I doubted if I should ever come back (Percie)

[Deleted]

Phoenix had had to work late-ish that night, and while he normally would have headed straight back to the dorms to be with his Squishy-love, he had texted Oriel letting him know he was going to go to the store and grab a few things and probably make a stop at the bakery as well. While doing both of those things, he got distracted by various shops and trinket-y stores on the way, and before he knew it the sun was setting and he was hurrying to get home before it got too late.

Unfortunately, he somehow ended up getting lost amidst the unfamiliar streets, and while he told himself it would be alright and he'd find his way, he was getting scared now that it was dark and harder to see. He crossed onto a street that somehow seemed vaguely familiar, and decided to go down it, peering into alleyways on the way, nervously clutching his knapsack against his scrawny chest.

He passed by another alley and was suddenly hit with a wave of familiarity. At first it was just the surroundings - he remembered this, somehow. Phen stopped, wracking his brain to remember if he knew how to get to Hammel from here. That was when he saw the man lurking in the shadows.

"O-oh, I, uh..." Phoenix gulped and went to hurry away, but before he could he heard the gruff voice,

"Hey, you're that Twinkie that never paid our full deal!"

Phoenix's eyes widened. Oh, oh no. He knew who that was. He'd forgotten all about that drug deal from months ago, forgotten that he'd promised to come back and pay. The guy had been desperate for cash, and agreed to it. The pixie boy yelped and started to dart away, but before he could, he felt strong, broad arms thicker than his skinny legs wrap around him.

"Stop!" he shrieked, writhing like a snake. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll pay you now, I promise!"

But the guy didn't even let him pull out his wallet. "Too late, kid. We had a deal, and you broke it."

Terrified for his life, instinct kicked in. It was like Seattle all over again - when Phoenix had been with a bad crew, constantly afraid of being stabbed as he walked home alone, or the victim of a gang shooting. He'd gotten through those times by being hard to hold onto, and surprisingly quick, if not strong in the slightest. Like he'd done to a certain dentokinetic not too long ago, Phoenix lashed out with his nails, catching the man in the face and leaving deep, bleeding cuts on his cheek.

It was enough to get the guy to yelp and slacken his grip, and it gave Phen the chance to wriggle away, his eyes alight with animalistic intensity. If he'd a knife on him, he might have gone in again. As it was, he was sort of rooted to the spot, torn between wanting to flee and wanting to grab his bag, which had fallen in the scuffle and was on the other side of the now even more furious dealer. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie had been tailing the boy named 'Phen' since he left his job. She'd discretely followed him through his chores and had gotten into her car to casually drive around the neighborhood and keep an eye on him, puzzled when he seemed to wander aimlessly. When he entered a rather dangerous looking alley however, she was loathe to find out why. Nothing in her surveillance so far had indicated that Phen might use drugs, he seemed, so far...like a good kid. Scrawny though...he needed to eat more. She still thought that Derek should just contact his son and speak to him but she would have to work on that a bit more. She set her camera aside when Phen wandered into tha alley and through the quiet neighborhood heard the scuffle that ensued.

"Oh fudge crackers..." Percie muttered as she abandoned her car (locking it first) and running into the alley, heels clomping ominously on the street as she entered to see that her mark had been cornered off by the man standing in front of her. She didn't have her gun on her at the moment having left it in the car but it appeared at least that the man in question was also unarmed. Percie shouted to get the man's attention before darting forward and using her strength to her advantage in order to pin said man against a wall. He struggled for a moment, cursing about undercover cops before breaking free and whipping out a nasty looking knife. Keeping one eye on Phen and the other on the man, Percie put her hands up and waited.

She didn't have to wait long as the man attacked, deep scratches on his cheeks oozing blood and she wondered where he had gotten them. Disarming his haphazard attack was easy and it was equally easy to fling the man into the ground with a satisfying crack. She had most likely dislocated his shoulder because she hadn't practiced that move in awhile and made a mental note to go back and do a refresher course. With who she assumed to be a drug deal unconscious she looked towards Phen and raised her hands, palms out to show him he wasn't armed.

"Hey," she spoke in a low, calm tone to the terrified looking teenager. "It's over okay? Is this your bag?" she bent and picked it up and held it out to him. "My name's Percie, we need to get out of here, I have a car over here, you can come with me okay?" she said as soothingly as possible.

[Deleted]

Phoenix, of course, was completely unaware that he was being tailed, and thus had no idea there was anyone around to help him. It was late, people usually weren't out and around this area of town after dark, and he didn't even know if anyone would see or hear him anyway. For that reason, he was on the verge of just abandoning his bag and the things inside in order to flee - after all, nothing in there was worth his life, although he did carry around some things he was particularly attached to that he now realized was probably a dumb thing to do. He was just about to make a run for it when the unexpected happened.

He heard stomping feet, and then a yell, and Phoenix looked with bewilderment to see a woman approaching at a run, taking the man head-on without hesitation. He flailed backwards to get out of the way, watching with his mouth wide as the scuffle ensued. It got even worse when the man pulled out a knife. "Look out!" he called out uselessly - of course she'd seen it.

Amazingly, the woman seemed to take care of the guy easily, and Phoenix watched with amazement as she successfully disarmed him and knocked him to the ground. Man, if he had that kind of ability... He was rooted to the spot, completely captivated by the clean take-out. By instinct, he reached down and snagged onto the knife as it fell within arms reach, aiming it with wild eyes at the dealer on the ground, just in case he dared to move. But he soon realized the guy was out cold, and his limbs went weak; the weapon clattered to the ground.

He stood there, panting and shaking from exertion, until he realized the woman was speaking to him. Phoenix blinked up at her, and then to his bag, which was in her hand. "Y... Yeah..." he croaked, taking a few steps closer. Where a fiery light had been before, there was only hollowness now, and he walked with shaky steps, looking more scared than anything else. "Thank.... You..." He stopped a few feet away from the woman and looked at her nervously, scared that this was somehow a trap. But if it was, Phen didn't know how, so he nervously reached out to take his bag and clutch it against his chest once more. "O-okay," he agreed with a gulp. "A... Are you a cop?" Who else would be able to take someone out like that? He followed after her when she turned to go back to her car, legs wobbling. "Th-that was amazing," he told her. "I thought he was going to break my neck." He gulped and shuddered. Phen didn't even stop to think that she could easily put the pieces together that he and the dealer had made deals in the past, or that he could get in serious trouble for it. "I... I'm Phoenix."

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie smiled at him encouragingly as she handed over his bag and turned to head to her car, turning occasionally to make sure the boy was following her. "I'm not a cop anymore," she answered truthfully. That did not stop her however from pulling out her phone and dialing the sheriff's office to quickly report that she had seen some suspicious activity while she'd been driving around and what part of town she'd been in. She directed Phoenix over to the other side as she pressed the disconnect button on her phone and bent over to move her things into the backseat.

"Nice to meet you Phoenix, you're really sweet," she smiled at him. "I haven't disarmed someone in a while though, I think I might have hurt him..." she said almost gleefully as she got into her car, locked the doors and started the engine before speeding out of the backstreets and back out onto the main road. She didn't offer to drive Phoenix home yet, he seemed...deflated a bit and she was sure that he was coming down from what had to be a killer adrenaline rush. That and since her hand had been forced to intervene, she felt he deserved an explanation as to why she had swooped to his rescue, or at least why she'd been in a position to. "I'm a detective actually," she finally said after a few moments of silence as she turned her car onto a familiar road, speeding on empty streets having shaved time off the commute considerably. “I'd like to speak to you for a little bit," she wasn't asking and it was rather obvious when she pulled into the carport next to her home and place of business.

"I have a cat, his name is Watson, he likes people," she said conversationally, knowing that the boy worked at the pet shop and that he most likely had a soft spot for animals. It might make him feel more comfortable if he knew that there was a four legged critter around. He also looked like he ate maybe once a day, he really needed to put on weight. "There is also pie," she added. There was a lot of pie actually since Angie had talked her into buying a whole one the other day despite the fact that never in all her life had Percie been hungry enough to sit down and eat a whole pie before it went bad. But she'd done it for a friend and she supposed that was all that mattered. "Let’s go inside," she offered as she turned the engine off and opened her door after reaching back into the backseat and precariously stacking her stuff.

She was hoping that Phoenix's docile nature worked in her favor this time since she did have something incredibly important to tell him.

[Deleted]

Phoenix wasn't sure that following a stranger to her car was the best idea, but... Well, she had just probably saved his life, right? And she... Seemed nice. Phen liked to think he had good instincts, from being so paranoid during his time in Seattle, so while he was still a bit nervous and wanting to run, he figured it would be alright. He could dust her if he needed to, or something. "Oh... I see," he replied, blinking. "I... I'm really lucky you were there when that happened, otherwise..." Phen trailed off. He didn't really want to think about it.

He gave a tiny smile at being called sweet, even gave a giggle that didn't match the situation he'd just come from. "Thanks," he replied, rubbing his arm shyly. He nervously got into the passenger seat, peeking over at her nervously. "Well, I... I think better him than you or me," he said with a shudder. "That... That was amazin', what you did. I've never seen anythin' like it." Phoenix clutched onto the seat as they took off, quickly buckling his seatbelt. He felt a little nauseous, now that he was safe (hopefully). "Oh, really?" he asked, unsure of what to think of this new information. "O-okay, that's, um, fine... Is it okay if I text my boyfriend?" He fiddled with his phone in his pocket, knowing Oriel was probably starting to get worried why he wasn't back yet.

"A cat?!" he repeated, eyes lighting up. "I like kitties!" Anyone who saw Phoenix now would probably never believe he'd just clawed a large, angry man in the face. His expression was full of childlike excitement. "Oh, I like pie too..." he said, a little less excited but still eager. As much as Oriel stuffed him, Phoenix often ate a lot more for his boyfriend's satisfaction than his own. He let go of his death grip on the car seat as they pulled into a driveway, peering cautiously at their destination as he got out of the car. "Y-you're not gonna, um, get me in trouble for that, are you?" he squeaked. "I-I don't, uh, I don't do drugs, I swear... Well, not anymore at least..." He was suddenly worried that that's why she had brought him here, and his arms wrapped around himself, hesitant to go inside. "I-I'll take a test if I need to."

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie hummed thoughtfully at his comments. "Of course you can text your boyfriend, do you need to call anyone else?" she asked, keeping her voice light and friendly as she attempted to keep Phoenix calm. So Phoenix had a boyfriend, she wondered if Derek would appreciate that information along with the other things she had observed in the last couple of days. That was of course before she was thrown for a loop when Phoenix admitted that he had at some point done drugs. She gave him a wan smile. "No, I don't really have the authority to do that at the moment," she said quietly as she unlocked the door and held it open to allow Phoenix in first. "Take the door on the right please," she asked as they stepped into a small entry way containing shoes, coats and some discarded mail while two doors faced each other on the left and right.

The left door lead back into a small kitchenette area, a half-bath, storage space as well as the staircase up into her living space. The right door lead to the front half of the house which included her spacious office and most likely her cat. As she followed the younger boy into her office space she indicated the couch he could sit on and turned on a series of lights that brightened the dimly lit space brilliantly. Watson's head peeked up over her office chair. "Watson, this is Phoenix, I'm going to get pie, be nice," she warned her cat as she set her car keys into a small dish by the door and retreated to gather the pie. Watson meowed once, loudly, before leaping down and stalking Phoenix across the office.

Percie gathered pie and an errant soda from the fridge before cutting two large slices and putting them on separate plates that she had salvaged from an antique store a few months ago. They were mismatched and a bit warped but they were cute and had been super cheap, the unwanted dredges of a bulk estate sale. After putting the pie on a tray and the soda, she took it back to the office space and set it down on the coffee table in front of Phoenix. "Don't let Watson bully you, or he'll steal all your pie," she warned with a good natured smile as she took her plate and a small fork, eating a bite and swallowing. "Actually Phoenix, the reason I wanted to talk to you doesn't necessarily concern what happened in the alley, I'd like to ask you some questions about your father."

[Deleted]

"Okay, thanks," Phoenix sighed with relief. He quickly pulled out his phone and wrote out a message to his Squishy, letting him know briefly what had happened and where he was going. Hopefully he wouldn't worry to much (hah, who was he kidding?). "Oh, um... I don't think so," he replied as he put the device away. He supposed he might get in trouble with officials for being out late, but... Phen wasn't too worried about that. And, at least, it didn't seem like this was any sort of... Drug investigation, so he nodded nervously and stayed quiet, wondering now if he'd said too much. He followed her instructions and stepped to the right, gawking around the place. It'd been a while since he'd been in an actual home - he'd grown up in an apartment, and of course, now lived in a dorm, so it felt... Strange.

"Kitty!" he squeaked as soon as the cat's head appeared. Phoenix resisted the urge to run over and attack it with pettings, and instead sat on the couch, attention completely caught by the furball. "Hi Watson," he cooed, scratching his fingers against the furniture to attract the cat. Phen spared a glance back at Percie as she went to the other room before looking back to watch the feline approach him. He giggled.

He reached out and let Watson sniff his hand before beginning his scritchings, giddily rubbing the cat's cheek and behind his ears. When Percie returned, it took Phoenix a moment to notice, and he blinked dumbly with a belated 'thank you' as the food was set before him. "Oh, no, we can't have that," he laughed, taking a tentative bite of the pie. It was pretty good, he thought. Phoenix might even eat all of it. Completely ignorant to the real matter at hand, Phen continued to munch and give the kitty attention until Percie spoke up again. When she finished, he stared blankly at her, arms frozen and lips slightly parted. "M... My father?" he asked with a furrowed brow. "I've never m-met him." The jerk could be dead, for all he knew. "W-wait, you... You weren't just near me by chance when I got at-tacked?" He suddenly became nervous again, wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into. "Wh-what do you want from me? You know m-my dad? H... How? Are you s-sure he's...?!" The nervous boy, so easily frightened, was obviously not taking this information very well.

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie had lots of practice dealing with skittish people. She'd seen her fair share of nervous criminals and victims alike to know that sudden movements were unwise at this point. She carefully set her plate down and put her hands palm down on her thighs as she sat casually, her posture unthreatening to the boy that was starting to panic on her couch. "Phoenix, please calm down, take a few deep breaths," she suggested kindly, keeping her voice light, even and encouraging. "I already said I'm not going to hurt you and I meant it, please listen to me for a moment," she asked before launching into her story before Phoenix had a chance to override her. Watson did his part by mewling quietly and batting at Phoenix’s leg so that he could climb back into the boy’s lap.

"Your father came to me recently and asked me to gather some information about you. The documentation that he provided as well as the background check I was able to run, did confirm that it was your father I spoke to. It seems like...he might want to get in touch with you at some point so that you can reconnect," she added helpfully. That had to be the reason why Derek was doing this. Perhaps his relationship with the boy’s mother just made it difficult for him to feel comfortable contacting the boy. She'd have to work on that later. For now she could at least provide the basic information needed for Derek to work on the questions he most likely wanted to ask his son and not some private detective.

[Deleted]

Don't panic, don't panic, you're perfectly fine, she saved your life, why would she do anything bad....? Phoenix tried to calm himself, but he'd never been very good at it, and had usually resorted to snorting some sort of chemical in the past when it got too bad. He'd texted Oriel, who apparently thought it was necessary to come over, but he wasn't sure if he should let Percie know that. "O-o-okay," he stammered uncertainly, his whole body tense and ready to flee if he had to. Fortunately, Watson's battings did a better job at distracting Phen from his panic than the woman did, and he looked down and relaxed just a little as the kitty clambered back onto his legs. Anyone that owned a cat couldn't be too bad.

Still, he'd set his pie aside, and nervously petted the animal's back as he tried to calm his racing heart. His eyes were wide and shocked as Percie told him what was going on. His dad.... Wanted to see him? Why now, after all this time? How had he even found out...? "H-how does he know where I am?" he gulped. "He n-never visited my mom or me, I th-thought he had abandoned us without any way t'contact him..." Maybe he'd been watching him and his mom all this time? The thought sent a chill down his spine. "I'm scared," he breathed, giving a pleading look to the woman he hardly knew. "Is h-he scary?"

Phoenix clutched his phone, now hoping Oriel would get there more quickly. "U-um, m-my boyfriend wanted me t't-tell him where I am, I th-think he's comin' over...." It was probably best to warn her, he figured.

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie was glad to see Phoenix calm down with Watson in his lap. Her sneaky boy knew how to help when it was really needed. It helped a little that Watson was a natural sweetheart when the time required it. "I'm not sure how he found out where you were, though chances are he looked up where your mother might be living and/or obtained other information from other private sources. It is possible to do these things, however they're not exactly legal," she added. "That's not what I do. I was doing some general surveillance on you when I saw you go into the alley and I wasn't going to interfere until I heard you were in danger." Percie shifted and leaned back a bit, assuming a relaxing posture.

The first thing she needed to do was assure Phoenix that he and his mother weren't in any danger. "You aren't in any danger, your father doesn't seem scary...a bit intense and strict in certain aspects but many people are. Furthermore HE himself is not involved in what I do. I am merely reporting to him. What I would like to do is meet with you occasionally and touch base with you," she explained. Phoenix surprised her with the news that his boyfriend might be coming over. She could feel a tiny tick start over her eyebrow and fought to keep her facial expression light. After all, it wasn't as if Phoenix's boyfriend wasn't allowed to come over, this wasn't a police interrogation and she wasn't a police office anymore. "Okay, when he comes over I'll let him in; eat your pie and if you’re more comfortable speaking when your boyfriend comes we’ll continue okay?”

The twitch had turned into a dull throbbing and all she could think about was tossing back several glasses of alcohol and crawling into bed after tonight was over. Between fighting to keep Phoenix calm, filing away everything she was learning for her client and still trying to figure out Derek's motives in the big picture she was going to develop migraines from work alone. With a slight snort she realized how very alike both father and son really were and any doubts they were related were erased. After all, both men had reduced her to a headache less than an hour after meeting her.

[Deleted]

Phoenix listened to Percie's explanation with fidgeting hands. "P... People can do that?" he mumbled. He had no idea. Did that mean his dad was a lawbreaker? Well, it must run in the blood, then... Phoenix didn't exactly used to be a law-abiding citizen himself. And, if Phoenix was completely honest with himself, what else did he expect from someone that abandoned him and his mother? "O-oh, I... See," he replied, continuing to stroke Watson for comfort. "You're like.... Like a guardian angel," he said quietly, trying to see the positives and convince himself that this was alright. He was fortunate that Percie had been following him, otherwise, who knew what would have happened?

He looked up as the woman continued speaking, trying to take comfort from her words. "Okay, that's... That's good," he breathed. "Did he, um, did he tell you t'talk with me?" Phoenix asked. If that was the case... Why wasn't he looking for Phen himself? "I-I guess I just.... Don't understand... Why he's suddenly interested in me, but not enough t'find me himself..." Had they ran into each other without Phoenix knowing? That stranger that had come into the shop a while back suddenly came to mind - Korean, certainly. Seemed awfully strict, and... Maybe Phen was just trying to convince himself, but had he seen some of himself in the man's features? Maybe.... Or maybe he was just imagining things.

The talk about Oriel was enough to calm him a bit more, though, and Phoenix's shoulders relaxed slightly. "S-sorry, he wouldn't take n-no for an answer," he mumbled. "But I w-would feel more comfortable with him." Oriel made him feel safe. Following the woman's suggestion, he continued to pick at the pie, though what little appetite he'd had had disappeared. Phen kept checking his phone, then, and cooing at Watson, trying to keep himself distracted until Oriel showed up. Whenever the knock/thud/collapse of the front door came, he jerked upwards and sat straight, eyes bright at the arrival of his Squishy-love. "Th-that'd be him," he announced. "Um, h-his name's Oriel, it m-might be better if I answer...?" Phoenix didn't want Oriel to like, attack the woman as soon as he saw her.

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie smiled, this wasn't the first time she'd been likened to an angel, she'd had her fair share of heroics when she'd been on the police force but she preferred when those particular situations didn't require her to be the guardian angel someone needed. She shook her head negatively at his next question. "No, not at all. In fact if it hadn't been for that stunt back in the alley I might never have approached you," she admitted. "I say never...but to be honest I might have ended up meeting with you eventually. There's a lot about your father's behavior that gives me pause. The reason I took this case was more or less to make sure that you stayed safe," she let out a breath. "I don't know why he won't approach you himself, I had asked him and met with resistance," she grimaced as she thought back to her meeting with Derek earlier that week.

She nodded noncommittally to his comment about his boyfriend and wondered about the Oriel but then remembered that her full name was Persephone and that she had a brother named Theseus and a sister named Hestia. She watched with a frown as Phoenix picked at his pie but before she could tell him to eat the damned thing there was a noise at the front door. Police training had her standing and turning quickly, reaching for a weapon she didn't have. The action caused the neck of her sweater to fold down over her shoulders where it should have been naturally except it had been skewed from her fight in the alley, revealing her scar and her tattoos. She looked at Phoenix and nodded. "Yes, that might be best," she allowed as she kept standing defensively out of habit and eyeing the door. She hadn't seen Phoenix interacting with anyone today that might have been "Oriel" so she wasn't sure what she might be dealing with once the door opened.

Note: I realized from looking at her outfit again that her tats and scar should be visible but I figured with the way the collar was that it probably got messed up while she was fighting that guy and neither her or Phoenix really noticed because other, more important things were at hand. Also I’ve done that before (messed up my clothes and not realized it until it fixes itself/someone finally loses it and fixes it for me). SO Phoenix/Oriel can comment on the tattoos or the scar at some point ^^

[Deleted]

Hmm.... So as far as Phoenix could tell, his dad wasn't exactly someone he should be eager to meet. All the same.... He wanted to. He wanted to give the guy a piece of his mind, yell at him for not being there for support, to help him when he was struggling as a kid. Maybe if he'd been around, Phoenix wouldn't have gotten into the habits that he had. "W-well, thanks for, um, not just followin' me around and not tellin' me," he mumbled, uncertain of what else to say. He was so out of his comfort zone, he didn't know what to do.

Thankfully, Oriel would serve as a good distraction. He flinched a little as the woman suddenly stood and whirled around, but thankfully she seemed to listen to him, and Phoenix gently nudged Watson off of his lap before padding towards the front door. He'd briefly caught something strange on Percie's shoulder, but he was more worried about Oriel at the moment, and hurried to let him in. "Oriel, you didn't have t'come, see, I'm fine," he blurted as soon as he opened the door. "D-Don't do anythin' rash, okay?" And please don't be angry at me....! "That's Percie," he added, motioning to the private detective. "Percie, this's my Sq- Oriel." He tried to muster a shaky smile.

[Deleted]

When Oriel got that first text message from Phoenix, he nearly had a heart attack! How did Phoenix expect him to just take it easy after hearing that he’d nearly been stabbed in the street and then followed some stranger home!? Really! Phoenix could be so stupid sometimes!!

By the time Oriel had gotten the address, he was already running down the winding road that led up to the Institute. For all it’s crappy features, Oriel was for once thankful that he’d at least gotten a phone with GPS, it was as easy as inputing a few numbers and the street address and viola! He knew exactly where he was supposed to go. By the time he arrived at his final destination, he’d been running non-stop for at least 15 minutes. Phoenix answered the door to a very hard breathing Oriel, clad in his black tank, leaving his broad shoulders bare and revealing a hint of his own tattoo peeking out over his right deltoid, and loose, hole-y jeans cinched securely around his waist with a cheap belt. His hair had been pulled back, but had started to come loose while running, with a few clusters of curls hanging on either side of his stubbled face.

As soon as Oriel saw his lover, he fell over the shorter boy, wrapping his arms down over his thin shoulder and clasping at his middle back. “You….idiot….why…didja think…I wouldn’t…be…worried…?” Oriel used a few more seconds to swallow and catch his breath before standing upright and moving Phoenix around ever which way, making sure he didn’t have any sort of injury. As soon as he was satisfied, Oriel brought his Squish in for another back-breaking hug. Oriel then peered(read: glared) in the direction of the woman who had kidnapped his love right off the street. “You normally pick up boys half your age in dark alleyways? Think you need a better hobby, Pedo-Queen.”

[Percie Hobbes]

Oh goody, goody gumdrops, Oriel was one of those boyfriends. Then again, if he was dating Phoenix she could sort of understand why he would be so fiercely protective of the other boy. That did not stop her from quirking her eyebrows in clear annoyance at the way that Oriel addressed her. "Wow, aren't you just a ray of sunshine. I save your boyfriend from being shanked and you accuse me of being a pedophile...this week just keeps getting better." rattled around in her brain. But, as she counted herself as the only mature person in the room she instead gave a strained smile and motioned towards the couch. She didn’t address his comment about her being a pedophile though it had deeply offended her.

"Nice to meet you too Oriel," she said a bit more sarcastically than she initially intended. "After I subdued the gentleman in the alley, I asked Phoenix to accompany me to my office because I had something I needed to tell him. Have a seat and I'll bring you some pie." She didn't wait for Oriel or Phoenix to answer her as she turned back to head into her little kitchen, suddenly very happy she kept a few bottle of alcohol in the cupboard. The way things were progressing it seemed like tonight was a whiskey night. After she had cut and plated another slice of pie, she poured a splash of whiskey and tossed it back, wincing at the burn down her throat before tossing some ice into the tumbler and pouring more. With alcohol and pie in hand she walked back out into the office and set the pie on the table next to Phoenix's. “Phoenix do you feel like picking up where we left off?” she asked gently.