One lump of plaster or two?

Thaddeus was doing his best to focus on the task at hand while Alfarinn was occupied with apparently worrisome conversation, not wanting to add his own growing concern to his companion’s troubles. It was, however, clear that something was wrong, and he was growing anxious beneath his veneer of calm.

He tilted his head as Alfarinn’s various reactions played themselves out, running his hands gently through silky wet hair to help rinse the soap out, then continuing to stroke along his lover’s back as the conversation continued. After a moment, though, Alfarinn pulled away and spoke, seemingly distressed by whatever news his friend had brought.

“I’m assuming Kem wasn’t sending to offer up congratulations then.” He smiled softly as he rubbed his thumbs along Alfarinn’s shoulders. “Do you need to go?”

Thaddeus, being well acquainted with the concept of duty, would certainly understand if Alfarinn had matters to attend to and kept his inward discontent that there would likely be no coffee and talking in the very near future to himself.

Alfarinn closed his eyes for a minute, letting Thaddeus's fingers ease his worries through the skillful touch. Eventually though, he sighed and shook his head.

"No, unfortunately he was not. He sent to tell me that Nic... Remember him? He had made the mistake of biting Ellis's familiar, of all people, and was told to stay in the Towers until I could speak to her and negotiate some sort of settlement. Nic decided to go out. Not just anywhere but back to the same familiar."

He picked up the shampoo and squeezed some into his hand and worked it through Thaddeus's hair as he spoke. The activity had a nice calming effect on his nerves.

"He also said that this familiar swears that Ellis is dead. Nic, believes this rumor. My personal opinion is either this Addison is a very good liar, believes this story himself or Nic is a really big dupe but all of those seem more probable than Ellis really being dead."

Someone that old and powerful? It would likely take an army or someone equally old and powerful. They had dispatched Lykaios and it was doubtful any clan elder would have gone so far as to murder Ellis for fear of Tacharan revenge on their clan. With Lykaios gone, Alfarinn doubted there were many other clanless vampire within Nachton of an age to even attempt such a thing, and he doubted any of those that might be left would have the necessary skills.

"I'll call Simon and see if I can go meet with him. If Ellis is dead then he's in charge and if she isn't dead then this is a set up and Simon would still be safer to speak with. I think we have time to finish our shower and get a cup of coffee though."

Thaddeus winced at Alfarinn’s news, now that he understood the source of his lover’s distress. He actually felt ill at the thought of what could have happened to the Evenhet, and he didn’t exactly consider himself the most sympathetic person. He could only imagine what this might be doing to Alfarinn.

He couldn’t help but let his eyes flutter closed in pleasure as Alfarinn washed his hair, though his mind was still firing off possible scenarios. Alfarinn’s next statement did nothing to assuage his concerns. This had trap written all over it, but he gathered that Nic was fine for the time being. What did that mean? Thaddeus could think of several possibilities, none of them good, but there was a chance Simon may be able to shed some light on the matter.

“The mind reels.”

What did they want, if not Nic’s immediate death? Information? That was a good possibility; this familiar might have been able to find out something useful without even needing to press for it, without Nic ever having known he was giving away something significant. Or perhaps they were hoping Nic would bring company. Perhaps this familiar wanted to plant something on him, a listening device, or a tracking device like the one he had on the ring.

Alfarinn seemed to think they would be safe enough to get a cup of coffee would be safe enough which told Thaddeus that the situation was contained at least, but he still felt he should ask.

“I’m assuming Nic returned home safely then?”

He bit down on his lower lip before tilting his head back to rise out the shampoo. There was something else bothering him, beyond the situation at hand, that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, and he closed his eyes in thought before reaching for the soap.

“We’ll need to be careful meeting Simon…I know you trust him, hell, I trust him, but if he’s a pawn in this particular game…we need to be careful.”

Alfarinn nodded in agreement as he helped rinse the shampoo from Thaddeus's hair.

"It does."

He smiled at his thoughtful and concerned companion, before picking up a washcloth and holding it out for Thaddeus.

"I am not certain but he was in no danger when Kem contacted me or it would have been mentioned. Kem was going to see that Nic returned immediately to the Towers to stay until this is resolved. No one picked him up on the way out and he was given this information so I suspect that if it is a set up of some kind then he will make it home safely. If it is not and he does not, well Simon would still be a good person to speak to in the hopes of getting him back and if they kill him..."

That really did not bare contemplating and he hoped that the Tacharan would be mindful of Evenhet reprisals despite Nic's original mistake against one of their own. Killing would seem a little overboard even for Ellis.

Alfarinn regarded Thaddeus thoughtfully before agreeing.

"I know. It is difficult knowing that you can't trust the very people that you would normally trust but being alive and overly cautious is better than dead and altruistic. So do you have any further thoughts on the matter?"

Thaddeus lathered up the washcloth and began running it over Alfarinn’s shoulders while they spoke, making careful patterns with the suds and thinking over his lover’s words.

“You’re right of course; Kem would have said something.”

He raised one eyebrow at the last remark, wondering if there might be more on Alfarinn’s mind than the current situation with Nic. Thaddeus was beginning to feel they really needed to clear the air; his companion couldn’t be expected to politely ignore the ‘Sorin issue’ any more than he could ask himself to keep quiet.

“Point taken. It is fortunate that I am very rarely altruistic.”

It didn’t occur to him until after he spoke that Alfarinn might not have been thinking of Sorin at all, that the depth of that exchange was entirely of his own making. He ran his hand lightly over Alfarinn’s chest.

“I suppose I do take things like this personally though. I didn’t mean to snap.”

Frowning, he focused on getting his lover clean and perhaps taking it down just a notch. He didn’t care to admit, especially to himself, just how close to home this whole situation had hit and thinking of Sorin on top of that had temporarily frayed his nerves. It was, however, a good thing he had decided to take a moment to collect his thoughts, considering his lover had asked for them.

“Quite a few, and none of them good. In any case speaking to Simon seems to be the best option, though I think you’re going to want to speak to Nic as well.”

He shook his head as he ran his hands down Alfarinn’s arms.

“Hopefully he’s not so scared by this point he can’t speak coherently on the matter; there are so many possibilities that anything could be significant. Did he leave anything of his behind? Did he take anything from Ellis’s familiar? Did this familiar try to get Nic alone or did they meet in public? What did they talk about? What were their reactions to Ellis’s supposed death?”

He bit down on his lower lip, wondering just how deep they were in.

Alfarinn looked up at his companion in confusion.

"Pardon?"

His thoughts were on Nic, Addison and Simon and whether this whole mess was a possible trap and he wondered just how Thaddeus's behavior fit into the equation. Did Thaddeus want to go with him, was that the point? He could certainly understand that. He hardly wanted to leave Thaddeus's side for the inability to be of some aid should it be needed.

Alfarinn cupped his lover's jaw and rubbed a thumb lightly over Thaddeus's lower lip, touched by the concern. He dismissed the apology with a smile.

"I don't believe there is any other way to take such things and I believe you have are very level headed, Beloved. It would be nice to believe that at some point people would stop wanting to set traps for us or see us dead but I think that comes with the job so it is unlikely. We just have to take these moments where we can and keep our wits about us the rest of the time. "

Nodding in agreement, he said.

"Yes, I wish Megan were in town for her input on the matter but it is not something that can't be accomplished without her. As far as speaking to Nic goes, it is something that certainly needs to be done but I think we need to make some sort of contact with the Tacharan as soon as possible before this escalates any more."

Listening to Thaddeus's concerns brought up a good point, could Nic be bugged and tracked? He would have MARI scan for any foreign devices when he got a chance to page her. Certainly the Tacharan would expect that to be picked up. Of course, he had taken long shots before himself and it certainly didn't hurt them to try.

"I'm sure we can help him talk."

He had little doubt that the security team could find out the necessary information with all their skills and abilities.

"It is difficult to say what might have been done since we do not know the purpose of the visit. Mari can check for tracking devices and I'll notify her with a request to do so as soon as we are done giving quality time to the shower. "

Alfarinn smiled and took the soap away from Thaddeus, giving his lover a quick kiss in compensation before picking up a washcloth and starting to work on his companion's shoulders.

Thaddeus shook his head at Alfarinn’s query, still frowning slightly.

“The circle of people we can trust seems to shrink by the day. I was just…thinking of Anantya.”

He kissed the thumb that had found its way to his lips and brushed off his own concerns. One thing at a time, after all, and it would serve him well to focus. He smiled ruefully at Alfarinn’s next words, shaking his head.

“And hear I thought our kind led decadent existences, reveling in our own immortality and accumulated wealth without a care in the world.” He chuckled. “Alright, that sounds incredibly boring but I think we could use a little calm.”

It seemed, at the very least, they had a basic plan of action, and that was better than nothing. It was better to have things to do rather than waiting for outside forces to decide one’s fate…which, he realized, was exactly what Nic was likely going through right now. That was the way it had to be, unfortunately; the Evenhet needed to be out of the situation.

He nodded at the plan to have MARI check into tracking devices.

“Excellent, that would narrow down the possibilities a bit.”

Returning the kiss, he gave up the washcloth and tilted his head back to give Alfarinn better access, still thinking.

“I wonder if Simon ever told Ellis we were going to kill The Wolf. If she doesn’t know…perhaps it would be good to keep her in the dark as long as possible on the off chance she wanted to use him to exact her revenge. It would, at the very least, buy some time.”

"Oh"

Alfarinn looked thoughtfully at his companion and then returned to the words that had been spoken. He smiled softly at Thaddeus, saddened by his lover's words and what they had meant.

" I want you to know that I do not blame you for believing in him. I truly hope you're right despite the differences between Sorin and I."

He very much meant that; it would break his heart to see Thaddeus's faith in Sorin shattered. While he did not think the man deserved such high regard, his companion did not deserve to be betrayed, especially by someone so close and who meant so much to him.

"This is calm, We will probably always have to steal it when we can get it or run away for a few weeks, taking it by force. How does Italy sound? England?"

Pushing aside what he felt was the inevitable later in exchange for the concerns of the day, Alfarinn continued his washing, concentrating more than strictly necessary on how the tiny soap bubbles that clung to wet skin before washing them away.

"I don't plan on letting loose our secrets until we have to. For once I would like to know -something- that someone else did not know first."

He smiled ruefully at Thaddeus, feeling that they always seemed to be one step behind in this mystery of theirs. If he were being fair to them, he would say that they were putting together the pieces that various people had only part of, and while a particular piece might have been known by others before they were informed, they were the ones putting the puzzle all together as a whole.

"Let's worry about this later, Mr Grey, and let's get back to our discussion of the family rules."

Alfarinn slid a finger lightly down the center of his lover's chest.

"Actually there were other things to discuss over coffee as well. I haven't forgotten. I'll call Simon when we're done."

((OOC: The places were purposefully identical to Sorin's, sort of an irony there in my own head. ))

Thaddeus bit down on his lower lip as Alfarinn put together his earlier point, again regretting the way it had been phrased at his lover’s sadness.

“Thank you. That means a great deal to me” He smiled gently, tilting his head. “You’re right, though; we need caution more than altruism.” He shrugged his shoulders absently.

“I would understand if you did hold it against me. To be fair, I haven’t offered a rational explanation.” He rested his forehead on Alfarinn’s shoulder, absently toying with a strand of hair. “I just don’t want this to come between us. I don’t want this to be something we can’t talk about.” He sighed softly. “It’s hard for me to hear a theory that points to him, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t hear it. I don’t imagine it’s particularly easy for you to hear me defend him, either.”

Kissing Alfarinn’s collarbone lightly, he continued. “I’m doing my best to be reasonable and objective, to keep an open mind. I think the best thing we can do to solve this mystery is to keep the lines of communication open.”

The thought of stealing away to Europe for a time was quite enchanting and he was half tempted to suggest they book a flight now, but his daydreaming could only take him so far.

“As long as you’re there I’m happy but I really would like to travel with you to Amalfi.”

He wondered just how long they had before The Wolf’s death came out. There was, after all, a disadvantage to being clanless; it might be days before anyone even missed him. However, Alfarinn seemed content to move on to other matters and in truth they would likely end up talking themselves in circles without having more information.

“You know, I think I had some sort of efficient plan involving putting the coffee on before we started our shower…I wonder how I managed to get so distracted…” He smiled and tilted his head up to kiss Alfarinn’s chin.

Alfarinn smiled at the little kiss to his shoulder, halting his washing long enough to hug Thaddeus lightly to him in response.

"Beloved, you defend him because you are his friend and you believe him and that would never pain me. This is just so important that I want to be wrong and you've been amazingly objective by considering the possibility that it might be Sorin.

"I don't think there is anything I could keep from you even if I wanted to. With as much as I wanted to not over burden you with another sad and terrible possibility so soon after you learned of Lykaios, ultimately I could not conscience withholding even such awful news. Mai was right; we are stronger together and I believe that our sharing these burdens keeps us from drawing away from each other because of them"

He sighed wondering how many burdens as an elder of Evenhet that he was going to bring home to his companion. How many nights would Thaddeus have to support him and care for him?

His thought brightened and he smiled at the thought of going on vacation.

"I would love to visit Italy with you and see all the places young Thaddeus ran around and played. Perhaps we could make it a history tour and go to Britain, Italy and Norway. It will be hard to imagine some of the things from my time but I will do my best to describe them."

At the mention of distraction, Alfarinn did his best to look completely innocent. Blinking at his lover in feigned confusion, he said.

"I can't imagine."

He leaned against Thaddeus then, pressing them both back against the far wall of the shower and grinned mischievously before returning the small kiss to his chin with a passionate capture of his lover's lips.

Pulling back after a moment with a pleased sigh, he turned and folded the washcloth with an air of righteous goodness.

"I've been perfectly on task this entire time."

Thaddeus rested his head on Alfarinn’s shoulder, letting his thoughts play out after listening to his lover’s response.

He had never meant to be accusatory, though now he was beginning to feel that he was. That he was pushing a non existent issue to cloak his own struggles, the weight on his own mind. He supposed he felt compelled to defend Sorin in some lofty speech about friendship and trust and honor when that wasn’t needed, when Alfarinn already understood, or understood enough to satisfy in any case.

He was beginning to wonder who he was trying to convince.

“It’s eating at me. I’m restless; I don’t just want to see for myself that he’s not guilty. A part of me wants to prove he’s innocent, and with no evidence in either direction I’m just…playing the same thoughts over and over again. The suspicions and the refutations. I imagine my brain is getting sick of talking to itself and is hungry for some new input.”

He looked up with a sheepish smile. “Yes, I’m probably crazy. Or just stubborn; I can’t seem to let it go. Rather irritating, I can’t stand being of two minds on something, especially when I’m supposed to be neutral.”

Shaking his head but feeling somewhat better for getting that off his chest, he raked his fingers through his damp hair and did his best to move on to better things.

“I’d like that very much.” He snickered a little at the thought of a much younger version of himself ‘running around’ and ‘playing’, convinced that he had never done such things and was always a quite serious young man. He nearly made an attempt to tell Alfarinn this fiction but couldn’t manage a straight face. “Yes, I could show you where a young hellraiser grew up.” He smiled slightly. “And you could show me where young Alfarinn acted as a fine example to his peers.”

His smile broadened at Alfarinn’s look of complete innocence and he was almost startled by the passionate kiss that followed, though he returned it quite ardently before his mind even had a chance to catch up.

He gave Alfarinn a wide eyed look when he pulled away, though it softened into a smile at the idea that either one of them had managed to stay on task.

“I’m beginning to suspect you were working with a different set of plans if that is the case.”

He leaned forward to turn off the water, then stepped out of the shower to get towels for the both of them.

Alfarinn understood Thaddeus's frustration and while a part of him dreaded the outcome of what they might find, a larger part wanted the accomplice unmasked and this waiting, wondering and searching to end so that they could get on with their lives in relative peace.

He snorted at the idea of being a fine example to his peers though his companion might be very surprised to have seen him as a human. Becoming what he was had changed many of his views and the years had distanced him from what it meant to be a Jarl's son.

Alfarinn grinned at Thaddeus as he stepped out of the shower.

"Of course, I never claimed that my goals were of an upstanding nature... though I suppose one could call them that."

He glanced down meaningfully before accepting the towel and rubbing himself dry. Alfarinn had switched his concerns back to the original task despite his teasing and he was eager to discuss what they had learned and how Thaddeus felt about them.

Being clean again, relaxed and home, made him feel much more capable of thinking clearly on the situation and he hoped that his companion felt the same way.

Alfarinn wrapped the towel around his waist and reached for another one for his hair while he watched Thaddeus dry himself with tranquil appreciation of his lover's physique.

"So then what do your fine plans entail?"

Thaddeus looked down and blushed at his lover’s play on words, resting his own towel on his shoulder and picking up another for Alfarinn’s hair. He gathered up the long strands and gently squeezed the water out while he regained his powers of speech.

“Well the original plan was coffee and a rather long story…but considering recent events I suppose that should be coffee and a phone call.”

Shrugging, he toweled off his own hair and absently dried off, then wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door, letting the cool air hit his skin for a moment before continuing out to the bedroom.

“I mostly wanted to go over the facts. There was more about…that summer that might mean something to you.” He wandered over to the wardrobe, looking for something decent to wear. “After we finish with Lykaios’s house, and the apartment…we may well be out of leads. If we find nothing conclusive in either location I’m not certain of the next step.” He waved his hand before pulling out a black ribbed turtleneck and a pair of charcoal pants, throwing them on the bed before walking over to the drawers. “I know, I’m getting ahead of myself…but we may need other sources of information.” He pulled out a pair of silk boxers and socks and set those on the bed as well, then went back to the closet for a jacket. He frowned for a moment, wondering if wearing a jacket would make him look pretentious, or possibly just unfashionable. Reaching in to select another shirt, he suddenly scowled at himself for dwelling on such utterly trivial matters and went back to the bed to get dressed. “So I thought we should talk about what we need to do next.”

Alfarinn turned to lay the towel onto the rack to dry and then pulled the one from his waist as well before following his lover into the bedroom. He smiled watching Thaddeus move about as he talked. Watching his companion get things together to wear before heading over to the closet that held some of his clothes.

While he might have thought to wear nothing in the way of underwear from time to time, this time he opted for a pair of silk boxers with some muted plaid print on them. Then he pulled out a loose pair of weathered looking dark brown loose fitting velvet pants, and an ivory dress shirt, which he neglected to button up for the moment.

Sitting down he slipped on some socks and a pair of brown leather shoes before leaning back and smiling at Thaddeus.

"Go with the jacket if you like. It looks nice and they are in fashion again actually. Though the trick is to wear it all like you put it on as an after thought."

Reminding himself that he was supposed to be thinking of helpful things on the topic of conversation and not admiring Thaddeus, he considered his companion's words.

"Well I would still like to hear this long story. I don't think the call to Simon will take very long, neither of us want to chat on a cell phone. He is not likely free to speak with me immediately anyway. So coffee and this conversation. As far as leads go we still have to check out Sorin's apartment that Morrigan told us about and if that should not be the one we are looking for then we still have others in this area. One of them has to be the one in the vision but it may or may not tell us anything more useful."

He reached out a hand and fingered the edge of Thaddeus's sweater, absently feeling running it over his thumb to test the texture of it.

"There is still the book and perhaps the letter from Emma to Anantya while she was there? Perhaps together we might get something from it of use."

Thaddeus smiled and returned to the closet, pulling out the jacket and slipping it on.

“I wasn’t sure if the shirt…well, never mind, it’s not really important.”

He sat down on the opposite side of the bed, leaning back until they were shoulder to shoulder.

“Hopefully between the floor plans and our unique powers of deduction we’ll be able to narrow down the possible apartments. Assuming Sorin’s doesn’t yield anything useful.”Nodding at Alfarinn’s further suggestions, he added: “Trouble being that Sorin may well be the best person to ask about the letters. All seems to come back to him, doesn’t it.”

With a little sigh, he pushed himself up and walked around to the other side of the bed, where Alfarinn was sitting. “Still, between the apartments, the letters, and the book I suppose we still have something to work with. For some reason it just feels like the trail is thinning out and I worry it’s evaporating.”

He gave a somewhat sheepish shrug and looked down at Alfarinn, simply admiring the view for a moment. Grinning a little, he leaned forward, resting his hands on either side of Alfarinn’s legs and sliding neatly onto his lover’s lap, where he began on the buttons of the dress shirt. It seemed suddenly quiet in the room, without the sound of the shower or the click of Skodde’s nails on the kitchen tile. It was a pleasant quiet, broken only by the hiss of fabrics brushing against each other, and Thaddeus said nothing to disturb it.

He remembered his lover suggesting this particular arrangement not all that long ago and thought it amusing that, rather than saying what a ‘good boy’ he’d been, he had ended up confessing his naughty behavior. He realized he was smiling slightly, almost absently, and wondered if Alfarinn thought it odd that he had climbed onto his lap without a word of explanation. He trailed his hand lightly over the skin still exposed, then leaned forward, burying his cheek in Alfarinn’s neck.

“I should make the coffee.”

He wrapped his arms tightly around Alfarinn, suddenly feeling quite unprepared to sit down with a cup of coffee and calmly discuss possible clues for people who wanted Emma dead and had him next on the list. Even so, he knew he had stalled long enough. Not that he had delayed on purpose; he really didn’t want to keep Alfarinn from his duties, and before that…well…that was before. He –wanted- Alfarinn to know everything. He couldn’t explain why he was suddenly so…nervous, why he was dragging his feet.

After another moment he pulled away, not meeting Alfarinn’s eyes, and finished the buttons on the shirt before standing up and offering his hand.

“Shall we?”

"Mmm"

Alfarinn made a noncommental noise that could have either been assent or denial at the mention of Sorin. They would just have to see. It could be that he was guilty and so the trail would end with finding the person responsible or he could be innocent and then that would lead to other avenues. They were coming towards the end of their search and after spending so many years getting no where on the trail of Emma's killer or understanding why it was done, he felt they had plenty still to go through in order to find clues. He felt they would succeed and, despite the modern nature of his clan and their progressive views, Alfarinn still held the belief that the time was right and that Emma was helping them.

He watched Thaddeus come around and smiled up at his lover at the appraising look that he had received, feeling his tips of his ear redden. The flush of surprised pleasure deepened when Thaddeus slid forward and into his lap. Alfarinn was for once content to behave and simply watch his lover work on the buttons of his shirt, stealing glances up at him through lowered lashes.

He had to smile when Thaddeus said he should make the coffee and then snuggled closer. Brushing his cheek against the now almost dry blonde hair, Alfarinn sighed contentedly. Even if small moments of calm were always something stolen from their busy lives, he felt that he would consider himself blessed.

"Maybe the coffee maker needs to learn patience as well."

The arms wrapped tightly around him made him feel warm and loved, though after a moment it seemed the calm mood they had slowly returned to was ebbing away from his companion. Alfarinn wondered whether this was worry over his inevitable meeting with the Tacharan or some concern from before that.

Thaddeus eased off the bed and stood, obviously making up his mind about whatever concerned him. Alfarinn felt there was little else to do but follow suit. He took the hand offered to him to stand and then wrapped his arm around his companion.

"We can teach it patience next time."

Thaddeus led them out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the kitchen with only a slight pause at the hallway mirror, where he decided the look Alfarinn had suggested was a good one. Padding down the hallway in his socks, he shook the trivial thoughts of his own appearance and went to the kitchen counter to plug in the coffee machine.

“You know, I always thought the coffee machine was meant to teach –us- patience, not the other way around.”

With that he pulled the electric coffee grinder out from one of the lower cabinets. Plugging it in, he turned to Alfarinn with a slight smile.

“I may not be a fan of all that is modern but I have to admit this is a favorite toy of mine.”

He pulled a bag of coffee beans out from a high shelf and scooped enough to cover the blades into the machine, then looked warily over at Skodde, hoping the noise didn’t upset him. Still watching the wolf, he put on the cover and pressed the button.

Skodde cocked his ears, but decided the sound was more of an annoyance than a threat and simply left the kitchen, wandering into the hall. He returned quickly enough once the coffee was ground and the machine set up to brew, though, lying down next to the pantry, which was apparently a good place to snooze.

He set the coffee pot in the machine and approached a resting Skodde, who was staring forlornly at the bowl they were using for a water dish. Taking the hint, Thaddeus picked up the bowl and emptied it out in the sink before going into the refrigerator for fresh water. Then he got a clean bowl out of the cupboard and returned to the refrigerator for a cut of beef from the butcher’s.

This seemed to make Skodde happy enough, and with the coffee brewing and the wolf fed Thaddeus was free to wash his hands. Steam built up from the sink as he spoke, without much in the way of preamble.

“Rumor had it, when Emma arrived in Bulgaria, that she was there to settle her deceased uncle’s estate. It occurs to me now that she herself never confirmed or denied this, but most seemed to belief that story easily enough.” He smiled slightly. “We were a social group, a circle of families with a gossip ring to rival Clan intelligence at times, but if Mrs. Littlebury, the head matriarch of sorts, was satisfied, that was generally good enough for us all.”

He shrugged a little and turned off the tap with his elbow, drying off his hands with a paper towel. “My father, however, suspected that Emma was there for another purpose, specifically to get her hands on the books I mentioned earlier.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “In fact…I’m not certain, but I seem to recall some mention of her being in contact with Lord Grey before she ever arrived.” He frowned. “I could be wrong about that, though I might have said something to that effect in my journals somewhere.”

He turned to Alfarinn, smiling softly, before reaching into one of the cupboards and pulling down two white ceramic mugs. “I warned you; it really is a long story, though I’ll try to keep my rambling to a minimum.”

Alfarinn followed Thaddeus into the kitchen and leaned against the counter out of the way as his companion walked back and forth readying the coffee and fixing food for Skodde

"I don't know. I have met too many serious coffee drinkers to believe that any of them are anything close to patient. Tea, perhaps but coffee, no. The busy mind set seems to go with the drink pretty often."

He watched the wolf and noted that Skodde seemed to have grown comfortable in their presence. Rummaging through the refrigerator, Alfarinn found a smaller piece of meat and cut it into pieces before washing them in the sink. Going the living room window, he opened it enough for Natt to reach them as he called to the crow. Svarte was now able to fly in short hops but was not able to reach their window without a great deal of exertion. She answered him from a tree down below.

Natt cawed a greeting at him and then flew off with one bit of meat at a time, busily doing his husbandly duties for his wounded mate. Seeing that the crows were occupied with mealtime and there was coffee soon to be ready, Alfarinn left the window with only a few more mental sendings in the murder's direction.

Coming back to the sink, he washed his hands and dried them before wrapping his arms around Thaddeus as they waited for the brewing process to complete. It would seem Thaddeus was ready to speak of Emma and Alfarinn listened silently as his companion explained what he remembered.

"So she had hoped for something more or some sort of clue perhaps from these books? It is odd then that she continued to search for them even after knowing that the book had been found."

They had sensed Emma's hands on the book, she knew it existed and yet she had continued to look for these books that Thaddeus's family possessed.

"Of course, she might have continued her search for them simply for the sake of knowledge or what they might have turned up but the fact that it caused a stir in your family suggests that it was more than a passing fancy to her. I wonder why. "

He stepped back as the coffee pot light signaled that all was ready and accepted the mug that Thaddeus handed him. Heading over to the kitchen table, he pulled out a chair for his companion with a smile before coming around to take the one opposite it.

"I enjoy your rambling and besides you never know when some trivial remembrance holds an unlooked for key of information inside it. Plus everything about you interests me, even chatty old gossips from your childhood."

Thaddeus took his own coffee mug along with the pot to the dining room table and sat down, thinking about what to explain next. After ensuring both mugs were full and breathing in the scent of freshly brewed coffee, he gave Alfarinn a grin.

“An astute assessment of Mrs. Littlebury. I’m just trying to convey the somewhat unusual social structure of that place. It started with four families, of which the Greys were one, that wished to find a little peace away from the politics of England to discuss business ventures and throw around ideas without just anyone hearing of it. As close as our four families were, you see, what was said in Bulgaria stayed there.”

He took a sip of his coffee before continuing.

“Of course, -within- Bulgaria everyone knew everyone’s affairs. Well, for the most part anyway; there were some secrets.” His relationship with Emma being a case in point.

“Regardless, though, Emma seemed to think the families staying in the area were important in some way, or at least that is what I suppose. She devoted a great deal of her time to us, after all. Attending social events. Networking, some might say, and while Lord Grey was suspicious of her motives, most of us warmed up to her fairly quickly after the normal xenophobia faded away.” He smiled slightly. “Me in particular; I suppose I might be biased on that account.” Looking down for a moment, he spread his fingers on the tabletop, remembering. He didn’t think he was the only one who had noticed the effect Emma had on a room.

“In any case, she was doing more than negotiating for books; she was genuinely talking to people and most were glad to have her ear for a time.” He bit down on his lower lip. “She always took such interest when I would tell her about the Greys. But it never felt like a situation where she was trying to get something out of me; she was just very easy to talk to.”

He took another sip of his coffee, mostly in an effort to gather his thoughts and prevent himself from going off on tangents. It was surprisingly easy to get caught up in these memories.

“To make a long story…well, alright, it’s still long, but to sum up, Emma was welcomed into the social circle fairly quickly, considering. Mostly on her own merit though I suppose it also had something to do with our own curiosity. You couldn’t –help- but be curious about her.” He looked down and smiled. “Well I couldn’t, anyway. She took an interest in us, and wanted to learn more. She never told me why; I seem to recall that the few times I asked, she would respond with another question. ‘Why shouldn’t I be interested?’. That sort of thing. She was…mysterious in that way. That was part of her appeal; her mystery.”

He gave Alfarinn a somewhat regretful look. “I wish I knew more. I spent a great deal of time being…well being an eighteen year old, and Emma of course had her own secrets to deal with…it all seemed very complicated at the time.”

Alfarinn nodded and smiled at Thaddeus, reaching out to lightly touch the hand on Thaddeus's mug.

"I -do- love hearing about all these people in your past. They are important to you and interesting besides. You have a way of making them come alive when you speak sometimes. I wish we had time to simply sit and share memories."Â?

The telling of these tales were always enhanced for him by his ability to feel the emotion of the person speaking but the connection to Thaddeus was beyond any he'd ever had and feeling the flickers of sadness or amusement added a special quality to his companion's already superb descriptions.

Leaning back again, he sipped his coffee as he listened to Thaddeus explain the details of the family group situation in Bulgaria. He was curious and puzzled when it was explained that Emma seemed interested in all the families but he supposed that it could be the same reasoning as before, believing they had been there long enough that some of their family history might tell of the book and it where abouts.

Smiling as Thaddeus looked down at the table after his admission of Emma's effect on him, he said.

"Well I can imagine you made quite the impression yourself. I know you have on me."Â?

While his companion finished his tale, Alfarinn could easily imagine the situation, Emma, this ancient vampire with a certain undefinable grace and wisdom about her that would cause most people to wish to get to know her and a young Thaddeus caught up in his family's wishes and his own interests it would have been quite the charming drama if it had not ended so horribly. Yet when Thaddeus spoke of that time he still managed to infuse it with the hope and innocence he must have had.

"There will always be regrets. I regret leaving Bulgaria. I always have. I felt I should have known something was not right. I always had this notion that there was something she was not saying. I did not leave there with a comfortable feeling but tried to convince myself that she was simply hiding some new clue on where to find it and was hiding that in hopes of getting there before me."Â?

Alfarinn sighed and shook his head.

"Our clans got in the way. I should never have ignored what my empathy told me and we had let a distance grow between us. I suppose it was something we felt must happen. Unsaid rules on how things were. I never got to tell her how important she was to me either always believing there would be plenty of time or a better one. Worse though I allowed our long time friendship to drift apart simply because we did not share the same ideals. I am not even certain that is true but I think we thought so, certainly we believed there were different solutions to be had."Â?

He shrugged and looked at Thaddeus.

"I was more than willing to help you find her murderer that first night even if it turned out to be an Evenhet, in part, because I blamed myself."Â?

"But that doesn't help us. Perhaps we should start looking into your family and the others that were in Bulgaria and see if we can find what she was searching for. It couldn't hurt. I think we have other leads to follow closer to home but those are something I think we would want to do in any case. Unless you don't want to?"Â?