fox's apartment then loudly banged his fist on the door. "Fox..Benny. She's back. The shade, she wants to see you." He called. "Should I tell her to leave?"

Benny sighed and looked at his brother, who frowned and without asking, picked Talia up and stepped into the corner of the room, vanishing without a sound, intent on taking her home. He would explain there. Then the elder brother looked at Emory. "You can hold your own against her. Go wait downstairs please. In a private booth if you really prefer. But please don't leave, it will only make us distrust you more and you seem to hate that. I promise, it will be a short talk." He motioned to the door and waited for Emory to leave before looking at the barman. He just nodded and watched him go, leaving him alone with Fox. He offered a smile as he came over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, holding her close and resting his head on her shoulder. "There now... why don't you have a nap. I'll go deal with the Shade," he said before pressing a little kiss to her shoulder.

Quinn was waiting for Talia but when she was picked up and carried off, his eyes widened and he looked very much like he was about to head out the door and try to find her. But Benny's voice stopped him and he turned again, his eyes narrowed a little. He promised to protect Talia, not to hang around these people.  Finding the door, he made his way down to the main bar, his eyes peeled for the shade. This was getting out of hand with Elvira, and he just wanted her to go about her business without causing such a stir.

"I'm not taking a nap, Benny." The comment seemed to annoy Fox. Rotating her shoulders a bit she sighed heavily. "Do what you have to. I have a club to run." Kissing Benny's cheek she smiled at him with an understanding twinkle in her eye. Patting his shoulder she moved past him and down the stairs. Glancing around she saw Quinn standing there. If they were ever going to trust him she'd need to get to know him better. Moving to his side she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Care to sit at the bar and have something to eat or drink? My cook is rather marvelous with what he has..."

Elvira sat patiently at a table in the corner of the room. She watched as Quinn appeared then Fox but decided she wasn't going to move until they rest arrived. Where are the brothers? she thought and frowned lightly at the thought that maybe Dash wasn't here. Well that would ruin things a little.. Who else would care to exchange the list of names for the human. I might need to think of another plan.

Benny was a little upset Fox would not rest, but at least she did not seem too upset. He supposed he could let it go for now. He entered the club not long after her and looked around, though he didn't really need to. Everyone was obviously avoiding his target. He sighed mentally, erected the best walls he could as he had once done with Fox, and went to speak to her. "I heard you wanted to see me," he commented as he slid into the booth across from her and relaxed into the seat, his best smirk in place. "Miss me already?" he teased lightly. He didn't really want to set her off, but arguing with a Shade always seemed to make them smile, make them feel like they got the best of you. No, it was much better, or at least more fun usually, to make them believe you were unconcerned and unimpressed by their plotting.

"Wheres your brother?" Was Elviras response in a tone that made it obvious she wasn't in the mood to joke. She sat watching Benny, her hands folded neatly on the table in front of her. "I was hoping for an audience with everyone."

Benny looked faux hurt. "I'm not good enough for you?" he replied, but settled after only a moment, tilting his head to the side. "Audiences are for performances," he told her. "I'd rather we be honest with one another. My brother isn't here, but I'm just as good, I assure you. Any business you might have with him you may do with me." Dash was a Runner, he did odd jobs in the underground for some rather shady people sometimes, and although Benny had a hard time believing a shade would need to hire his brother, he didn't want to risk it.

Quinn pulled away from the hand, his shoulders hunching a little. The look he gave Fox was clearly a 'I don't like being touched' look, but he didn't say anything about it. "I do not need to eat right now," he said quietly, uncertain of whether he would offend her by turning down the offer. He would eat the food Talia gave him, but other than that, it seemed stupid to just accept something. "And I have nothing with which to barter, so I would owe you if I accepted." Taking a deep breath, he glanced over and saw Benny sitting with the Shade, and his eyes narrowed further as he watched for a moment before turning back to Fox.

Fox followed Emory's eyes to where Benny and the Shade were. Frowning deeply she turned away. "He can handle himself. Though he thinks Im apparently a child who can't." Gritting her teeth. "Sit. You can at least have something small, split it with me, because I NEED to eat." She gave him a pleading look, clearly needing some companionship.

Even though he didn't like it, Quinn sat down and nodded curtly. "Okay." He glanced back once before settling into his seat. "May I ask you a few questions?" It was said hesitantly, as if he was afraid to ask. Which part of him was. But he needed the information from anyone who could provide it and she seemed willing enough to talk to him.

Fox glanced over her shoulder at him as she told the cook she wanted a large order of bosco sticks. Turning around she shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I can't guarantee that I'll answer but I can give it a try." Pouring them both a glass of ice water, she jumped up on the stool behind the counter and gave him a friendly smile as she set his drink down.

"I doubt the deal I have to offer you will appeal to you as much as it would have appealed to him." Elvira replied unhappily. "But fine..I want a list of the names of people you have gathered who wish to join your little revolution. If I am to work with you I need to know I can trust those around me." She lied her eyes remaining fixed on Benny. "Even us shades need to be wary of who we deal with. So can you do that? I will give you something in exchange of course."

Benny's eyes narrowed a fraction and he looked visibly more serious. "Why would that deal appeal more to my brother than to me?" he asked slowly, watching Elvira as closely as he could without directly making eye contact. The last thing he wanted was her banging against his mental barriers, or trashing them entirely. "You sound more like you want to be informed on the whole situation so you maintain a position of power, if you are even being honest about joining. You're not very comfortable at all with the idea of being a subordinate, are you, Elvira?" he asked rhetorically. He was quiet a short moment, thinking about it, then decided although he wasn't going to agree, he could ask anyway. "What is it you are offering in exchange?"

Finally Elvira allowed a small smirk to spread across her face. "I came across your brothers new little friend earlier." She said in an innocent tone then glanced at the empty chair beside her. When she turned back to Benny they were no longer alone. Jake sat in the chair, a look of fear in his eyes. "Benny this is Jake. Dash's human friend. I'm offering you him in exchange for those names. Have we got a deal?"

Quinn was about to ask something when he felt a rush of something behind him. He slid from his seat and turned, ready to face an enemy, when he saw it. The person who had joined the Shade's table. He was human. There was no mistaking. "No," he whispered, looking at her. Was she really going to be that stupid? She was already suspect, and now she had captured a human to prove what? How completely illogical she was?

"Dash doesn't have any human friends," Benny replied evenly without so much as a flicker of his eyes toward Jake. He would not give her the satisfaction of thinking he cared even the slightest bit who had appeared, no matter what the good nature he had developed told him. "And allies do no need to barter." He kept his face neutral, thinking it out for a long moment before he took a breath through his nose, as if coming to a decision but not once taking his eyes off the Shade. "Risking many for the good of one hardly interests me, but my brother may keep secrets." He shrugged, lowering his eyelids slightly in a show of nonchalance. "Perhaps he-" He pointed vaguely at Jake, again without looking at him. "Is somehow important. Give me the night to talk to my brother, see what he has to say. I won't make deals on his behalf."

"Unfortunately bartering is the only way I can get things I need because sadly no matter how hard I try no one ever trusts me enough to just give me what I want. Of course I could always just take what I want by force but that wouldn't be very nice."Elvira replied before looking thoughtful for a few moments then finally nodded. "Alright..I can be patient. You have tonight to go and speak with your brother. Do you wish me to wait here?"

"No," Benny replied, finally looking at Jake as if trying to figure out if he really was Dash's friend, which wasn't far from the truth, but he was also letting his disgust for humans show. His eyes widened a fraction without dropping his glare. He did know Jake, and he was not happy about that. "You should go home," he directed at Elvira, letting his eyes linger on the human a moment longer before looking at the shade again. "Wherever that is. Take him with you, but until I'm certain he's pointless, if you kill him, I'll tell you nothing. I can't think of anything else to do with him until this matter is settled."

Fox cleared her throat. "Emory. If you want your questions answered, your going to have to ask them, and be focused, or I wont give you my time. Benny has everything under control." Fox glanced at the human. That Shade, popping a random human into the club out of thin air was dangerous. She spoke this comment to Benny.

Quinn let out a breath and sat back down, not really looking where he was sitting as his eyes were locked on Benny's table. Finally he turned back to Fox, his face as expressionless as he could make it. "I was wondering firstly...how did you...you and Benny and Dash...find a place like this?" He wanted to know how they managed to get settled in a town without the humans jumping on them, without arousing the interest of stronger creatures, and over all of that, not being discovered by those wishing them dead.

"How do you mean? We salvaged this building." Fox took a second to delve into his mind and realized what he meant. "Oh! That! Most humans are innocent to the mythical world, but the police force is on us all the time. Benny tries to take the blunt of the beatings but I've been snagged a few times. As for... stronger creatures. There aren't many stronger than Dash and Benny, and the ones that are, have already joined our forces."

"Home..alright thats where i'll go." Elvira replied with a small smile. "When you are ready to discuss this further just call my name. I'll hear you." She stood up and turned to Jake who was sliding down the seat of his chair in the attempts of trying to hide. Elvira sighed and clicked her fingers causing Jake to disappear. "See you soon." She said to Benny then disappeared herself.

Benny sighed, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair again, gripping it at the back of his head. At least if she killed him, he would have one less little thing to worry about, but it would no doubt cause a much bigger worry. Mainly, police raids. In fact, they should probably be braced for that already. He sat there a long, sobering moment before finally pushing himself up from the booth and walking over to the bar to talk to Fox, thinking what to say the whole time.

"There are many out there who can be considered more powerful," Quinn said, shying away from her using her powers. He could feel it when she took a look in his mind, and it unnerved him. Quinn was about to ask another question but his train of thought was interrupted when he sensed the Shade using her powers again. Turning to glance behind him, he frowned a little at Benny as the mage walked over. Nothing about these people was making any sense to him in the least.

Fox raised her eyebrows at Benny as he came over. "Well that went well, didn't it? Now we have a hostage situation. You do know who that was don't you? Or am I the only one who's been questioned by him?" Fox shook her head. Now the police were definitely going to have it out for them. A creature kidnapped a human. Reckless. Stupid. "This is going to make our jobs...very hard."

Unable to do anything but agree, Benny nodded. "She says he's a friend of Dash's," he explained to Fox, but in a way that was partially directed at Emory as well so he would know Benny wasn't ignoring him. "I find that very hard to believe but I can't think of a reason she would lie. It's too risky to not believe her anyway." He gave Emory a frown. "More so than actually believing her," he admitted, not sounding at all happy about it. He looked at Fox again. "She's given me time to talk to him about it, to see what to do. Maybe we can do some kind of damage control, but I hold no hope of getting out of their 'questioning'. If any of them come raiding... You know I'd hate to ask but could you please just try to... convince-" He pointed at his temple. "Them that he's not here, he was never here, and we don't know anything? I need to go talk to my brother but I'll be back as soon as I can." He frowned at the fae, his eyes saying it all. He was deeply sorry he was having to leave her again. Honestly, he didn't want to go, but he wanted even less to be framed for such a high priority murder. It was a huge testament to his attempt to trust Emory that he wasn't asking him to leave the bar and stay the hell away from his mate.

Quinn did not like this turn of events. And that the Shade had caused it all left a bad taste in the back of his throat. There was something completely off about all of this, and he didn't want to go back to tell Rafe that he had failed because the creature had stirred up too much trouble. Whatever it was doing wasn't in Rafe's best interest. Giving Benny and honest look of agreement, he also looked over at Fox. "What would happen if a raid did occur?" he asked quietly.

"We'd most likely all be taken into custody and questioned...and beaten." Fox swallowed nervously. She was a fae and pain wasn't something she enjoyed. She could bare more then some because she was tough but it made her uncomfortable all the same. Glancing at Benny she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure...go find Dash. I'll... probably have the boys take over so I can head to bed early."

"Good, you need your rest," Benny agreed with a little nod. "I'll be back before you know it," he assured her and leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek. The first time the police had beaten Fox, two had wound up dead. He had since gained some amount of control over himself, mostly because Fox told him to stop, but it still made him see red and nothing was going to happen to her again, not if he could help it. Maybe Dash would be able to help defend them if it came to that. He looked at Emory and held out a hand. "Do you want to stay here or do you want me to take you back to Talia? I'm going to check there first for Dash. I doubt he's left her side."

"I will find my way back," Quinn said. "With your approval, I think I am going to go out and walk for a bit. Get some air. I have been provided with....much to think about." He blinked a few times as he looked away. If there was one thing that Emery knew, it was that Rafe would want to know this latest development. And he just wanted to get away from everyone else and have some time to himself. Quinn was not accustomed to being surrounded by people.

"Alright, well, be careful out there, and avoid the police," Benny warned, more for his own piece of mind. He looked at Fox and gave her another apologetic smile before leaning forward and giving her another kiss on the cheek, then jogged off into the crowd to find a good place to Step to Talia's.

---

It was only a moment before Dash reappeared in the light with Talia cradled in his arms back in her apartment. He was glad he had done it so many times by now that the trip was shorter. He carefully put Talia on her feet and frowned apologetically, holding his hands up. "Wait! Before you get mad, I didn't take you here to get you away from Emory!" he told her quickly, while thinking that was a nice perk though. "I'll take you back, soon, it was just to get you away from the Shade. I promise, this is not to keep you away."

Talia's eyes had widened when Dash suddenly lifted her off her feet but before she could say anything they had vanished only to reappear at home. She watched him for a few moments as he quickly apologised then suddenly smiled gently and grabbed his hands which were still held up and squeezed them lightly. "Relax i'm not mad. I was beginning to think it was time to go anyway..I don't know how many more of Fox's scathing looks I could take." She said jokingly. "And it might not hurt Emory to let him get to know Benny and Fox without me being there. I can't be with him all the time."

Dash nodded, visibly relaxing once he was assured Talia was not upset. "That's true," he agreed, squeezing her hands back as carefully as he could. "I'm sure Benny and Fox will go easy on him... if he'd just learn to relax. Seriously, what has him on edge? His people are not usually such weak-" He stopped dead, looking at Talia as if judging if she had caught that, and then corrected himself with an apologetic tone. "Skittish. Not usually that skittish. Or so I've heard."

"I just think he's misunderstood thats all. He's getting a tough time from a lot of people at the minute and that has to be hard." Talia replied finally releasing his hands and moving to take off her jacket which she threw over a chair. She gave a long stretch then turned and moved to the couch where she slumped down into it. "You didn't sleep for very long earlier. I expected you to be out for hours. Something wake you?" She asked curiously as sge glanced over at him.

Dash's eyes widened slightly as he remembered the incident. "Yes, actually." He looked toward the window. "A human boy in the alley... Or, more precisely, a troll throwing him around like a rag doll." He frowned thoughtfully and turned his attention back to Talia. He joined her by the couch but elected to sit on the floor next to her legs, leaning his back against the couch. "He hit a dumpster. The noise woke me up."

"What was a human doing sneaking round here?" Talia replied in an irritated tone. "Hopefully he got away though. Those trolls can have a nasty temper. Had to deal with a few in the past myself." She suddenly paused and looked down at Dash with narrowed eyes. "How did you know the human was a boy?" She asked suspiciously.

Dash looked away and curled in on himself just slightly. "I... may have... helped him out," he explained, unable to bring himself to look at her. He just stared at the carpet as he remembered it all. "He was around here looking for creatures-" He paused, stiffening at what he said realizing how bad that sounded. "He didn't have a weapon," he added quickly. "I checked. But.. yeah.. I.. showed him the underground..." Wow, saying it all outloud sounded remarkably stupid. He stopped talking as the rest of the story, now that he thought it out in his head, only made him sound more like an idiot. What the hell had he been thinking? Taking a human to the underground. He swore at his own trusting nature.

"You showed him the underground?" Talia almost growled. "Dash how could you be so reckless and irresponsible? I mean you're wanted by their police for starters. What if he had been a cop? And then you take him to the only place that is supposed to be safe from them? Why would you do that?" She sighed then slid down off the couch to sit beside Dash. "Please tell me no one else saw him or knew what he was?" She asked in a pleading voice knowing how dangerous it would be for Dash if other creatures knew he'd been mixing with humans. It wouldn't just be the human police hunting after him.

Dash shook his head but couldn't bring himself to look up at her. "No, no one knew... or.. just one knew. The Shade..." His head shot up and he gave her a pleading look. "But I didn't know she was going to be there!" He pushed off the floor so he could stand before her, hands out, palms up, in a way asking her to understand. "She said she had been waiting for me to come back which was stupid, I've never known Shades to be that patient- And he wasn't a cop! I'm sure of it... because..." He bit his lip, averting his eyes again. "I know who he was... the police chief's son." He visibly flinched, already ready for her to yell. It really did sound stupid now that he was saying it out loud, but something about Jake... Why the hell had he agreed to do it?

"THE SHADE?!" Talia shouted then stood up and began pacing backwards and forwards in front of Dash. "Shes possibly the worst creature who could have seen you with a human. She could destroy you because of it!" She said angrily then paused when Dash continued to tell her that Jake was the police chiefs son. Her mouth dropped open slightly in shock before she gave a loud growl of anger. "How could you be so stupid! He probably knew exactly who you were! Knew that you're wanted! How do you know that he didn't run straight to his father and tell him all about you? Tell him about the underground? Dash..why would you do this?" She shook her head then looked round her apartment with sad eyes. "We have to leave..find somewhere else to live. There could be police crawling all over this place soon..its not safe anymore."

Dash watched her panic, his eyes becoming more and more sad. "Now you know how I feel about Emory," he said quietly, just reaching the conclusion himself. "And I know how you feel about him, because I just know Jake wouldn't do that. He's a good kid, he cares about us- If we don't try to trust them, how can we ever expect them to trust us?" He stepped toward her slightly, his hands pausing just before landing on her arms to comfort her, as if uncertain he could. "Someone has to be the first one to lower their barriers. Now please, calm down, you're breaking my heart." Somehow it was clear that was not a joke.

Talia had almost shrugged his hands from her arms but stopped when she looked into his face. She frowned lightly then nodded. "Fine..but if you're wrong and he does tell the police..well you'll have to deal with the consequences." She sighed lightly. "You act as if i'm the one who needs watching and protecting from trouble but actually it seems you need to be watched more than I do. Taking a human on a tour of the underground...what were you thinking? Have you told Benny and Fox?"

"No, I haven't told either of them," Dash replied with a shake of his head. "I wasn't going to mention it at all to be honest," he explained, then took on just the slightest hint of annoyance, his expression not changing from its sadness. "And would you stop giving me warnings like 'deal with the consequences'. Have you even LOOKED at what you are doing with Emory? Talia, humans aren't the only people that want us killed." His eyes shone slightly, watery but not flooded as he remembered the aftermath of leaving Rafe. Whole towns had been burned to ashes in search of them, thousands of people massacred without the slightest thought to enjoying the murder. It was all a waste, and all their fault. He sighed and lowered his hovering hands, giving her a 'what am I going to do with you?' look. "We're both too trusting," he said finally. "But I don't think either of us has it in us to stop."

"I think you're right so how about we make a deal. We carry on being our trusting selves but we do it together. If you befriend anymore humans you tell me right away and if I bring home any more creatures you'll be the first to know, thats sound good?" Talia replied with a soft smile trying to show him she wasn't angry at him about Jake. "But we need to trust each other..I mean we can't get angry with each other if we do make new friends." She slipped her hands into his. "Does that sound okay?"

Dash sighed and leaned forward a little to rest his forehead against hers. "I promise to do my best to do that," he replied, sure he wasn't always going to be able to do that. "But Talia I wasn't hiding Jake from you," he said in a rush, his voice breathless as if frustrated but too tired to actually argue. He closed his eyes. "I woke up, I was disoriented- I've hardly slept- Someone was in trouble, that was all that mattered to me. Until..." He opened his eyes to look in to hers. "I remembered where I had been. I realized you were gone- Talia you have to understand: nothing mattered, in that moment, but you, and you were gone, with some stranger-" He paused, closing his panicked eyes and taking a calming breath again. "I think... we would do better, if we simply accept that something may very well happen to one of us because of our kind hearts..." He opened his eyes again, but they remained focused on the floor down her nose. "I trust you, implicitly, unquestionably." Finally, he looked into her eyes again, his own deeply sad. "But it will take time to trust anyone around you. It's my nature, and I'm sorry, but if you give me time-" He squeezed her hands. "I promise, I will try, and I will succeed, for you."

"Thank you." Talia replied then stepped closer to him and hugged him tightly. "Please stop looking so sad Dash. I like it when you smile." She allowed herself to hug him for a few moments longer before stepping back and smiling at him. "What do you feel like doing? Do you have to work tonight?"

Dash's frown almost deepened, but he stopped himself. She had just said not to do that. He offered her an apologetic smile instead, but it looked a little forced. He nodded. "I'm sorry. But you can worry a little less. I don't actually have any jobs tonight. I'm just looking for some more. I'll be in the market all night unless I find an asap job, so at least you'll know where to find me."

"Why don't I come with you?" Talia asked with a hopeful smile. "Theres got to be some way I can be of use to you.." She knew that the chances of Dash saying yes to her request were slim but she thought it was worth a try. "So what do you say?"

Dash made an uncertain face. "I'm worried if I take you, people will approach me with the wrong kind of work," he said after a long moment. The idea of what his employers would ask to do with Talia, just ask, made his stomach churn. He pulled her close, just holding her. "You are always of use to me, Talia. You give me reason, drive, meaning. I didn't know how much I needed you until I had you."

Talia smiled as she rested her head against his shoulder. "Do you realise how different our lives would be if you'd never seen my true form. You'd probably still detest me.." She chuckled lightly at this thought before continuing to question him about work. "What kind of things do employers ask you to do? Surely theres something I could do."

Again, Dash was hesitant to answer, but it paid off. Just as he opened his mouth to answer, he felt a chill run up his spine and he quickly looked at the corner of the room where his brother stepped out looking grim, raising an eyebrow at the couple.

"Am I interrupting?" Benny asked, sounding more tired than teasing. He wasn't really in the mood to joke. He just wanted to grab Dash and sort this out.

"No, not really," Dash answered, glad for the distraction though he did not release Talia. He hadn't been looking forward to her reaction anyway. "Why are you here? Where's Fox?" His eyes narrowed. "Did Emory do something?"

Benny shook his head. "No, but you might have." At his brother's confused look, Benny sighed and continued. "The Shade showed up again and she says you made friends, with a human-" Dash's look said it all. Benny half glared. "The police chief's son?" Dash's expression fell more. Benny sighed in frustration. "How could you really be his friend Dash? He's probably just playing you-"

"He wasn't playing me!" Dash interrupted, looking a little panicked despite his shame. "He wanted to know about creatures-"

"Of course he did-!"

"He was nearly killed by a troll!"

"Maybe you should have let him!"

"I refused to be as racist as you seem to think humans are!"

Benny stopped arguing. He visibly surrendered, sighing again. "Fine, look, I didn't come here to argue. I came here to get you so we could deal with this. If she doesn't return that kid, Dash, the police are going to come after us, again. You, and I, are going to go discuss this. Talia," he looked at his brother's mate, "I offered to bring Emory back but he said something about taking a walk." He looked at Dash again, nodding his head to the shady corner of the living room. "Let's go."

Dash sighed through his nose, hating that he had to leave, but glad he didn't have to answer Talia's question and more so that Emory hadn't wanted to be here with his mate. He looked at Talia with a deep frown. "Hey... I'll be back soon," he promised.

---

Fox watched the boys on stage singing and playing their instruments. They loved in when they could free style, and just be themselves, and it was wonderful to watch. Crossing one leg over the other she bobbed her foot to the beat of the music.

It was a few patient moments later that a hand fell in front of Fox, attached to an arm hidden in the sleeve of a dark jacket and beyond that, facing her (or as much as one could tell) an all too familiar cracked black mask. The man, as his build said as much, tilted his head just a little, emphasizing his unspoken question. Would you like to dance?

Looking down at the hand and then back up to the masked man, Fox frowned slightly. "Depends...are you ever going to tell me who you are?" She could easily try and search his mind but with not knowing what kind of creature this was, that was very dangerous.

"Depends...To what do you refer by 'who I am'?" the man asked her calmly in return, seeming unrattled by her suspicions. "I identify myself as I have said before: I am a fan of your work. If you mean what I am called, I suppose the answer you are looking is 'Ulf'." Still he did not lower his hand or move away from her.

Chewing on her lip for a moment, Fox finally placed her hand in his and came around from the other side of the bar. "Okay, Ulf, what are you?" Leading the way to the dance floor she spun around and waved at the boys as they continued playing.

Ulf patiently waited out her greeting before taking up a dancing stance and leading her easily into some spins, taking up the music as well as he had before. "Is that important?" he asked in regard to her question. "If I was something dangerous, I would have already hurt you-" To emphasize his point he squeezed her hip gently where his hand rested, politely above her butt, not even close to actually hurting her. "If I am something good, then I can only assume you would like to have me around. So tell me: What do you think I am?" His voice was warm and calm, as if pointedly kept neutral and unaffected by the world around him. Other than uncalloused male hands and his soothing voice there was nothing to go on. His face was completely covered behind his cracked white mask and his body was covered with black trousers, a long sleeve black shirt and a black coat with the hood pulled up to hide his hair.

---

After giving a general wave in Fox's direction, Quinn headed out of the club and into the streets. He took a deep breath and started walking, not really caring what direction he was going in. He didn't want to head back to Talia's, and he had too much thinking to do to bother Rafe right away. These people had inadvertently introduced the Deiciden to a concept he hadn't been familiar with. Kicking a rock, he let out a small noise of distress.

"Hey!" a female voice said after being hit by the rock. "Don't do that!" Kyra hated walking the streets this late, but the chief was in an uproar. His son had been missing, and he wanted the boy found. Kyra was sent down in this direction with her partner, but the bigger guy took off down another street, leaving the lone female to patrol this way.