two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie sat with her back straight, bent slightly over a notepad where she was scribbling notes from a case, while her phone was clutched in her other hand. She was waiting for a client to arrive and had made arrangements to meet him at the small cafe just after one in the afternoon so that they wouldn't be interupted by something like lunch and would most likely be done in time to not have to potentially share dinner. She had learned from her detective days that most people were more cooperative when they'd been fed or not preoccupied with their next meal.

With the business on her phone completed, Percie silenced the device and set it on the table next to her coffee cup before taking a drink and setting the cup down into the saucer and finishing off her notes before flipping the page over and creating a new space for her newest client. He had mentioned that it had to do with surveillance but hadn't said much more than that over the phone. Percie hadn't pressed for details because she very rarely accepted cases over the phone alone. She always traveled to meet a client if they didn't live close enough to meet her in between. She'd been lucky today, the man in question lived within town. It was rare that she got a case from Pilot Ridge so she was eager to help because sticking close to home for awhile would help her save money on expenses.

She looked up as the chime sounded above the door and looked up to see a man entering the store. Checking the watch around her wrist she concluded that this was most likely her newest potential client. She rose to her feet and approached him. “Hello, my name is Perice Hobbes, would you like to have a seat?” she asked as she indicated the small table tucked far away from the unmanned counter so that they had as much privacy as they needed.

[Deleted]

Derek had confirmed it with Myndi after one brief phone call. Yes, their son was here in Pilot Ridge, attending the Hammel Institute. That was all he needed from her. He didn’t bother staying on the phone long enough to “catch up” or any nonsense like that. In all actuality, he probably should have been calling her in the first place. While he was no longer in The Program, there were likely still people connected to his past out there looking for him. If they had any sort of surveillance on her, then he had to be extra careful. No, it might already be too late, but he had to know. After a bit more digging, Derek confirmed that the boy, Phoenix Tang, who worked at the pet store was indeed the same Phoenix Tang who was the son of Derek and Myndi and was now attending Hammel for his power.

He should have just left it alone, but there was a worm of curiosity squirming around in his mind, wanting to know more about this son he never bothered to know, the one whom he blamed for ruining his career and family honor just for existing. However, Derek still needed to keep his identity safe, his past a secret. That complicated things and was why he hired a private detective to investigate for him.

Derek hadn’t given her much information over the phone, just the bare basics. He had to admire the woman for insisting on a face-to-face meeting, that told him she was a professional. Derek needed a professional.

The man entered the cafe where they were to meet, keeping his tinted glasses over his eyes to block out most of the noise coming from his power. From behind the shades, his eyes locked upon a woman who rose upon his entrance and stepped forward to greet him. “Derek Seong,” he offered, noting that she did not offer her hand to shake. He let it go for now. “Of course,” he said with a nod and a small, polite smile, and followed her to the table in the corner. He took a seat across from her as soon as they arrived. “Thank you for meeting with me. Shall we get started?” Derek was not one for wasting time.

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie moved and sat across from her potential client and picked her pen up. "Of course," she answered with another polite smile. She had a list of questions in her head but while she organized them she took the time to write Derek's name on her paper and his phone number which she remembered off her caller ID. "Is there any other number that is good to reach you at?" she asked conversationally as she moved her coffee cup aside. She surveyed her client covertly, looking for habits, clues or hints as to his personality. He was well groomed and professional. Though she thought that it was odd for him to be wearing glasses into the shop she allowed that perhaps he had sensitive eyes or that he was trying to remain unrecognizable.

"So, Mr. Seong you mentioned over the phone to me that you had some surveillance work you'd like me to perform for you. Is this for insurance fraud purposes or a marital issue?" she asked as kindly as possible. If he wasn't looking into a potentially errant employee, then the chances were high that he was looking into the behavior of a possibly errant spouse and that, more than anything should be treated as sympathetically as possible. She rarely dealt with cheating spouses since that seemed to be more local work but that didn't mean she never had to tail a husband or wife about their daily chores. Those pictures were always the hardest to take and develop later, sometimes she felt like a damned voyeur.

[Deleted]

“No, the one you have is the only number I want you using.” Derek was not going to be having this woman calling him while at work. That in itself was unprofessional, he would be wasting the time he was getting paid for to deal with policy holders to instead work on private matters. “You may only contact me in the evenings as well.” After he was free from his professional obligations.

A waitress approached to take an order from the man. He lowered his shades to look upon her and requested simply a coffee before replacing them on his nose and turning back to his counterpart.

“Neither,” he stated. “I am not married and investigations for my work are contracted through our own company.” Derek wasn’t going to beat around the bush with mystery and riddles. “I’m needing you to investigate my son.” Straightforward and to the point. “His name is Phoenix Tang. He attends the Hammel Institute.” Anything else about him, Derek didn’t know. The one time they had met in the pet shop, Derek had a glimpse of what his power was, but that still only gave vague information. Something to do with flight and illusions. “I need you to find out everything you can about him. Who his friends are, his academic standing, any information you can find out, I want to know, even if it’s just his shoe size.” Derek didn’t have to go into the reasons for why he wanted this investigation done. And it wasn’t her business to ask.

[Percie Hobbes]

"Okay, I understand," Percie smiled at him in what she hoped was a reassuring way but she was quickly coming to the realization that this man might turn out to be one of those clients that required her to visit a bar when the case was over and drink away the stress. She started to nod when he mentioned that the case wasn't about an errant spouse or insurance fraud, she stopped however when he mentioned that he wanted her to trail his son. That in itself wasn't necessarily an issue for her, she'd located missing people before and surveyed them briefly before handing over the information as needed by the client.

Her hand nearly slipped on her notes when Derek mentioned that the boy was a student at Hammel. Did Derek know that his son was a meta human? Was that what he was trying to find out? Percie held her tongue for a moment to allow her potential client to finish talking before a line appeared above her brow as she frowned in concentration and finished her notes. What bothered her the most about this scenario were that the things that Derek wanted to know could be easily obtained by speaking to the boy himself or the boy's mother or guardian. She raised her eyes and stared back at her reflection at his glasses. She had no desire to delve into his memories anyway, though no doubt it would be useful should he wish to dodge her next questions.

"Mr. Seong, I feel that it's my duty to inform you that I am prohibited from any activity that might constitute as "stalking" on my part in accordance with Vermont state law chapter 19, subchapter 7," she began. "Obtaining something like his school records certainly falls under that category, and...forgive me for being straightforward about this matter, but do you have proof that you are the boy’s father and are there currently any outstanding restraining orders against you filed by either the mother or the boy in question?" She kept her gaze leveled at him, neither accusing or accepting before she continued. "I'm asking this, sir, because if neither a restraining order nor paternity is an issue then why do you not simply seek to contact the boy's mother and arrange a meeting with the boy himself?" her tone was questioning and genuinely confused. She didn't understand why a father would want this kind of information about his own son if he wasn’t blocked from it

Of course, she could simply watch Phoenix, that was legal under her job description, simple observation wasn't going to be an issue here. However, if Derek wanted anything else from her, like his son's school records (which she would desperately hide from him anyway since she wasn't sure of his intentions or if he was aware that his son was a meta-human), than he would have to look elsewhere, which meant that Percie would have to make as many phone calls as possible to explain her concerns to any fellow detective that he might try and hire. She waited for his answer.

[Deleted]

If this case was going to be as difficult and stressful as he anticipated, based solely on his one meeting with the boy, Derek had a feeling he might be joining Ms. Hobbes for that drink. Already he was disappointed in what had become of his son. He supposed he only had himself to blame, for passing on the meta-genes to the boy, but it was most certainly his mother’s fault, or the school’s, for the lifestyle his son had chosen. As far back as he could remember, Hammel had always encouraged that kind of unsightly behavior.

“I would never ask you to break the law. If that is a concern, then I amend my request that you obtain as much specific information as you can within the bounds of the law.” He was unhappy with her next request, but it was to be expected. After all, Ms. Hobbes had no proof that Derek was the boy’s father outside of his word and as far as she was concerned, he could be a predator of sorts. “I appreciate your caution. It’s important for a woman in your occupation to ask questions and to know who it is exactly you are working for.” The coffee he requested a moment ago arrived and he quickly thanked the woman before moving on, preparing his coffee to his liking with three bags of sugar and one cap of creamer. “I can provide you with my name and the name of the boy’s mother. You are free to do a thorough background check on both of them. Though it may be simpler to just call up the boy’s mother and ask her for verification.” He brought the mug to his lips. Mmm, perfect.

“As for the matter of meeting with the boy,” he started, taking a slow, controlled breath. He lifted his eyes to meet with hers, allowing his shades to drop down the bridge of his nose, revealing those umber-colored eyes beneath. “Quite frankly, and with all due respect, Ms. Hobbes, my relationship with my son is my business and my business alone. My reasons for hiring you are irrelevant toward you getting it done. However, I assure you that they are well within the confines of the law. If that is unacceptable, then please accept my apologies for misjudging your professionalism.” Derek enjoyed another mouthful of his coffee.

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie could feel a twitch start over her eyebrow as she fought to keep her face as neutral as possible. A sort of indignant rage at his callous words assaulted her and she did her best to remember that it was still not okay for her to reach over, snatch his glasses and smash them to bits. Important for a woman in her profession? It was important for anyone in her profession to make sure they were dealing with make sure that the client wasn't a predator or a danger to the person or situation they wanted to investigate. She said nothing beyond a murmured thank you as she scribbled some of the information she could obtain about Phoenix without violating any privacy laws.

His next words did nothing to lessen the irritation she felt towards him. It was a legitimate question after all and an appropriate answer would have saved her from thinking that he was a creepy stalker with creepy ulterior motives for his meta-human son. She was certain that's the information he was looking for and it must be because he wanted to abuse that information in some way. Her mind whirled at a mile a minute. If she allowed him to leave (she rather wanted to just to prove to him that she didn't need his business because screw him) then there was the possibility that anyone else he hired wouldn't feel any sort of importance in protecting what might be a carefully guarded secret. Her fierce gaze met his over his glasses for a tense moment before she nodded her head just a little. "I understand," she said as she looked back over her notes and rubbed at her head where the twitch had turned into a throb. "I'd be more than happy to take your case Mr. Seong."

[Deleted]

Perhaps Derek should have gone with a male investigator instead? They were more likely to keep focus on the job an not turn every little thing that was said into a sexist battle. All it was was a surveillance job, obtaining information about a person. A woman who thought she had something to prove may decide to take brash actions and get herself caught in an unmanageable situation. If her vanity got to her too much, then she could miss something while she was busy putting on lipstick in her car instead of paying attention to the target. Also, a man would be less hesitant about taking necessary risks.

But alas…Derek had already made his decision. It was more beneficial for him to stick with one person than to “shop around” and risk too many people asking questions and looking into his past. On the background checks, Ms. Hobbes would eventually find out about his name change, from Kwan to Seong, and about his employment history, educational history, and possibly even his family’s run-down restaurant in Los Angeles. There would be, however, a blackout in his background over the past 5 or 6 years that might raise questions. Derek would rather it be only this one person inquiring about that timeframe.

A hint of a smile appeared as Ms. Hobbes thankfully let the topic drop and didn’t push further into his personal matters. Once it became relevant, he would consider telling her. For now, he had himself to protect. “Thank you, Ms. Hobbes.” With his coffee only half drank, Derek was more than prepared to take his leave. He pulled out a ten and placed it on the table. Derek offered a slight smile. “For the drinks.” With that he rose from his seat and stepped to leave.

[Percie Hobbes]

Percie rose when he did but didn't move to pack her things. She'd be making additional notes once he left and would most likely stay at the cafe for another hour at least while she organized how she wanted to approach the matter at hand. "Thank you," she said politely as he laid the ten down on the table and realized that she'd also be able to buy a snack from his generous donation. She counted this as a good thing because she'd need food in her stomach when she took Advil later for this headache that was developing.

She held her hand out to shake but didn't make any promises to have the case finished shortly, or to his satisfaction. In fact she couldn't even manage a half-hearted "You can count on me!" which she usually tried to do to reassure her clients that they had chosen the right person for the job. Instead she said, "I'll contact you in a couple of days with what I find." and left it at that. She had a feeling that Derek Seong would be hard to please and wasn’t looking forward to facing a laundry list of complaints at some point down the line.

Note: I love Derek. Also I'm good to call this thread done if you are! <3