Afternoon delight...or evening...whatever

By the time they returned to the domicile, Nova was awhirl with kissing and groping and crude attempts at walking, vaguely aware of the fact that stumbling drunkenly and heatedly to her dwelling with the knowledge of sex at the forefront of her mind was what passed for romance in her book. Hell, maybe it wasn’t romantic, but it was good, it was fun. Standing on tiptoe to suck on Kyle’s earlobe while one hand grabbed his ass, more for balance than anything else. Talking dirty in the elevator, muttering obscenities and flirtations while she fiddled with his belt buckle. After his peanut butter remark she had shot back with ‘Indian’, then threatened to have –him- for lunch, burying her face in his neck and nipping lightly. This gesture proved detrimental to her efforts at walking, unfortunately, and Kyle had apparently lost patience with her stumbling.

Nova wondered if he was frustrated or just eager to get in the sack as he lifted her off her feet. Everything was becoming a pleasant blur; this was easy, this was okay, they could fall into bed and just move together, ultimate escapism after a messy night. Trying to process what he was saying was only adding to the blurry quality of everything – instead of trying to answer the questions she could barely make sense of, she responded with one of her own.

“Think I wanna fuck you through the bed. That alright with you?”

She made a soft grunting noise when Kyle put her down, and it took her a moment to register that she was on the couch, not the bed. Not fully comprehending, she grinned, sloppy and slouching.

“Or this works too.”

Still smiling, she closed her heavy eyelids and leaned forward, resting her chin on the armrest. Unfortunately her eyes didn’t seem to want to open again once she had closed them. She blindly gestured to where she thought Kyle was, muttering.

“C’mere.”

Then her head dropped to one side, and her arm thunked to the floor.

Her mutterings made Kyle chuckle to himself. Her attempt to seduce him with a slurred invitation was...well he had had better, but who was he to complain really? As Nova reached next to her, trying to find him, he watched her fumble and then...pass out.

'Wha-....aw that's not right.' None to gently, Kyle grabbed at Nova again, and with a deep breath, heaved her back over his shoulder and off the couch. He almost tripped going up the stairs, but he made it to her bed. Throwing her down on top of it, he put his hands on his hips and looked at her. Kyle walked to the side of the bed and tried to make her comfortable, make sure she wasn't sleeping on her arm or anything, then proceeded to the bathroom.

Exiting the bathroom, he took a gulp of cold water from the tap, and for a moment, considered his options. Looking around the room he figured he could wait her out. Let her sleep it off. Then he looked down at his half filled glass of cold tap water...and then her shirt. He could have himself a wet t-shirt contest, but then she'd probably wake up and rip his head off and deficate down his throat.

He frowned at the latter idea.

Setting the glass down, he trudged back downstairs to her living room...and out the door.

Kyle peeked around the corner. He was still on Nova's floor. The elevator had refused to open for him, not knowing the Domicile computers didn't recognize him. He did not, however, take into consideration the security alarms he was tripping left and right.

It was a long hallway with a small sitting room in the middle. Nothing too comfortable, he's not sure why anyone would want to sit in the small open area anyway. However, every door he passed has a computer panel. He looked at each one as he passed. The panel was dark and if there were any buttons, he couldn't see them.

Upon reaching the sitting area, he found another larger version of the computer panel. Pausing, even to breathe, he listened for some noise. Nothing. He stooped over and looked at the panel which was about 4 1/2 feet up. Level with his chest. Reaching out, he touched the panel and it lit up.

Putting his hand back down he looked around, waiting. Nothing.

When he looked back at the panel, a tracing of an entire hand had appeared in glowing green lines. His mind screamed, 'DONT TOUCH IT' so - he touched it. There was a click and a whir. The bottom panel had opened up, sliding out a tray. Again, another form of a hand, but this time shaped in metal. His hand hovered over it for a minute. Every reasonable voice in his head was telling him not to do it, but he was always a sucker for shiny red buttons.

Placing his hand on the metal tray caused the panel to light up. Suddenly it was displaying information on his fingerprints which were incidently in the computer. A short profile was being displayed.

Dayle leaned back in her plush leather chair. Her arms came over her head, her fingers knotted together and she turned her palms to whatever was above her in that reclining position. Her spine cracked a couple times and her elbow popped gently as she groaned loudly and expressively. Lowering her arms, her hands came up and began gently rubbing her eyes. Staring at a computer screen for nearly twelve hours was something she was definately not used to. Bringing her chair back upright with a clinking thud, her bare feet wiggled against the edge of her chair mat under the desk. Her right hand reached out to the side of her monitor for her mug. When it reached her lips and she tipped it enough to drink, tipped further, and further again, she muttered, "Of all the bloody..."

As she stood, pushing her chair back to knock against the wall, she mentally tallied the night's damages. Seventy three mugs of tea. No wonder her bladder suddenly started screaming for release. Tugging her blouse from the back of her chair, she slid into it and half-heartedly buttoned it... "No sense teasing some random vampire," she thought. The white cami that she'd been reclining in was certainly enough to visit someone with but not to have someone visit her in her own office.

Out into the hall she stepped, and followed the carpet-edged corridor to the kitchenette where she'd been brewing her tea. Quickly filling the carafe with water, she set it to boil and, realizing her own plight, trotted down the hall to the ladies' room. The odd echo made her ears perk up but nature's insistence was more important.

A moment or two later, relieved, refreshed, and ready to drink yet more tea, Dayle found herself cradling another cuppa on her way into her office. Stepping around the desk, she set her mug on the coaster and reached with the other hand to pull her chair under her bottom.

The cotton of her skirt had barely contacted the leather of the seat when alarms started flashing on her monitor. "Intruder alert, unknown entity on level three." "Unauthorized authorized guest." And other strange things that Carol had mentioned she needed to keep an eye out for. Opening her desk drawer quickly, she pulled out the small handgun she'd been training with and carefully palmed it. "Wait, wait... there's very few people who would be wandering this late... if it said 'unauthorized authorized guest...'" Dropping the gun back into the drawer, she slid it closed.

Stepping out of her office again, she turned in the direction the alarms indicated and, after a few moments, saw a somewhat familiar man standing in front of the access panel.

She waited behind him, impressed at his silence at getting stabbed with a dozen needles at once. Glancing around him, she read the computer's output and filed the information. "So this is Kyle Evans. Why is he wandering around without Nova?"

Dayle was about to clear her throat to get his attention when he stepped backwards into her, elbowing her breast rather sharply. Her hands flew up to brace herself and hold him steady as she turned him around carefully. Her peripheral vision saw his hands moving together as she stared at his worn face. She took a deep breath before saying, "You know, Mr. Evans," she said lightly, hoping to not be patronizing at all, "if you wanted access, all you had to do was have Ms. Piestewa ask for you. As it is, you've set off a dozen or so alarms. Excuse me..."

Dayle leaned forward and, tapping a command into the console, set it dormant again. "Up and about somewhat late, aren't we Mr. Evans? Or I should say, aren't you? Because I know what I'm doing here, and I don't know why you're wandering around here at this hour."

It was a fairly solid 'something' he bumped into and with a small squeal, he was turned around to face...a woman. A mighty pretty one at that.

'ACK - oh.' He was still holding his hand like it was on fire and almost missed her questions after she said his name and seemed to recognize him.

'You know who I am? Who are you? Alarms? Uh...oh. I'm here with Nova...DON'T BITE ME!' Mentally rolling his eyes, embarassed with his oh so brave front, he cleared his throat and started again.

'I brought Nova home, that's how I got in. I was just looking around but the elevators won't work for me. What the hell was that thing?' Kyle said annoyed now at the computer panel. 'And what the fuck is up with all the needles??' His annoyance was overcoming his common sense as he stood talking to the perfect stranger. Crap, he thought. Nova was going to be pissed.

Dayle stuck out her left hand for Kyle to shake. ("Since humans didn't heal as fast as vampires, no sense exacerbating the man's pain," she mused thoughtfully.) "Dayle Yolgrave. I'm Ms. Hedley's protege. And yes, since you weren't previously set up with access to the facilities, alarms were going off, though most are now taken care of. I suppose the paperwork could wait til morning, though you seem to be conspicuously alone." Pursing her lips for a moment, she grinned as she realized what he'd demanded. "And no, I won't bite you... Not my practice really to bite another woman's man. I don't get my jollies - or dinner - that way, thank you. You, however, are still in pain, and likely will be for the next hour. If you like, I could take you back to my office and we could get you to sign a few documents, perhaps add your name to the shejjule of expected humans, and give you some tea or coffee? And a tylenol, perhaps?"

Dayle took Kyle gently by the arm and turned him down the corridor to her office. "That 'thing' is a security device intended to keep people out who don't belong, and to let people in who do. I apologize for the pain of the needles but they are necessary to get an accurate amount of DNA samples to add to the computer system. Some elevators will now work for you; once we get done our paperwork more will. Though we will want to speak with Ms. Piestewa before we give you full run of the place. You understand, I'm sure."

Kyle listened to Dayle and took her hand with his left when she offered it, amongst other things. Tea? Ew, he thought to himself as he suddenly realized Dayle had taken him by the arm and was leading him somewhere else.

He had heard her mention paperwork and he inwardly shriveled. He had come back to the Domicile, much to his displeasure, for...well sex. This was beyond disappointing and confusing, but he let her move him in the direction of her office.

At the mention of Nova's last name, he did say, 'Nova will be happy you pronounced that right.'

"I have tried to learn everyone's names, even if I haven't met everyone in person yet. So many people spread so far..."

Dayle spun the guest chair for Kyle and stood between it and the loveseat against the wall. "Wherever you're comfortable, Mr. Evans. Did you want that coffee?" Dayle had spied the disgusted look when she mentioned tea. "Unfortunately I haven't stocked any other drinks in my fridge. So unfortunately, no soda is offerable at the moment."

She knew offering the man beer was a bad idea, from reading his file... He'd had such a strange and rocky road, from what she'd read, both out in 'the real world of Nachton' as well as after his... introduction to Tacharan. "I'm sure you feel I'm imposing upon any plans you might have had. However, as you're one of the few non-familiar humans in the building at any given time, I'd like to spend a few minutes to get to know you. Besides," she grinned musingly, "Nova would probably be better rested by the time you get back to her." Dayle winked salaciously at Kyle.

Kyle took a step towards the loveseat, but then thought better of it. He went to the guest chair and settled down. His hand tingling now, he looked at it closely, counting the needle pricks.

'Twelve? Jesus. Huh? No, actually I'm good. I'll take that tylenol though.' Just then his watched beeped at him. As Dayle spoke, he dug out the small medicine bottle out of his pocket and opened it. He snorted at the comment about Nova. 'Considering thy mistress is sleeping one off, one being a fabulous drunk to which I am insanely jealous of, I'm good for some Q&A.'

He popped a yellow pill and dry swallowed it.

'So, who are you? You said Carol's protege? Where is the fair blonde, now that you mention it. She owes me dinner.'

"You can call me Dayle. I'm from, as you can probably tell by the wonderful accent, England. And you're perfectly free to make jokes about all the wars where the American forefathers kicked the English forefathers' behinds... I've probably heard them all, and I've only been in town a month. You'd probably believe," she said rambling a bit, "how many times I hear that in bars or clubs." Clearing her throat, Dayle attempted an approximation of an American accent. "You know, hundreds of years ago, our country kicked your's butt all the way across the pond. Does it still hurt? If you like I can kiss it and make it better..." Snorting to herself as she wiggled her mouse to turn off her screensaver, she continued, "I gave the first guy points for originality. I was ready to clobber the twelfth." Shaking her head, she looked up from her screen finally and gazed at Kyle with a small smile. "So. Not a regular visitor here, I take it."

By the time Dayle had finished her description of american pig headedness, Kyle was nodding with a proud smile.

'Aye,' he said with an english accent, 'here's to the filthy americans, eh!' He gave her a wink and looked around her office. Nice digs, he thought.

'Regular? No...noooot really. Although I have been in Nova's bedroom a time or two. Be sure to tell her I said that.' Another brilliant smile. 'But regular visitor, no. It's been some time since I've been around, but I'm familiar with the clan's holdings, unfortunately. Especially Duibne's medical facilities. I experienced that first hand.' He twirled a finger.

After her rambling, he realized she never directly answered his question. 'But you, what's your story here?'

"I don't have a story, Mr. Evans. There's me, filling Ms. Hedley's position. There's you, wandering the halls of the Domicile early in the morning." She shrugged amiably.

She tilted her head a bit and regarded Kyle curiously. "Why is it you want Nova to know that you have said you were in her ..." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying, and what Kyle had said just prior. 'Here's to the filth Americans, eh?' rang in her mind. "Never mind... I think I understand. Tell me," she said after a brief pause, realizing she was treading on ice thinner than a hair, "do you regret everything that has happened because of your experience at Duibne Medical?"

Kyle had started to chuckle at Dayle's slow realization of his rather inappropriate joke when she mentioned Duibne. His smile faltered unhappily. He leaned back into the chair and looked at Dayle for a moment. She was either very nosey or just very curious. Leaning foward he planted his elbows onto his knees and laced his fingers.

'Miss...Yolgrave is it?' Nodding he continued, 'I would imagine my file here is quite thorough. Details from recent events to what I had for dinner in the 9th grade...I'm full of regrets - in fact I regret everything I have ever done. I just regret some things more than others.'

He frowned thinking a moment. 'I'd have to say I only -kind of- regret everything that has happened since the raid. Sometimes being a boy scout doesn't get you anything but a pain in the ass. Sometimes doing the wrong thing is better in the long run than doing the right thing. I chalk it all up to just being incredibly unlucky. But do I regret everything? Yeah, but only a little. I wouldn't be here having this charming conversation with you...a half a fucking mile underground...surrounded by vampires.'

Dayle was half tempted to lean forward to get a bit closer to Kyle to show the sincerity on her face, but realized it would be a bad idea. Instead, she turned fully towards him and kept her expression neutral. "I'm sure you are aware, Mr. Evans, of the difference between reading what's in a file, and speaking directly with the person that file is filled with. I wanted to ask you about something recent, to learn about who you are now. You're not the same man you were eight months ago, Mr. Evans. Each of us goes through something that changes us so irrevocably that sometimes, even immediately after or for years down the line, we look in the mirror and wonder, 'How did I get here?' whether it be with a sorrow, regret, or awe-filled voice. You may choose not to believe it if you wish, but believe me when I tell you that I have been faced with just such events three times in my life, each of which led me here. You and I are here for a reason, Mr. Evans. You may come here to shag Ms. Piestewa or to gaggle over the water cooler. I come here because it is my job to be here and because I like my family. I may not know any of them personally, but like it or not, I will. You are the first person other than Ms. Hedley or Mr. Huntington to sit in that chair, Mr. Evans. You're the next highest person on the totem pole from me, and you're a human."

She decided to address the human-vampire comment he made. "Let's take a what if. If you weren't here right now, if none of the last ten months happened, there's that chance that you'd meet me in Finnigans, and we'd laugh and gab over a pint, after which, depending on the week, you might become snack. I don't make friends for the snack options, Mr. Evans. If I were to become your friend, it would be because you're an interesting chap and you have quite a lot to say. Even if you beat around the bush saying it." She snickered to herself, shaking her head and staring at her lap for a brief moment. "As it seems I am doing so myself, I will simply ask... Why regret that you fell into something so good?"

Kyle blinked.

'What? Did you say something so...good? How is being kidnapped, killed, revived, almost burnt up, shot at, almost crushed, addicted to an underground drug, BITTEN and BLOWN UP a good thing? Was I suppose to be having a good time through any of that, because I missed the memo.'

'Listen, the only thing, probably the best thing that might've happened through all of that was meeting Nova, even though she tried to separate my head from my body. I've believed about...you all...for years. I've only really known now that I was right. It's one thing to be right and it's another to be dodging bullets. So,' Kyle's hands came up in a sweeping gesture, 'all this - yes, I regret. To the eyeballs I regret because my life is no longer my own. Looking over my shoulder isn't considered paranoid anymore, it's PRUDENT.'

'Now, if you don't mind.' Kyle stood and wiped his pants and straightened his shirt. 'Where are the papers you want me to sign - I have a drunk vampire waiting on me.'

She was in her parent’s living room, sitting on a kitchen chair she had dragged in. Ellis was there, with an electric bread knife in her hand, and she was calmly explaining that she would need to cut Nova open and use her intestines to repair the beast. Oddly enough, Nova took this news with a great deal of understanding and serenity. Kyle burst in and tried to put a stop to it, but it was too late; the knife was coming closer, and it was vibrating, dual blades flashing back and forth, vibrating…

Nova’s eyes snapped open all too suddenly, just as the vibrations from her phone ceased. Groaning, she flopped over on her back and closed her eyes again, already mostly asleep.

And then the phone started up again.

She answered with a croaked hello.

‘Nova.’

Recognizing the voice, she hung up immediately and shoved herself out of bed, trying to process why her third oldest brother, the one closest to her in age, would be calling her. The memories of last night, the dream, the letter, the drinking binge, and everything that followed came more slowly than she would have liked, and it was a long moment before she realized that the phone was once again vibrating pathetically on the bed, like a lonely and abandoned sex toy with no lovers to please.

Sighing, she picked up the phone.

‘Listen Choovio, I’m not…’

‘It’s Honovi,’ said the voice at the other end.

Nova suddenly felt sick. Where it had been easy to hang up on Choovio, the one who would just sit by and make himself utterly useless when Honovi or father would go off on one of his tirades…Honovi himself was a different story.

‘Yoki told me he wrote to you. Did you get the letter? Are you coming?’

Sighing, Nova leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the ceiling. Honovi had started out calm enough, but any minute now… ‘No. I’ll western union some money and see if a friend of mine can help out but I can’t come down right now.’

Bracing herself for an explosion, Nova was surprised to hear only mild annoyance on the other end. ‘We don’t need money. You should be here. Yoki wants you here.’

For fuck’s sake, Nova reflected. Was her oldest brother actually sucking it up for Yoki’s sake? So she would come ‘home’? No, she couldn’t believe that. Honovi had just learned to bide his time so his tantrums could come at the most effective time.

‘I can’t.’

And now she could hear it, that trace of petulance that was just –so- Honovi. ‘Why –not-?’

Because I’m with the only family that matters, and –they- need me? Because I don’t want to see you? ‘Because I can’t.’

‘You should –be- here, Nova.’

Nova was somewhat surprised to find that it was her temper that would break first. ‘Oh that is –such- bullshit, Honovi! And Choovio, you fucking coward, I know you’re listening in on the other end! Don’t you fucking act like I owe you a goddamn thing, I made a clean fucking break and you aren’t dragging me back in, you worthless piece of shit, not for nothing are you dragging me back in!’

It was Choovio who spoke up next. ‘Nova…a lot has changed since you left. –A lot- has changed.’

‘Yeah? What, you guys all join the catholic mission? Oh, that’s right, Honovi’s married…tell me, do you still beat your wife?’

The sputtering on the other end of the line proved Honovi had no experience with that particular trick question, and Nova would have snickered any other time. ‘I never laid a hand on –anyone- in my family, Nova…’ Choovio cut him off and continued to speak calmly. ‘Nova. Dad died. You have two nieces and a nephew. –A lot- has changed.’

Nova flopped back on the bed. ‘Dad died?’

Honovi broke in. ‘You goddamn cunt, you didn’t even know he was dead, did you? Didn’t even show up to the motherfucking funeral, goddamn selfish bitch…’

‘Oh, yeah guys. I can see a lot has changed.’

‘Like you’re one to talk! You probably got Yoki’s letter and went out and got loaded, didn’t you?’

Okay…that hit a little close to home. Nova fell silent, and there was a long and awkward pause as the three siblings fumbled with what to say. Finally Choovio spoke up.

‘Look, Nova…at least consider coming down. And…we really could use anything you can western union us.’

She could hear Honovi spit in the background, and found she was perversely pleased to have gotten under his skin. It was good to remind a person where they came from.

‘Yeah, okay.’

With that, she hung up the phone and rolled out of bed, sitting on the floor and thinking. Man, she really had gotten wasted last night. It was probably a good thing that girl, Claire, and Evans had met up with her – she might have done some damage otherwise.

Evans…shit, where was he? She couldn’t remember anything after getting back to the apartment.

Had he just dropped her off and left? Nova thought that was certainly possible. He might be somewhere in her apartment, and if that were the case he had almost certainly heard everything.

Deciding she didn’t want to know until after she’d had a shower, she yanked off her shirt as she wandered to the bathroom, shedding her other clothes as she went. No chance she had gotten lucky and didn’t remember it, then.

It wasn’t until she was finished shampooing her hair that she realized, in the midst of pondering over her non-reaction to the news about her dad, that Kyle wouldn’t have been able to get out by way of the elevators. That meant he was definitely here.

Shit. He –had- heard everything. Nova was grateful that he was giving her space right now, not forcing her to explain herself, but she guessed she would have to eventually. Sighing, she quickly finished cleaning up, then threw a towel around her waist and grabbed her toothbrush, wandering out in search of Kyle while she cleaned her teeth. She still felt a little crappy but that would go away; she’d never had bad hangovers and vampires recovered quickly from such things anyway.

After a cruise around the apartment, though, she realized that she had been wrong; Evans was nowhere to be found. She was caught between relief and annoyance as she went back to the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth and maybe do a better job of toweling off.

Convincing herself that Evans had wandered out for some little thing and simply got himself lost, she dressed quickly in jeans and a plain lime tee shirt and headed off in search of him.

Dayle kept a straight face through Kyle's tirade. She knew he'd be adamant in thinking the experiences were a bad thing... Not that she wished being killed and forcibly revived by becoming addicted to a wonderdrug on anyone... but he still skipped around the two important parts that were the most positive. "You're still alive, Mr. Evans, with a wonderful woman who cares a great deal about you. You could have several allies here, and possibly friends, if you stopped looking everything as if it were a conspiracy against you. Most of 'We all'," she said, pausing on imitating his grumbling description, "are simply folk trying to continue our lives, and live alongside those we used to be a part of. Some day there may be acceptance of us, Mr. Evans, but for now you're right, as you said in one of your columns some years ago. 'The widespread knowledge of the existence of the supernatural will remain for the time being as a figment of writers' imaginations, childrens' nightmares, and hokey television shows.' I am sure you're learning from your experience, Mr. Evans, but I wish you'd recognize we're not all bad. Some of us," she concluded, "would like you to stick around."

Dayle opened the folder lying on the top of her desk and, with the pad of her finger pushed two sheets of paper towards Kyle. One was a copy of the personal information in his dossier; name, address, and the like. The other was a listing of major sports and entertainment events as well as some of the restaurants in the city. "Sign the first. Keep the second." She rolled a pen towards him.

Nova didn’t have much luck with her peek out into the hallway. Where the hell had Evans gone to? She was beginning to suspect she had imagined the elevator ride up, and if she had imagined that maybe the entire museum trip was a figment of her imagination. She made a quick circuit up and down the hall and, seeing no sign of the reporter, went back to her room in a bit of a huff.

This spelled trouble, she was sure of it. Kyle wandering around the domicile was –not- a good thing, considering his penchant for getting himself into really crappy situations.

Still, she couldn’t help but smile a little. That was Kyle, and it looked like he’d gone and done it again. Somehow it was comforting…in a really weird sort of way.

Flopping back on the couch, she opened her laptop to see if Kyle might have registered with the computer somewhere. She might not have the access to watch everything happening in the domicile but she could probably see the last room Evans entered.

And sure enough…he’d gone into an office.

Hmm. Who was Yolgrave? She hoped that wasn’t some new merc…

Shit, this could be bad. Thinking that she had better hurry and explain that he was with her and no one was supposed to mess with him, she careened out the door at top speed and booked down the hallway to the office.

/ooc OMG COLLISION COURSE!!!!!one!!!!

Kyle grabbed the pen and flicked the top off with his thumb - sending it flying to the right of him. Without breaking his ridiculously arrogant stare on Dayle, he signed the papers where HE wanted to sign them. Signature lines be damned. He pointed at her with the pen and then dropped it on the desk. Turning he walked to the door and let himself out, but not without tripping slightly. Again he looked at her, eyes narrowed and backed out of the office, waiting for the door to close.

Tucking in his shirt, he nodded at the door quite pleased with his exit. Stepping to the right, he rounded the corner - right into Nova.

'Wha- ugh. Am I dead? I think I'm dead.' Kyle sat up and touched his head, shaking it gently. 'Nova - you're real nice and all...but I'm starting to think you have a thing for hurting me.'

He sat there on the floor, hand on knee, looking at her with an incredulous look on his face. Where ever they went, she was trying to kill him in one fashion or another. Kyle sighed.

'I'm DELICATE.'

Dayle saw the pen cap land on her loveseat out of the corner of her eye, but the main direction of her gaze was at Kyle.

As soon as he disappeared out of her office, she realized she regretted her questions. She'd known he was going around the building with a heavy chip and dose of morosity but... She wished he would be a bit happier for the fact that he was still living, and possibly in love.

Sighing as she closed the dossier, she dumped it in a box to her right and paused a moment. Decision quickly made, she shut her computer down and dug her purse out of her drawer to head home.

(( Dayle out. ))