07-31-2015, 12:33 PM
"Well, isn't this a fancy pants type place." Samara snorted, "No wonder she wanted to eat here. Any place we would want to eat is on that list of unauthorized leech food."
Coyle chuckled, "At least she is paying."
"Sorry, we are late." Trent said running up to meet them in front of the formal restaurant. Several people past him in elegant clothing, and they looked each them up and down with disgust.
"Where is the leech?" Samara asked as Isaac and Trent gave each other their hellos.
"Talking to the valet about not scratching her car." He shrugged, before looking over the restaurant, "Think they will even let us inside?"
Samara shrugged, "If not we will go to a steak joint, screw her and her 'I'm too good for that' attitude."
"They will let you in." Corliss said as she walked passed them.
"Don't you need a reservation for a place like this?" Isaac asked as they stepped into the waiting room. The chairs had red velvet cushions, and a man stood behind a podium with the reservation book in hand.
"Mlle Macrea, it is good to see you, as always." He said in a thick French accent.
"Bonjour Hugues, table for five available anytime soon?"
Hugues looked at her companions, "They are not dressed appropriately, Mlle Macrea." He teased her, but Samara thought he was serious.
"See we told you, but…"
"No, Madame, you misunderstand. I joke with Mlle Macrea. Her guests are always our guests, you come dressed like a … uh… homeless, and we seat you, if you are with Mlle Macrea." Hugues smiled at Corliss.
"That's so kind of you, Hugues, but I would never bring anyone dressed like that to your lovely restaurant. I thought their suits, as cheap as they may be, would be alright."
"It's fine, it's fine. You worry no more. You like to seat outside or inside?"
Corliss looked at the others, "Any preferences?"
No one answered.
"Somewhere in the back where we can have some privacy."
Hugues looked at the reservations seat, "Oh, personal Macrea dinning hall is open, can we put you there?"
"That's fine, thank you."
The dinning hall proved to be just that, it was practically an entire floor owned in the restaurant by the Macreas. The table was long, and they all crowded around at one end with Corliss at the head of the table. Coyle sat next to his sister on one side, while Trent and Isaac on the other.
"My menu doesn't have any English on it." Isaac announced.
"Give me a break, can't we just get burgers?" Samara threw her menu down.
"Don't worry, I will order for you." Corliss reassured everyone.
"You don't know what we like!" Coyle snapped, offended that she would even think that would be acceptable.
Corliss chuckled, "Let's see, pups like meat… cow meat? Humans… well you'll eat just about anything. Anyone dislike any type of food or allergic to anything?" No one answered, "Alright, then we will be fine. Just trust me, and for once you can have a decent meal; may be the only decent meal you will ever have."
Samara glared across the table at Trent, who shrugged his shoulders. He had eaten in restaurants like this before when he met with the Upper Circle. It was a group of humans that watched over paranormal activity in Los Angeles. Nothing happened without their knowledge.
"Bonjour Mlle Macrea!" A young man entered into the dinning hall.
"Bonjour Benoît." She said as he reached down and kissed both of her cheeks. "Vous allez bien?"
"Oui, merci et vous?" Benoît responded.
"Oui."
"Qu'est-ce que vous voulez boire?" He asked.
Corliss looked over everyone, all of their menus were down, "Je voudrais commander main tenant."
"Oui, naturellement."
She used her fingers to make a circle around the table to point at everyone, "Comme hors d'œuvre, nous voudrions une Assiette de Fromages et une bouteille de votre une bouteille de votre meilleur vin."
He didn't pull out a notepad to take down her order, merely nodded as she spoke. "Bon choix." The waiter responded.
"Comme plat principal, je voudrais le Filet de Porc au raisin sec."
Benoît smiled as he wrote it down, "Ensuite?"
She chuckled, then pointed to Trent, "Monsieur Monte voudrait le steak au poivre," Her fingers went to the werewolves, "et Monsieur et Mlle Travell voudraient le filet mignon sauce au vin." Then she turned returned her finger across the table to Isaac, "Monsieur Reynard voudrait le canard à l'orange."
"Et pour le dessert?" He asked.
"Nous attendrons a la fin pour commander."
"Très bien, je serai de retour avec votre vin." Benoît bowed his head and then left the room.
"So, what are you feeding us?" Samara asked.
"I heard filet mignon in there, but that's all I caught." Isaac announced, causing everyone but Corliss to laugh.
"I got Trent the Steak au Poivre, basically it's a seasoned steak with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and etc." She told him.
Trent nodded his head, "Alright, sounds like something that I would eat."
"I got the pups the filet mignon in a wine sauce." Corliss looked at Isaac, "And for Isaac, duck in orange sauce."
"Duck?" He rose an eyebrow, "I don't like duck."
"Have you ever tried it?"
He shook his head, "No, but I know I don't like it."
She sighed, "If you don't like it, we can exchange plates."
"What you get? The snails?" He joked, but was seriously disgusted.
"No, I got pork tenderloin." She leaned back in her chair, "Oh, I also ordered wine and a cheese plate."
Trent chuckled, "They have cheese plates here?"
Corliss looked up at him with a frown, "I'm already sorry that I brought you guys here."
"We would have been happy at a burger joint; it would of cost you less too." Samara snapped.
Standing up, Corliss put the napkin in her lap onto her dinner plate, and left the room.
"Where is she going?" Isaac asked.
"Watch, she'll leave us here with a five hundred dollar bill." Coyle said as a joke, but it caused everyone to panic slightly.
"What if she does?" Samara looked across the table, "I don't have that much in my bank account. Hell, I don't think I have ten bucks." She looked at Isaac.
"Don't look at me, I have child support that I have to pay." Isaac put his hands behind his head.
"Everyone calm down." Trent ordered, "I've never known a vamp to invite you somewhere and leave you high and dry. If they say they are paying for something, then they will."
"Are you sure?" Samara slammed her hand on the table, "I am not going to spend my night washing dishes."
"We haven't even eaten yet, they can't make us pay for something we haven't used." Trent tried to calm her down.
Corliss entered back into the room, and sat down.
"Where did you go?" Trent asked.
"I changed Isaac's order to the Steak au Poivre." She told him, then looked at Isaac, "That's alright, isn't it?"
He nodded, a little surprised that she went out of her way, "Yes, thanks."
"So, let's talk about what we have learned today." Corliss said as the waiter returned with a bottle of wine, he began to pour everyone their drinks. Another man came in behind him and place the cheese plate in the center of the group.
"Don't they have beer or something?" Coyle asked as his wine glass was filled half way, he reached across the table and took a piece off the cheese plate.
"Wine is better with this type of food, don't worry." Corliss responded, then looked back at Samara. "Well?"
Samara leaned forward, "We got something good, but you go first."
She sighed, "Fine, we went to Club Black and the bartender there said that Rylan often visited with Julian Fausto, and he thought perhaps Silvio Fausto as well. I didn't want to bring the Faustos into this until we have something else pointing their way."
"We saw the Dog Pound on the list, looks like Rylan was entertaining a female of the pack." Samara smiled, knowing this would piss off Corliss.
"Entertaining, what do you mean by that?"
Coyle knew his sister was trying to get a rise out of the leech, and answered before she did. "The bartender there thinks that Rylan may have been in a romantic relationship with a female pack member, as he brought her in there once a week. He never saw them give each other affection, but he was pretty sure that was what was going on."
Corliss didn't give any of them the response that they desired, she simply folded her napkin back into her lap, "So, I am guessing that this bartender was a pup, and believes that Rylan's own people killed him for having a relationship with her?"
Samara nodded.
"If that were the case, then there would have been a trial, and Rylan would have been sentenced to death. He would have been killed and then given a funeral, not dropped in an alley."
Coyle snorted, "Not unless your people wanted to get back at the girl; blame the murder on her so they both die."
"That is ridiculous and paranoid." Corliss took a sip of her wine, and Trent looked at the lipstick print left behind on her glass as she set it down. "That has happened several times in my lifetime, and we have never tried to have the pup killed. Not unless they stepped on our toes after the execution."
"Fine, we will just need to keep digging around for more proof." Samara folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. "What did you say about the Faustos?"
"Rylan was in contact with them at Club Black."
"Don't the Macreas and Faustos hate each other?"
Corliss shrugged, "We have a mutual dislike for one another, but we do not hate each other. About a hundred years ago, there was a war between us. The Faustos were nearly wiped out. It wasn't a war between the elders, but instead created by the lower level vampires. In order to stop the war, Adriel Macrea and Cassius Fausto agreed to have their children married. Cassius sent his daughter to become a Macrea, and the war ended."
"Hmm, could Rylan have been a child of this pairing or does he know them?" Samara asked.
"Rylan knows the daughter of the Faustos, but the Macrea son was murdered mysteriously three months after they were wed. However, if you think that's the link between Rylan and the Faustos, then you are mistaken."
Trent grunted, "Seems like a good link to me. Rylan knew the Fausto's daughter, and he was a Macrea speaking with Faustos. Obviously, she was sending messages to her clan through him or plotting something."
Corliss shook her head, "No, all connects to the Faustos have been severed. They won't speak to her, and she is forbidden to speak with them. Even through a messenger."
"I think we should talk to her still." Isaac looked at the doorway, as their food was brought in. "Or you and Corliss should."
Samara agreed, "It's a lead, and you need to investigate it."
"This has nothing to do with her." Corliss snapped.
"We should speak with her tomorrow morning." Trent said as his plate was placed in front of him.
"I can't do anything tomorrow. I have a funeral, and thus a day of mourning." Corliss told them.
"A funeral for who?" Trent asked, his plate was practically empty.
"Rylan Cullen." Corliss began to cut up her meat.
Isaac looked at his plate, "Where is the food?"
Samara poked the small piece of meat with a fork, "What is this? The filet mignon that we get before the meal?"
Corliss rolled her eyes, "Just eat it."
Standing before the elders, Corliss folded her hands in front of her. She remembered how quiet Trent had been in the car when she drove him home. He made mention about her coming over later that evening to watch the video tape, and she agreed. His mind seemed elsewhere, and she wondered what had taken his attention.
"Rylan's inn room held some clues." Corliss told them, "One of the werewolves found the black pen given to him by Marcellus. There was blood on the lamp shade, though the pup didn't mention it when he found it. I also found this on the night stand." She reached into her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
Marcellus opened it and read it before passing it down the line.
"Looks to be a phone number, but the last two digits are blurred. There is an address as well, and a name."
"Looks like Fausto." Adriel snarled as he passed the paper down. "Could Rylan have regained contact with them?"
"Yes, that's something else that was learned at Club Black. He was converting with Julian and possibly Silvio Fausto."
Adriel nodded his head.
"It does get worse." Corliss warned, "In his inn room, I… uh… fell on the bed and happened to catch his scent on the sheets. There was a pup in the sheets as well as his own."
"A pup must have rented the room after him, after all this Blue Inn must be quite low class. I am sure it was affordable by any of them."
"That's what the PAWS agents said, but this scent was mingled with his own. It alleviated just enough that I have reason to believe a pup was in that bed with him. There was a stronger scent of pup as well, but I couldn't tell if it was the same one."
Marcellus clenched his jaw, "Are you suggestion that Rylan may have been consorting with a werewolf?"
Corliss nodded, "The PAWS agents discovered that he was visiting a pup and human sports bar with a female pup. It is likely."
Marcellus was about to put her in her place, but Adriel held up his hand to stop him. "Are you certain about this, Corliss?"
"To be honest, I do not want it to be true. This is my brother, and to think he would have anything to do with those creatures… well, it makes my stomach churn. It is disgusting, but unfortunately that is the way that the evidence is pointing."
Adriel nodded his head, "Anything else?"
"The pups are going to continue searching for this woman he was with. However, I have run into a problem. The human investigator that I am working with wants to speak with me about Rylan."
Adriel rose an eyebrow, "When you say you, I assume you mean Fausto's daughter, and my son's wife. He does not yet know that it is you, correct?"
Corliss nodded, "They believe that I am a Macrea, yes."
"I see. Then we will not grant him permission, it's as simple as that." Adriel looked around the table, "Everyone is excused, I wish to speak to Corliss alone."
Corliss felt Marcellus' hand rub against her shoulder as he left. When she stood alone in the room, Adriel got up from his chair. He walked over to the window and looked out over the darkness of the city.
"Have you learned anything from this Monte? Anything about the Upper Circle?" He asked after a long moment of silence.
"No, I'm afraid that he hasn't really opened up to me at all." Corliss took several steps closer to him.
"I told you to do whatever was necessary to gain his trust, Corliss." He glared at her out of the corner of his eye with his hands folded behind his back.
"I am trying, but it's only been one day. I purchased him a nice meal at…"
Adriel turned towards her, and ripped the top three buttons of her blouse out. It exposed some of her bust, Corliss covered herself with her arms. "I mean it, Corliss. Start dressing down to his level, be as friendly as possible."
"Are you trying to tell me to gain a relationship with him?"
"That's exactly it, Corliss. Do whatever it takes. This isn't an opportunity we get very often…"
"But he's human, Adriel. Maybe you should give me a partner and she could… I'm royal blood, damn it. I am not going to do anything to a human, and I am certainly not going to try and impress him."
"I don't care if he is a werewolf, you do whatever it takes to get information from him. Are we clear?" He growled under his breath.
"You don't mean anything do you? Adriel, he's a human! I could get thrown out of not only my clan, but kine society itself. I could be shunned!"
He turned to her and grabbed her upper shoulders, "Corliss, this isn't a request, it's a demand. Nothing will come of it, I will ensure that you are not prosecuted, and I will take full blame. This is important. The Upper Circle may have information that has been kept from us for generations."
"Information about what? I don't understand what could be so important that my entire reputation is worth it." She felt like she was nearing tears.
Adriel placed his hands on her cheeks, and gently kissed her lips, "Trust me, Corliss. All will be well, no one will touch you."
She looked into his eyes, "I don't understand."
He sighed, "All that I will say is that the Upper Circle has spies everywhere. They know what every clan and what every pack is up to. If we had someone within their trust, then we would always be on top of the other clans. Do you see?"
Corliss nodded, "It's to keep us in power."
"Yes, good girl." He kissed her forehead, then let her go.
"Monte wants me to meet him at his apartment to view a video tape he collected from the inn. I should go now."
Adriel nodded, "Change your clothing before you go. Do something casual."
Corliss bowed her head, before walking out of the conference room.
"Why didn't you tell me about the tape before?" Samara asked Trent.
He had invited her over as well to view the video tape. His apartment was small the kitchen could contain no more than two people, but had an open counter to view the living room. After Samara arrived, he realized that he probably should have picked up the apartment. Beer cans and pizza boxes were laying everywhere, and he knew that there were cockroaches running around.
"Look, I didn't want to get everyone excited. As soon as Corliss comes…"
"You told the leech about it? God damn you, whose side are you on?"
Trent was cooking himself some pork and beans from a can, "The human's side. If I share with you, then I'll share with her. Besides, it's only Rylan checking in with someone that the manager thought was a werewolf. It's no big deal."
"If one of our own was with a now dead high standing vampire, then it's a huge deal. They could claim that she was the killer. Corliss will jump at the chance…"
There was a knock at the door, "Can you get that? It's probably Corliss." Trent asked.
Samara twisted around, as she knew she should have woke Coyle up from his drunken stopper and made him come along. Opening the door, she looked at the familiar red head. "What the hell are you wearing?" She asked as Corliss stepped in.
Trent looked over at Corliss in a pair of sneakers, gray sweat pants with pink Greek letters above her buttocks, and a white tank top. She carried her matching jacket in her hand, her hair was in a high pony tail. "I was at the gym, and this is what I wear." She lied. Why would a vampire need to work out? She hoped they wouldn't ask.
"You don't smell like you came from the gym." Samara commented.
"You do." Corliss retorted, and turned her eyes to Trent, "You didn't tell me that the pup would be here." She said, sitting down on the stool next to the kitchen, she bent over the counter to see what he was cooking.
He grinned at the dressed down vamp in front of him, he knew this was a rare sight. So was the cleavage that she was displaying as she bent over to look into his cooking pot.
"Sit up, I can see your boobs." Samara snapped as she pulled a soda out of the fridge.
"Always make yourself at home in other people's houses?" Corliss questioned.
"He told me earlier there was soda in the fridge if I wanted it."
Had the two women been human, he might have rather enjoyed their bickering. However, knowing they were species that were bitter enemies, he tried to ignore most of his excitement.
"Is Isaac coming?" Corliss asked.
"No, he's got his kids this weekend. They came tonight. Told me to show it to him on Monday." Trent answered.
"And where is your mate?" Corliss asked Samara.
"He's not my mate, he's my brother!" Samara barked.
"Oh, look at you getting all offended." Corliss chuckled, "I must have hit a sore spot, a little incest going on in your family."
Samara slammed her soda down in front of Corliss, "Say that again, leech, and I'll gut ya."
"Ok, ladies, that's about enough of that. It was funny until the threats started." Trent ordered as he poured his pork and beans into a bowl. "Want some?" He asked Corliss when she stared at the food, he thought it would at the very least be funny if she tried, but it revolted her.
"No, thanks." Corliss crinkled her nose. "I don't even know what that is."
Samara waited for him to offer her some, but he didn't. "Ah, I'll take some."
Trent laughed, "I'm sure you got some at home. Only offered it to her, because she wouldn't take it… and she probably has never eaten anything like it before."
"Meal from a can?" Corliss held up the opened can off the counter, "No, I haven't."
Samara frowned as Trent left the kitchen to set up his meal on the coffee table, he took the entire loaf of bread with him. Corliss walked into the living room, and looked around the littered apartment. Samara brushed passed her and sat down on the couch next to Trent.
"You live like a werewolf." Corliss announced, "No offense to those of us that are actually werewolves, Samara."
"I like it, it's cozy. Reminds me of home." Samara announced as Corliss walked around the other side of the couch and sat down beside him.
"You should hire one of those cleaning services to come in once a week and clean it for you." Corliss told him.
"Ah, I don't want to pay for that." Trent said as he smashed a cockroach on the coffee table that was heading for his bread.
Corliss' entire body cringed, "I see you have roommates too."
Samara laughed out loud for several moments, "Oh, man. I didn't want to laugh, but that was so funny. Roommates… so funny."
Trent chuckled with a mouth full of food as he watched Samara trying to catch her breath. He picked up the controller to his small television, and turned on the TV and VCR. There was some static before it cleared up, Trent began to fast forward through the tape, until he saw Rylan's face at the front door.
"There stop." Corliss announced, and he hit play on the controller.
Rylan stepped into the inn and walked over to the counter, where he spoke with the manager for a moment. He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out his wallet.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Samara said, "Ask me about a wallet after this."
Corliss looked across Trent to her and nodded.
The inn door opened again, and a blonde woman with her hands in her coat pocket and sunglasses on walked in. She stood next to Rylan, and kissed his cheek after the manager gave him the keys. Turning around, they both walked out of the office.
"That's it?" Corliss asked.
"That's it." Trent responded and put more pork and beans in his mouth.
"Utterly useless, and too think you were hiding that from me." Samara stood up, and pulled a wallet out of her back pocket. She tossed it to Corliss, who moved her hands so it would land in her lap. "Rylan left that at the Dog Pound, when he was there."
"When?" Corliss asked.
"I don't know, I would guess the last time he was there."
She sighed, "If you would have asked when, then it might have been the day he went missing. Maybe he didn't forget it, but during a conflict it was knocked out of his pants."
Samara shrugged, "I'll go back and ask tomorrow. I need to get back to my brother, I left him drunk. See ya, Trent." She waved, and walked to the door.
"Bye, Samara." He waved with his spoon.
"Now that she is gone." Corliss grabbed her jacket and dug around in her pocket, "I found this at the inn." She held up the piece of paper.
"Why… why didn't you tell me about this before?" Trent asked, taking the paper from her.
"I wasn't going to tell you until you showed me the video. Fair is fair."
Unfolding it he looked at blurred writing, "Looks like someone put a sweating cup next to it or on it. Hard to read anything."
"Just a name, address, and phone number." She scooted closer and pointed with her pinky finger, "See there, that says Fausto."
Trent tried to ignore that her shoulder was leaning against his own, "Well, there is your second piece of proof, I guess." He offered it back to her.
"No, this won't get us in to see the Fausto elders."
"Julian and Silvio are elders?"
She shook her head, "No, but we can't talk to them until the elders give us permission." She put Rylan's wallet and the piece of paper into her jacket pocket, that was when Trent noticed the cockroach on the jacket.
She put it into her lap, and it began to crawl up her shirt.
He swallowed down his food and pointed at her, "Don't move." He warned, and reached towards her chest to knock it off.
Corliss followed his hands and found the giant cockroach perched on her chest, "Oh my god!" She jumped up and started to swat at it.
Trent stood up to help her, but she continued to flail around.
"It went in my shirt!" She cried out.
"Stop!" He ordered, "I can't help you."
She was smacking her chest, "It's down my back." She stopped and turned towards him, her back facing him.
Trent grabbed the end of her shirt, and pulled it up to find the cockroach on her white bra strap, as well as a rose tattoo on the small of her back. With his thumb and index finger, he flicked it off her onto the carpet, then stepped on it.
"Did you get it?" She asked, looking down at the foot he used to crush the cockroach.
"Yeah," He said heroically and still holding her shirt up, "should have just let me flick it off your chest, instead of freaking out."
"I don't like those things, they are unclean." She tugged on her shirt. "Can you put my shirt down now?"
He dropped the cloth, "Sorry." Sitting down, he looked up at her as she grabbed her jacket and shook it off. "Nice tattoo."
She said nothing, "Well, as much fun as this has been I should be getting home."
"I rented a horror movie, you can stay and watch that." Trent offered.
"I just lived a real life horror, I think that I'm good for the night."
He shrugged, "Alright, well, thanks for dinner earlier."
Corliss looked at his bowl of pork and beans, "Yeah, I can see it really filled you up."
With a grin, he picked up the bowl, "Sure, you don't want to try anything."
"I'm fine, see you on Monday." Walking over to the door, she remembered Adriel telling her to get the man into her trust. She didn't want to do it, but she turned to face him.
"I don't hear the door opening." He said as he flipped through the channels.
"I have this fundraiser on Sunday…" She hated this, "you want to come?"
"Why?"
Corliss had to think quick, "Fausto elders, and other clans are going to be there. Human upper class as well, you won't be the only one."
"Fausto elders you say?"
She nodded, "Yeah, you'll have to wear a black suit and tie."
"Alright. What about the dogs?"
"No, they can not come. It's a kine and human event only. I'll pick you up at seven, then?"
Trent turned his head to look at her across the room, "In the evening, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"Ok, see you then."
Corliss gave a quick nod before leaving the apartment.
Trent turned back to his television, and started to watch Wheel of Fortune. He tried to decided if she had asked him as date or for their case. She was an elite vamp, he doubted she would take him into vamp society as a date, it had to be for the case. Damn, he would need to buy a black suit and tie.
Coyle chuckled, "At least she is paying."
"Sorry, we are late." Trent said running up to meet them in front of the formal restaurant. Several people past him in elegant clothing, and they looked each them up and down with disgust.
"Where is the leech?" Samara asked as Isaac and Trent gave each other their hellos.
"Talking to the valet about not scratching her car." He shrugged, before looking over the restaurant, "Think they will even let us inside?"
Samara shrugged, "If not we will go to a steak joint, screw her and her 'I'm too good for that' attitude."
"They will let you in." Corliss said as she walked passed them.
"Don't you need a reservation for a place like this?" Isaac asked as they stepped into the waiting room. The chairs had red velvet cushions, and a man stood behind a podium with the reservation book in hand.
"Mlle Macrea, it is good to see you, as always." He said in a thick French accent.
"Bonjour Hugues, table for five available anytime soon?"
Hugues looked at her companions, "They are not dressed appropriately, Mlle Macrea." He teased her, but Samara thought he was serious.
"See we told you, but…"
"No, Madame, you misunderstand. I joke with Mlle Macrea. Her guests are always our guests, you come dressed like a … uh… homeless, and we seat you, if you are with Mlle Macrea." Hugues smiled at Corliss.
"That's so kind of you, Hugues, but I would never bring anyone dressed like that to your lovely restaurant. I thought their suits, as cheap as they may be, would be alright."
"It's fine, it's fine. You worry no more. You like to seat outside or inside?"
Corliss looked at the others, "Any preferences?"
No one answered.
"Somewhere in the back where we can have some privacy."
Hugues looked at the reservations seat, "Oh, personal Macrea dinning hall is open, can we put you there?"
"That's fine, thank you."
The dinning hall proved to be just that, it was practically an entire floor owned in the restaurant by the Macreas. The table was long, and they all crowded around at one end with Corliss at the head of the table. Coyle sat next to his sister on one side, while Trent and Isaac on the other.
"My menu doesn't have any English on it." Isaac announced.
"Give me a break, can't we just get burgers?" Samara threw her menu down.
"Don't worry, I will order for you." Corliss reassured everyone.
"You don't know what we like!" Coyle snapped, offended that she would even think that would be acceptable.
Corliss chuckled, "Let's see, pups like meat… cow meat? Humans… well you'll eat just about anything. Anyone dislike any type of food or allergic to anything?" No one answered, "Alright, then we will be fine. Just trust me, and for once you can have a decent meal; may be the only decent meal you will ever have."
Samara glared across the table at Trent, who shrugged his shoulders. He had eaten in restaurants like this before when he met with the Upper Circle. It was a group of humans that watched over paranormal activity in Los Angeles. Nothing happened without their knowledge.
"Bonjour Mlle Macrea!" A young man entered into the dinning hall.
"Bonjour Benoît." She said as he reached down and kissed both of her cheeks. "Vous allez bien?"
"Oui, merci et vous?" Benoît responded.
"Oui."
"Qu'est-ce que vous voulez boire?" He asked.
Corliss looked over everyone, all of their menus were down, "Je voudrais commander main tenant."
"Oui, naturellement."
She used her fingers to make a circle around the table to point at everyone, "Comme hors d'œuvre, nous voudrions une Assiette de Fromages et une bouteille de votre une bouteille de votre meilleur vin."
He didn't pull out a notepad to take down her order, merely nodded as she spoke. "Bon choix." The waiter responded.
"Comme plat principal, je voudrais le Filet de Porc au raisin sec."
Benoît smiled as he wrote it down, "Ensuite?"
She chuckled, then pointed to Trent, "Monsieur Monte voudrait le steak au poivre," Her fingers went to the werewolves, "et Monsieur et Mlle Travell voudraient le filet mignon sauce au vin." Then she turned returned her finger across the table to Isaac, "Monsieur Reynard voudrait le canard à l'orange."
"Et pour le dessert?" He asked.
"Nous attendrons a la fin pour commander."
"Très bien, je serai de retour avec votre vin." Benoît bowed his head and then left the room.
"So, what are you feeding us?" Samara asked.
"I heard filet mignon in there, but that's all I caught." Isaac announced, causing everyone but Corliss to laugh.
"I got Trent the Steak au Poivre, basically it's a seasoned steak with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and etc." She told him.
Trent nodded his head, "Alright, sounds like something that I would eat."
"I got the pups the filet mignon in a wine sauce." Corliss looked at Isaac, "And for Isaac, duck in orange sauce."
"Duck?" He rose an eyebrow, "I don't like duck."
"Have you ever tried it?"
He shook his head, "No, but I know I don't like it."
She sighed, "If you don't like it, we can exchange plates."
"What you get? The snails?" He joked, but was seriously disgusted.
"No, I got pork tenderloin." She leaned back in her chair, "Oh, I also ordered wine and a cheese plate."
Trent chuckled, "They have cheese plates here?"
Corliss looked up at him with a frown, "I'm already sorry that I brought you guys here."
"We would have been happy at a burger joint; it would of cost you less too." Samara snapped.
Standing up, Corliss put the napkin in her lap onto her dinner plate, and left the room.
"Where is she going?" Isaac asked.
"Watch, she'll leave us here with a five hundred dollar bill." Coyle said as a joke, but it caused everyone to panic slightly.
"What if she does?" Samara looked across the table, "I don't have that much in my bank account. Hell, I don't think I have ten bucks." She looked at Isaac.
"Don't look at me, I have child support that I have to pay." Isaac put his hands behind his head.
"Everyone calm down." Trent ordered, "I've never known a vamp to invite you somewhere and leave you high and dry. If they say they are paying for something, then they will."
"Are you sure?" Samara slammed her hand on the table, "I am not going to spend my night washing dishes."
"We haven't even eaten yet, they can't make us pay for something we haven't used." Trent tried to calm her down.
Corliss entered back into the room, and sat down.
"Where did you go?" Trent asked.
"I changed Isaac's order to the Steak au Poivre." She told him, then looked at Isaac, "That's alright, isn't it?"
He nodded, a little surprised that she went out of her way, "Yes, thanks."
"So, let's talk about what we have learned today." Corliss said as the waiter returned with a bottle of wine, he began to pour everyone their drinks. Another man came in behind him and place the cheese plate in the center of the group.
"Don't they have beer or something?" Coyle asked as his wine glass was filled half way, he reached across the table and took a piece off the cheese plate.
"Wine is better with this type of food, don't worry." Corliss responded, then looked back at Samara. "Well?"
Samara leaned forward, "We got something good, but you go first."
She sighed, "Fine, we went to Club Black and the bartender there said that Rylan often visited with Julian Fausto, and he thought perhaps Silvio Fausto as well. I didn't want to bring the Faustos into this until we have something else pointing their way."
"We saw the Dog Pound on the list, looks like Rylan was entertaining a female of the pack." Samara smiled, knowing this would piss off Corliss.
"Entertaining, what do you mean by that?"
Coyle knew his sister was trying to get a rise out of the leech, and answered before she did. "The bartender there thinks that Rylan may have been in a romantic relationship with a female pack member, as he brought her in there once a week. He never saw them give each other affection, but he was pretty sure that was what was going on."
Corliss didn't give any of them the response that they desired, she simply folded her napkin back into her lap, "So, I am guessing that this bartender was a pup, and believes that Rylan's own people killed him for having a relationship with her?"
Samara nodded.
"If that were the case, then there would have been a trial, and Rylan would have been sentenced to death. He would have been killed and then given a funeral, not dropped in an alley."
Coyle snorted, "Not unless your people wanted to get back at the girl; blame the murder on her so they both die."
"That is ridiculous and paranoid." Corliss took a sip of her wine, and Trent looked at the lipstick print left behind on her glass as she set it down. "That has happened several times in my lifetime, and we have never tried to have the pup killed. Not unless they stepped on our toes after the execution."
"Fine, we will just need to keep digging around for more proof." Samara folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. "What did you say about the Faustos?"
"Rylan was in contact with them at Club Black."
"Don't the Macreas and Faustos hate each other?"
Corliss shrugged, "We have a mutual dislike for one another, but we do not hate each other. About a hundred years ago, there was a war between us. The Faustos were nearly wiped out. It wasn't a war between the elders, but instead created by the lower level vampires. In order to stop the war, Adriel Macrea and Cassius Fausto agreed to have their children married. Cassius sent his daughter to become a Macrea, and the war ended."
"Hmm, could Rylan have been a child of this pairing or does he know them?" Samara asked.
"Rylan knows the daughter of the Faustos, but the Macrea son was murdered mysteriously three months after they were wed. However, if you think that's the link between Rylan and the Faustos, then you are mistaken."
Trent grunted, "Seems like a good link to me. Rylan knew the Fausto's daughter, and he was a Macrea speaking with Faustos. Obviously, she was sending messages to her clan through him or plotting something."
Corliss shook her head, "No, all connects to the Faustos have been severed. They won't speak to her, and she is forbidden to speak with them. Even through a messenger."
"I think we should talk to her still." Isaac looked at the doorway, as their food was brought in. "Or you and Corliss should."
Samara agreed, "It's a lead, and you need to investigate it."
"This has nothing to do with her." Corliss snapped.
"We should speak with her tomorrow morning." Trent said as his plate was placed in front of him.
"I can't do anything tomorrow. I have a funeral, and thus a day of mourning." Corliss told them.
"A funeral for who?" Trent asked, his plate was practically empty.
"Rylan Cullen." Corliss began to cut up her meat.
Isaac looked at his plate, "Where is the food?"
Samara poked the small piece of meat with a fork, "What is this? The filet mignon that we get before the meal?"
Corliss rolled her eyes, "Just eat it."
---***---
Standing before the elders, Corliss folded her hands in front of her. She remembered how quiet Trent had been in the car when she drove him home. He made mention about her coming over later that evening to watch the video tape, and she agreed. His mind seemed elsewhere, and she wondered what had taken his attention.
"Rylan's inn room held some clues." Corliss told them, "One of the werewolves found the black pen given to him by Marcellus. There was blood on the lamp shade, though the pup didn't mention it when he found it. I also found this on the night stand." She reached into her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
Marcellus opened it and read it before passing it down the line.
"Looks to be a phone number, but the last two digits are blurred. There is an address as well, and a name."
"Looks like Fausto." Adriel snarled as he passed the paper down. "Could Rylan have regained contact with them?"
"Yes, that's something else that was learned at Club Black. He was converting with Julian and possibly Silvio Fausto."
Adriel nodded his head.
"It does get worse." Corliss warned, "In his inn room, I… uh… fell on the bed and happened to catch his scent on the sheets. There was a pup in the sheets as well as his own."
"A pup must have rented the room after him, after all this Blue Inn must be quite low class. I am sure it was affordable by any of them."
"That's what the PAWS agents said, but this scent was mingled with his own. It alleviated just enough that I have reason to believe a pup was in that bed with him. There was a stronger scent of pup as well, but I couldn't tell if it was the same one."
Marcellus clenched his jaw, "Are you suggestion that Rylan may have been consorting with a werewolf?"
Corliss nodded, "The PAWS agents discovered that he was visiting a pup and human sports bar with a female pup. It is likely."
Marcellus was about to put her in her place, but Adriel held up his hand to stop him. "Are you certain about this, Corliss?"
"To be honest, I do not want it to be true. This is my brother, and to think he would have anything to do with those creatures… well, it makes my stomach churn. It is disgusting, but unfortunately that is the way that the evidence is pointing."
Adriel nodded his head, "Anything else?"
"The pups are going to continue searching for this woman he was with. However, I have run into a problem. The human investigator that I am working with wants to speak with me about Rylan."
Adriel rose an eyebrow, "When you say you, I assume you mean Fausto's daughter, and my son's wife. He does not yet know that it is you, correct?"
Corliss nodded, "They believe that I am a Macrea, yes."
"I see. Then we will not grant him permission, it's as simple as that." Adriel looked around the table, "Everyone is excused, I wish to speak to Corliss alone."
Corliss felt Marcellus' hand rub against her shoulder as he left. When she stood alone in the room, Adriel got up from his chair. He walked over to the window and looked out over the darkness of the city.
"Have you learned anything from this Monte? Anything about the Upper Circle?" He asked after a long moment of silence.
"No, I'm afraid that he hasn't really opened up to me at all." Corliss took several steps closer to him.
"I told you to do whatever was necessary to gain his trust, Corliss." He glared at her out of the corner of his eye with his hands folded behind his back.
"I am trying, but it's only been one day. I purchased him a nice meal at…"
Adriel turned towards her, and ripped the top three buttons of her blouse out. It exposed some of her bust, Corliss covered herself with her arms. "I mean it, Corliss. Start dressing down to his level, be as friendly as possible."
"Are you trying to tell me to gain a relationship with him?"
"That's exactly it, Corliss. Do whatever it takes. This isn't an opportunity we get very often…"
"But he's human, Adriel. Maybe you should give me a partner and she could… I'm royal blood, damn it. I am not going to do anything to a human, and I am certainly not going to try and impress him."
"I don't care if he is a werewolf, you do whatever it takes to get information from him. Are we clear?" He growled under his breath.
"You don't mean anything do you? Adriel, he's a human! I could get thrown out of not only my clan, but kine society itself. I could be shunned!"
He turned to her and grabbed her upper shoulders, "Corliss, this isn't a request, it's a demand. Nothing will come of it, I will ensure that you are not prosecuted, and I will take full blame. This is important. The Upper Circle may have information that has been kept from us for generations."
"Information about what? I don't understand what could be so important that my entire reputation is worth it." She felt like she was nearing tears.
Adriel placed his hands on her cheeks, and gently kissed her lips, "Trust me, Corliss. All will be well, no one will touch you."
She looked into his eyes, "I don't understand."
He sighed, "All that I will say is that the Upper Circle has spies everywhere. They know what every clan and what every pack is up to. If we had someone within their trust, then we would always be on top of the other clans. Do you see?"
Corliss nodded, "It's to keep us in power."
"Yes, good girl." He kissed her forehead, then let her go.
"Monte wants me to meet him at his apartment to view a video tape he collected from the inn. I should go now."
Adriel nodded, "Change your clothing before you go. Do something casual."
Corliss bowed her head, before walking out of the conference room.
---***---
"Why didn't you tell me about the tape before?" Samara asked Trent.
He had invited her over as well to view the video tape. His apartment was small the kitchen could contain no more than two people, but had an open counter to view the living room. After Samara arrived, he realized that he probably should have picked up the apartment. Beer cans and pizza boxes were laying everywhere, and he knew that there were cockroaches running around.
"Look, I didn't want to get everyone excited. As soon as Corliss comes…"
"You told the leech about it? God damn you, whose side are you on?"
Trent was cooking himself some pork and beans from a can, "The human's side. If I share with you, then I'll share with her. Besides, it's only Rylan checking in with someone that the manager thought was a werewolf. It's no big deal."
"If one of our own was with a now dead high standing vampire, then it's a huge deal. They could claim that she was the killer. Corliss will jump at the chance…"
There was a knock at the door, "Can you get that? It's probably Corliss." Trent asked.
Samara twisted around, as she knew she should have woke Coyle up from his drunken stopper and made him come along. Opening the door, she looked at the familiar red head. "What the hell are you wearing?" She asked as Corliss stepped in.
Trent looked over at Corliss in a pair of sneakers, gray sweat pants with pink Greek letters above her buttocks, and a white tank top. She carried her matching jacket in her hand, her hair was in a high pony tail. "I was at the gym, and this is what I wear." She lied. Why would a vampire need to work out? She hoped they wouldn't ask.
"You don't smell like you came from the gym." Samara commented.
"You do." Corliss retorted, and turned her eyes to Trent, "You didn't tell me that the pup would be here." She said, sitting down on the stool next to the kitchen, she bent over the counter to see what he was cooking.
He grinned at the dressed down vamp in front of him, he knew this was a rare sight. So was the cleavage that she was displaying as she bent over to look into his cooking pot.
"Sit up, I can see your boobs." Samara snapped as she pulled a soda out of the fridge.
"Always make yourself at home in other people's houses?" Corliss questioned.
"He told me earlier there was soda in the fridge if I wanted it."
Had the two women been human, he might have rather enjoyed their bickering. However, knowing they were species that were bitter enemies, he tried to ignore most of his excitement.
"Is Isaac coming?" Corliss asked.
"No, he's got his kids this weekend. They came tonight. Told me to show it to him on Monday." Trent answered.
"And where is your mate?" Corliss asked Samara.
"He's not my mate, he's my brother!" Samara barked.
"Oh, look at you getting all offended." Corliss chuckled, "I must have hit a sore spot, a little incest going on in your family."
Samara slammed her soda down in front of Corliss, "Say that again, leech, and I'll gut ya."
"Ok, ladies, that's about enough of that. It was funny until the threats started." Trent ordered as he poured his pork and beans into a bowl. "Want some?" He asked Corliss when she stared at the food, he thought it would at the very least be funny if she tried, but it revolted her.
"No, thanks." Corliss crinkled her nose. "I don't even know what that is."
Samara waited for him to offer her some, but he didn't. "Ah, I'll take some."
Trent laughed, "I'm sure you got some at home. Only offered it to her, because she wouldn't take it… and she probably has never eaten anything like it before."
"Meal from a can?" Corliss held up the opened can off the counter, "No, I haven't."
Samara frowned as Trent left the kitchen to set up his meal on the coffee table, he took the entire loaf of bread with him. Corliss walked into the living room, and looked around the littered apartment. Samara brushed passed her and sat down on the couch next to Trent.
"You live like a werewolf." Corliss announced, "No offense to those of us that are actually werewolves, Samara."
"I like it, it's cozy. Reminds me of home." Samara announced as Corliss walked around the other side of the couch and sat down beside him.
"You should hire one of those cleaning services to come in once a week and clean it for you." Corliss told him.
"Ah, I don't want to pay for that." Trent said as he smashed a cockroach on the coffee table that was heading for his bread.
Corliss' entire body cringed, "I see you have roommates too."
Samara laughed out loud for several moments, "Oh, man. I didn't want to laugh, but that was so funny. Roommates… so funny."
Trent chuckled with a mouth full of food as he watched Samara trying to catch her breath. He picked up the controller to his small television, and turned on the TV and VCR. There was some static before it cleared up, Trent began to fast forward through the tape, until he saw Rylan's face at the front door.
"There stop." Corliss announced, and he hit play on the controller.
Rylan stepped into the inn and walked over to the counter, where he spoke with the manager for a moment. He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out his wallet.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Samara said, "Ask me about a wallet after this."
Corliss looked across Trent to her and nodded.
The inn door opened again, and a blonde woman with her hands in her coat pocket and sunglasses on walked in. She stood next to Rylan, and kissed his cheek after the manager gave him the keys. Turning around, they both walked out of the office.
"That's it?" Corliss asked.
"That's it." Trent responded and put more pork and beans in his mouth.
"Utterly useless, and too think you were hiding that from me." Samara stood up, and pulled a wallet out of her back pocket. She tossed it to Corliss, who moved her hands so it would land in her lap. "Rylan left that at the Dog Pound, when he was there."
"When?" Corliss asked.
"I don't know, I would guess the last time he was there."
She sighed, "If you would have asked when, then it might have been the day he went missing. Maybe he didn't forget it, but during a conflict it was knocked out of his pants."
Samara shrugged, "I'll go back and ask tomorrow. I need to get back to my brother, I left him drunk. See ya, Trent." She waved, and walked to the door.
"Bye, Samara." He waved with his spoon.
"Now that she is gone." Corliss grabbed her jacket and dug around in her pocket, "I found this at the inn." She held up the piece of paper.
"Why… why didn't you tell me about this before?" Trent asked, taking the paper from her.
"I wasn't going to tell you until you showed me the video. Fair is fair."
Unfolding it he looked at blurred writing, "Looks like someone put a sweating cup next to it or on it. Hard to read anything."
"Just a name, address, and phone number." She scooted closer and pointed with her pinky finger, "See there, that says Fausto."
Trent tried to ignore that her shoulder was leaning against his own, "Well, there is your second piece of proof, I guess." He offered it back to her.
"No, this won't get us in to see the Fausto elders."
"Julian and Silvio are elders?"
She shook her head, "No, but we can't talk to them until the elders give us permission." She put Rylan's wallet and the piece of paper into her jacket pocket, that was when Trent noticed the cockroach on the jacket.
She put it into her lap, and it began to crawl up her shirt.
He swallowed down his food and pointed at her, "Don't move." He warned, and reached towards her chest to knock it off.
Corliss followed his hands and found the giant cockroach perched on her chest, "Oh my god!" She jumped up and started to swat at it.
Trent stood up to help her, but she continued to flail around.
"It went in my shirt!" She cried out.
"Stop!" He ordered, "I can't help you."
She was smacking her chest, "It's down my back." She stopped and turned towards him, her back facing him.
Trent grabbed the end of her shirt, and pulled it up to find the cockroach on her white bra strap, as well as a rose tattoo on the small of her back. With his thumb and index finger, he flicked it off her onto the carpet, then stepped on it.
"Did you get it?" She asked, looking down at the foot he used to crush the cockroach.
"Yeah," He said heroically and still holding her shirt up, "should have just let me flick it off your chest, instead of freaking out."
"I don't like those things, they are unclean." She tugged on her shirt. "Can you put my shirt down now?"
He dropped the cloth, "Sorry." Sitting down, he looked up at her as she grabbed her jacket and shook it off. "Nice tattoo."
She said nothing, "Well, as much fun as this has been I should be getting home."
"I rented a horror movie, you can stay and watch that." Trent offered.
"I just lived a real life horror, I think that I'm good for the night."
He shrugged, "Alright, well, thanks for dinner earlier."
Corliss looked at his bowl of pork and beans, "Yeah, I can see it really filled you up."
With a grin, he picked up the bowl, "Sure, you don't want to try anything."
"I'm fine, see you on Monday." Walking over to the door, she remembered Adriel telling her to get the man into her trust. She didn't want to do it, but she turned to face him.
"I don't hear the door opening." He said as he flipped through the channels.
"I have this fundraiser on Sunday…" She hated this, "you want to come?"
"Why?"
Corliss had to think quick, "Fausto elders, and other clans are going to be there. Human upper class as well, you won't be the only one."
"Fausto elders you say?"
She nodded, "Yeah, you'll have to wear a black suit and tie."
"Alright. What about the dogs?"
"No, they can not come. It's a kine and human event only. I'll pick you up at seven, then?"
Trent turned his head to look at her across the room, "In the evening, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"Ok, see you then."
Corliss gave a quick nod before leaving the apartment.
Trent turned back to his television, and started to watch Wheel of Fortune. He tried to decided if she had asked him as date or for their case. She was an elite vamp, he doubted she would take him into vamp society as a date, it had to be for the case. Damn, he would need to buy a black suit and tie.