*Bez Soznaniya Krasa* Mistik Refuge (BurningWillows & Georgie_Leech)

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor stared at the closed door briefly before turning away. He walked slowly down the stairs, feeling an aching weariness beginning to settle in. Now that the shock was wearing off, and the immediate problem of Taryn's sudden appearance was dealt with, it was starting to hit him just how badly he may have botched things with Nina. He may have lost her trust permanently, and he had no idea where he could even begin to earn it back.

He scribbled a brief note for Miss Jones that a last-minute tenant had come during the night and was staying in room 2C, but he hadn't had time to process it in the system yet. Dealing with the computer database seemed beyond Mor at this point. It was hard to focus, and he walked out of the building in a daze.

Mor walked right past his cabin. Somehow, it seemed that he would never be able to sleep like this, and he needed the fresh air to clear his head. He found himself walking along the path, into the trees. Despite how dark it was getting, Mor had no fear of getting lost or of being surprised by something prowling in the dark. His dryad-side had always given him a connection to the forest, and tonight, he was aware of it as never before. Though he normally fought against it, he could feel the forest around him in a way that simply seeing it would never be able to compare. The swaying of the trees in the wind; the scratch of talon against bark as an owl alighted on a branch; the soft skitter of a vole dashing through fallen leaves. It felt almost dreamlike as he wandered the path. Eventually he came to the waterfall area, where he had first encountered Nina again after so long. He sat down heavily by the Cliffside, hands on the fence. His feet dangled in the air as he listened to the rush of water.

Mor was beginning to piece his thoughts back together, though they weren't especially positive ones. Well, I've really screwed things up this time. Someone's finally coming to trust me, and I repay that by keeping secrets and deceiving them. She's better off not getting close to me anyway. What I am just hurts people.

He thought back to the last time he'd been close to anyone, back when he was still a teen, just barely out of his childhood years. There was a girl he had crushed on. Both had been loners and awkward around other people, but somehow they had gravitated towards each other, become friends. It had been so long ago that he'd forgotten her face, but he remembered her seeming beautiful, and how badly he wanted to impress her. So badly, in fact, that he'd accidentally tapped into one of the dryads' special qualities. Already unearthly beautiful, they can use their native faerie magic to ensnare the minds of those near them, driving them mad with desire. Some even die of longing. It was nothing so drastic when he stumbled his way into it, but that fumbling left its own mark. Without understanding what he was doing, the uncontrolled charm had damaged something vital in her. She had an emotional breakdown as the magic manipulated her mind, and she fell unconscious for a day. When she awoke, she had lost the ability to speak. That was when his eyes changed colour, from the original brown to the green they were now.

Face it, she's better off without me. Besides, it's not like I haven't been alone before. Most of my life has been in isolation in one form or another. This isn't anything I haven't dealt with before. In truth however, Mor didn't feel any better with that thought. Nina had been someone like him, if not in the details but in the broad strokes. Both had been connected to humanity but weren't really a true part of it, always on the outside. For the first time, there had been someone he could form a real bond with, a connection to something he could... belong to. Now that that belonging was seemingly already lost, the world seemed very empty indeed.

Mor sat and stared out into the darkness, not seeing anything but feeling the trees around him. This far from the city, he could feel the song of the forest, feel it calling to him. It would be so easy to give into that song. For so long, he'd fought his Changeling nature, fought his fate. Changelings were doomed to eventually become full Fey, as their supernatural heritage overpowered their human side. He'd searched for a way to delay or stop that fate, but to no avail. Was it really worth drawing the pain out worse? When he could abandon the weaker part of him, the part that cried out for someone to be there? It would be so easy, like stepping forward off the edge. And the pain would be gone, and he'd be a part of the Faerie Kingdom. He'd never have to look back.

Would I really be that cowardly though? Just give in to the part of me that has done nothing but hurt those around me? Embrace the inhumanity, embrace the cruelty?

Mor wrestled with his thoughts all night, getting nowhere. The sun rose slowly, shaking Mor out of his thoughts. He stood slowly, intending to go return to his cabin, perhaps getting at least a little sleep. In the dim light of dawn, he saw a mouse frantically struggling to escape from an owl as it swooped down upon it. It seemed hopeless for the mouse. There was no way it could scramble away in time, and the owl snatched it up. Before it could eat the poor creature however, a ray of light happened to shine through the foliage, briefly blinding the bird. With a squawk , it crashed into a tree branch, dropping the mouse as it tried to recover. The lucky rodent vanished into the brush.

Mor smiled and the mouse's fortune. Maybe it does seem like I've lost everything, but that doesn't mean I have to go down without a fight.

Mor returned to his cabin with his newfound resolve. He left a message on Nina's phone, asking if they could at least talk about what had happened. This done, he set his alarm for an hour later and fell asleep, not even bothering to change out of the last day's clothes.

When his alarm went off, he didn't feel any more rested, but he had to get up anyway. A message on his phone told him that Taryn needed a ride into town, so he mustered what energy he had and got up. Giving his clothes a quick pat down and brush, he hoped he didn't look too rumpled.

He found Taryn in the mess hall, clearly in foul mood. Her scowl was clear from across the room. As he entered, she got up and stormed over. "I hope there isn't any more foul news, 'cause I'm having a horrible morning." The frustration was obvious in her voice.

"Only if you consider my poor sleep foul news. I hope the room was alright at least?" Mor inquired.

 

[BurningWillows]

"Well no, your lack of sleep isn't bad news per say," Taryn pursed her lips, leading Dr. Mor back to her table, "I just spent the last, oh I don't know, hour maybe, fighting with my landlord for my security deposit. Scumbag doesn't want to give it up, even though the apartment is completely torched. It's inhabitable, and he still wants people to pay their rents!"

Taryn breathed through her nose to calm herself and continued at a lower volume, "My insurance also doesn't cover fire damage, so I'm not getting much out of them for all my lost property. Luckily I at least get a small amount to make up for my damaged goods and burnt home. Well, I guess I shouldn't call it home anymore should I?

Oh and I wired a thousand to you through emails. Miss Jones gave me your email, I hope that's alright? Is a thousand enough to stay for the rest of the month? I hope so. It's all I could get in advance from work. I can scrounge more if you need it...."

"He left a message on your phone," Derek pointed out as her phone beeped for the third time alerting them of the missed call.

"Ignore it," Nina yelled from the bedroom, changing into clean clothes while Derek waited in the living room.

"What if he is trying to apologize?"

"We aren't discussing this Derek," Nina returned, now in skinny jeans and a white tank top with diagonal ripples, "You just want to know what he said, and it's for Drew's ears only. Can we drop that all today, please? I need a distraction."

"How about a run then?"

Nina shook her head, looking even more deflated, "Knife wound is only ninety percent healed. I don't want to rip anything and then have to see him."

"Tourist attractions?"

"We've already done that."

"We could go look at my new condo," he shrugged lightly, grinning devilishly at her.

"You bought a new condo, huh? Where?"

"Here."

Nina look of confusion and cocked head told Derek she wasn't getting his hints. Picking up the empty plate of crumbs from the floor he tossed the dish in the sink and found his shoes.

"I bought a condo in Toronto Katerina. C'mon, let's go see."

She pulled on a pair of knee high boots and he noted her growing sense of style. For someone who spent most of her life in the woods, she owned a lot of shoes.

"Magazines," Nina answered his unasked question, "Loads of magazines when I was living in Russia."

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor was about to reply that it was fine when he was struck by a thought. This was a fantastic opportunity to have willing cooperation for his tests. It had been a long time since he'd had someone else to provide data points, and more data was always better.

Mor had hoped to create a supernatural-suppressant chemical or medicine, something that could weaken the paranormal aspects of a given person, temporarily or perhaps even permanently making them into a mundane human. Such a compound could be extremely useful for those with dangerous or uncontrolled powers, like certain kinds of werewolves for instance, helping them live harmoniously with other people. More selfishly, Mor hoped it might be able to "cure" him of his dryad side, letting him be a normal person.

His previous work at Belua had been on developing just such a compound. In an underground facility in the Rocky Mountains, researchers and scientists worked to better understand just what made the supernatural world so different from humanity. Most who worked there treated their test subjects with a casual disregard that bordered on monstrous. Despite this, Mor did his best to give his subjects what comfort he could. Even though he found his coworkers distasteful at best and horrible at worst, Belua was one of (if not the) greatest sources of scientific research on the supernatural, and his greatest hope for discovering his "cure". Ultimately though, he couldn't justify the torturous conditions and butchery at the hands of the other doctors, and he resigned after less than a year.

At that thought, Mor remembered his earlier promise to Nina. "No Meds. No experiments." Even if she wants nothing to do with me now, I owe her at least that much. If I'm going to start my research again, I need to talk to her first.

"That will be fine for now, Taryn. We can talk about extending your stay later if necessary, but there's something I'll need to clear with Nina first." Mor chuckled a little bitterly. "Assuming she ever decides to talk with me again, at least."

 

[BurningWillows]

The only words she caught were "That's fine..." and her brain went into whirlwind mode. She could hear him vaguely continue but she was already organising her day in her head, pulling out a tiny stack of forms she had hidden on the chair beside her in case he said no, and whipping out a pen she had stuffed behind her ear.

"Just sign this then," she flipped the file around to face him and pointed at the bottom of the first page.

"Oh and than here," she moved to the second page where again there was a place to sign.

"And finally here," she moved to the third, and last, page where her signature was already at the bottom and waiting for his beside it, "Simple month to month contract. Must give me two weeks notice if you decide to raise my rent, blah blah blah, little bit here about letting me decorate my room as I please...blah blah blah. Simple, easy. You can terminate me at any time, giving me thirty days to move out."

She flashed him her most dazzling smile, stuffing any other emotion from the night before down. She didn't want to be afraid, or stressed, or paranoid. Today Taryn just wanted things to go smoothly.

His condo happened to be a good half hour drive from her apartment, on the border of Toronto. Only one road led down to the condo complex, which was fenced in with a gold gate locked until Derek slipped his key card through a machine. Most of the complex was still dirt and gravel piles, and unfinished buildings full of wood and foam. A small oval dirt road had been carved through all the construction, and on the far end of the complex sat one fully built structure with a small parking lot on either side that could hold no more than six cars each.

"I haggled down the price a bit because of the constant construction," Derek explained as he parked, "It wasn't a terrible price to start out with either. The other buildings should be finished by the end of the summer."

"That's only a month away," Nina exclaimed, jumping out of the SUV.

"They work fast I guess," Derek shrugged, putting his hand on the middle of her back and guiding her towards the front doors of his apartment building, “It’s how I got this so quickly,” he mentioned, waving at the construction, “They just opened this complex so I grabbed it at the perfect time. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s only a mile from the closest forest area, so it isn't terribly placed.”

Like Nina’s apartment, the front door needed a key to access. Derek pulled a small plastic card attached to his key chain and swiped it through a metal box underneath the door knob. It chimed and she could hear the door unlock as he pushed the door inside. They entered a small lobby, with three elevators at the far wall. The walls were a rosy pink shade, with framed artwork decorating them. The floors were tiled with marble, making the heels on her brown knee-high boots click as she moved. Stepping into the first available elevator, she found the floor was also marble, but the walls were made of ceiling high glass, reflecting her from every side.

“fantaziya. I mean, fancy.”

Derek chuckled, “Not that fancy. It isn’t hard these days to find knock-offs that look like marble, and the walls were just painted.”

“What about the artwork?”

“Replicas, you can buy them at many stores. Cheap products to give a fancier look. The condos are much plainer.”

The elevator stopped and the doors slide open to a long hallway with the same pink walls, except the floor was now carpeted in brown. Derek led her to the left, walking down to the end of the hallway, stopping outside a door marked six on the left wall. Using the same card as downstairs his door chimed and he turned the doorknob and pushed it open.

“Ladies first,” he gestured.

Katerina walked into a large open living room, with a kitchen set to her very left as she entered. From the front door she spotted a set of glass doors leading to a patio on the right wall, and a huge bay window on the farthest wall looking out into the undeveloped land behind the complex. It was too dark to see anything, but Nina imagined looking out during the day and seeing trees and fields of grass.

“There’s more,” Derek smiled, taking his shoes off at the door, “C’mon.”

Around the corner from the kitchen was a hidden nook with three doors: the left one led to a bathroom complete with a bathtub and shower head, the middle was a small laundry closest with a built in washer and dryer, and the last door to her right was the master bedroom. She walked into a dark golden painted room, with white carpeting. The door was in an alcove to the room, so that she had to walk straight in to see everything. Two windows sat on the left and far wall, and a king sized bed sat along the wall. The bed was neatly made with beige sheets folded at the top over a pale golden comforter. His pillows were an array of reds, golds, and blacks, piled on top of one another. The room was still mostly bare, with a few boxes still stacked in a corner. Behind her in the corner was a set of white wooden doors hanging open that led into a walk-in closet. The closet was also bare, with a few open boxes scattered on the floor, clothing flung around it.

“I’m still unpacking,” Derek explained, “When I got here I had to paint the walls first.”

They returned to the main room, which had been painted a pale blue that looked white until he turned on the rest of the lights. The kitchen followed the same color, and the flooring throughout the apartment was a dark wood, save for the bathroom and bedroom. The bathroom was the only room with grey tiles, and the walls had been painted a light teal. The living room had a small section of it in the far left corner cut off by glass walls with an open archway leading inside the tiny room. Derek explained that it would become an office.

“So you painted the whole place?” Nina asked, moving with him to the kitchen.

“They had just finished this complex, about a week or two ago. Most of the better renovated condos got bought fast, and like I said the price for mine wasn't terrible before I haggled it down because of all that construction. The flooring had been finished but nothing was painted, and there weren't any appliances.”

Derek patted the refrigerator as he hunted down two plates and a couple of forks from a box on the counter, “I haven’t had time to unpack yet, but I got some appliances.”

He pulled out some leftover Chinese food from the fridge and made each of them plates, apologizing for it being cold. She took the plate with a small grin and dug in, ignoring the cold and enjoying the flavor.

As they ate, she noted how new the refrigerator was, and how easily he came up with the money to buy his own condo. Nina knew it was rude to bring it up, but a bit of envy flared in her. She was struggling to pay bills and Derek seemed to be getting enough money to afford anything he needed. Biting down on her tongue she nodded along as he went over his plans for the place, what he still wanted to get, where the furniture would go, and how long it might take him. They ate in the kitchen, Nina sitting on one of the counters stuffing her face full of sweet and sour pork and spring rolls. Derek ate between his excited details of how it would look when it was all finished.

“You’ll have to bring me around when all this is done,” Nina replied, trying not to sound jealous.

“I would hope you’d come more often than that,” Derek exclaimed, chomping down on a dumpling.

For what?

“We will see. There’s a serial killer still on the loose, remember? I should be spending most of my time hunting this jerk down.”

Derek nodded slowly, “How’s the hunt going?”

Her head drooped a bit as she spoke, “It's cold. Dead. There hasn't been a murder in a week. It's like he is toying with us. And Jess' notes are useless as you saw. They lead nowhere."

"What about the guy that stabbed you? Maybe that was him."

"Taryn admitted to someone breaking into the apartment a week back when she was there looking through Jess' things. She's pretty sure it's the same guy, and there's no real evidence that he is a serial killer. He was too sloppy around me, like an amateur."

"But it's something more," Derek mused piecing it together in his head, "You believe it wasn't him. Why?"

Nina weighed her words carefully, "Because the stranger in my house was the man who stabbed me. But he didn't kill me."

"So the stalker isn't the serial killer?" he shook his head, "So now there are two nut jobs running around Toronto."

 

[Georgie_Leech]

"You certainly are an efficient one," Mor commented as he read through the forms. He trusted Taryn, but he always read through everything before signing. Supernatural compulsion to keep his word aside, it always seemed like the sensible thing to do. It was a standard rental contract as stated, so he didn't have a problem with signing. He scribbled his signature where indicated, and handed back the pen.

"Now that that's taken care of, do you need a ride into town? I have no immediate duties today by some quirk of scheduling, so I can play chauffer while you drop off forms or the like."

 

[BurningWillows]

Taryn smiled, stacking her new forms with the rest of the paperwork beside her, "If that would be alright? All I really need is a ride back to my apartment, er, what's left of it. My car should still be there, hopefully unharmed. I'm sure you don't want to spend the day shopping for clothes and the like with me."

~~

It wasn't a long trip into the city, but Taryn grew more and more nervous the closer they got to the apartment. Just my luck, she thought bitterly as they approached her apartment to see police tape everywhere. She had parked in the underground lot, but looking at the building now her hopes of getting her car back were slim.

"I guess you will be coming shopping with me," Taryn slumped in her seat, "So much for having my car back."

They continued driving, Taryn moping her in seat. The last thing she needed was more bad news. Everything of hers was gone, except her dingy clothing and her cell phone. It was hard to feel grateful about making it out alive when there was nothing left of her life itself except ashes. Suck it up princess, she snapped at herself bitterly, stop sulking about it and fix it.

"Can we stop at my work?" Taryn asked, sitting back up in her seat, "I just need to collect something. Oh and than my lawyer...he needs the paperwork. And than we can go shopping..."

~~

Hours later Taryn was stepping back into Mor's car after having a meeting with her boss and a separate one with her lawyer. The second one had taken longer, and she apologized profusely to Dr. Mor over having to wait. They had then stopped at a furniture store Taryn had visited before when she had first moved to Toronto. If she was going to live at Mistik, the first thing she wanted was a larger bed. Add a couch, coffee table, mini fridge, small kitchen table, two dining chairs, a 42" screen t.v, an entertainment stand, and a microwave and she walked out of there grinning ear to ear.

"They said they could have it all delivered by tomorrow," Taryn chirped, feeling much better as she stuffed her credit card back into her wallet, "Thank god for these little inventions right? I may have to work overtime the next few weeks, but it is worth it."

The last place she dragged Dr. Mor to was a large clothing outlet with two floors. They were half an hour into clothes shopping, with Mor following quietly behind her as she raced around, when Taryn's phone started ringing out of control.

"Hello?"

"Taryn. It's Nina. Katerina," she sounded out of breath as she spoke, her words clipped, "Where are you?"

"Um," Taryn prattled off the address the best she could.

Before she could even ask what was going on the phone went dead. Taryn stared at it confused, unsure what Katerina wanted with her. Mor had fortunately been an aisle over and missed the conversation, however brief it was, and Taryn wasn't sure she should bring it up. The two seemed on rocky footing, and if Nina was calling Taryn before Mor it was a bad sign.

They continued shopping, Taryn trying her best to act excited over clothes as she revalued the phone call. Fifteen minutes later they heard two people calling out at her.

"Taryn!"Nina jogged up, covered head to toe in patches of soot and dirt.

Beside her was a tall, handsome man also heaving breaths, looking identical to Nina. They both looked exhausted, taking huge gulps of air. When they could finally talk Nina raised and eyebrow as she looked around, "Wait...how did you get here?"

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor confirmed that it was fine, he didn't mind driving her. Privately however, he didn't think getting her car would be nearly so easy. Depending on the severity of the fire, it could be damaged, and there would certainly be police or insurance people crawling around trying to figure out what happened.

Sure enough, the place was surrounded by police tape. Though it didn't appear anyone was on duty at the time, it was easy to see why. Though the framework and walls appeared to be standing, the fire had clearly been a bad one. Most of the exterior was charred and ashen. The windows had all been shattered in the heat, and through them, the damage to the interior obvious. If Taryn had parked inside, it would be a miracle if her car was anywhere near working condition.

Mor agreed to act as Taryn's chauffer for the day. He wasn't lying when he told her he didn't have much to do that day, and driving helped him think. Something about the rhythm of the roads, having to be aware of his surroundings, and being surrounded by leather, chrome, fabric, and steel, helped him think. He never felt more human than when he was driving. So he waited for her to finish her errands patiently.

While waiting and driving, he thought. Mostly he thought about what he was going to do about Nina; what he was going to say to her, about what the chance of repairing their trust was, whether they could be friends again, whether she still needed his help acclimatising to urban life. Really though, so much of that was out of his control. It all depended on what she chose to do next, and he worried about that too.

Mor knew his thoughts were going in circles on that subject, so he tried to change tack. Instead, he considered the fire in Taryn's apartment. Taryn really is quite fortunate that she managed to escape that fire.

A troubling thought struck Mor suddenly. The serial killer has been rather quiet lately. It's not all that surprising, given that he's appeared to have a loose schedule. In fact, now is about the time I would have expected another victim. Could the fire have been a murder attempt, and if so, was Taryn the target? From what she told me, she didn't know she could transform into a bird, and if she hadn't, she would have almost certainly died. He couldn't be sure, but the timing seemed awfully coincidental if it was an accident.

Mor remained lost in his thoughts as Taryn directed him about the city, mutely taking her where she needed. He stayed in the car for most of it, but she brought him into one of the outlet stores in the area. He imagined she probably wanted to replace her lost wardrobe, and that he would probably end up carrying most of it. As time passed, he ended carrying a slowly but surely growing pile of bags and boxes.

"Taryn!" Who could that be? If Mor was surprised when he heard someone calling for her, he was shocked to see it was Nina, running towards them all covered in soot. A rather tall man followed behind her, blackened to match. He felt a brief pang of jealousy. Did she replace me already? Is she really that upset? When he noticed how easy she was standing next to him though, he caught up. This must be the guy that gave her a ride into Mistik that first day. Derek, I think his name was? Somehow, Mor felt a little better, thinking it wasn't just someone Nina had found to push him away.

He stood there quietly, holding Taryn's things, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he decided to let Nina make the first move.

 

[BurningWillows]

Upon seeing him Nina entertained the idea of turning back and running, knowing Drew could never keep up. Her heart had barely picked up momentum from running to Taryn and she could hear Derek’s heartbeat calming beside her. However fear and anger gripped her momentarily and she took a step away, unsure she wanted to even speak to Drew yet.

Fingers intertwined with hers and stopped her mid-step. Derek stood like stone, his eyes on her as he squeezed her hand tight, telling her without words that she needed to do this. Nina swallowed down the bile filling in her throat and rocked back on her heels to her original place beside Derek. She dropped his hand immediately, but not before squeezing it back as a thank you. They faced Taryn, Nina directly ignoring Drew and Derek taking his cues from her.

“Introductions?” Taryn raised her eyebrow at Derek, glancing him over quickly.

Nina snuffed the growl in her throat. The jealousy of seeing Taryn stare at Derek surprised her, but Nina knew better than to start a fight. Besides, he isn’t yours.

“Taryn this is Derek,” she explained, waving between them, “Derek, Taryn. And that over there is-”

“Drew,” Derek pieced together, his stony look turning briefly to the man behind Taryn.

“Why are you both all sooty?” Taryn asked, touching Nina’s sooty shirt gingerly.

“We went to your apartment,” Nina started, relieved no one was questioning the tension between her and Drew, “I had this hunch. Well, we did, and we wanted to see if it went anywhere.”

“We wanted to see if that fire was accidental or not,” Derek chimed in, “It just seemed too perfect that it happened after you guys started looking into this serial killer.”

“You thought it was the serial killer?” Taryn asked, “Or maybe that creep that was hanging around Jess’ apartment. He wanted all her notes after all, and they were in my apartment.”

“It wasn’t him,” Nina snapped, a little too harshly and added softer, “It wasn’t the guy at Jess’ apartment.”

“So it was the serial killer?” Taryn asked, confused.

“Nope,” Derek shrugged, “It looks like was a complete accident.”

“But that’s not why we are here,” Katerina continued cutting Derek off with a sideways glance, “We found something else.”

“A lot of ashes,” Taryn teased, pointing at their stained clothing, “Did you two crawl through it all.”

“A little,” Derek smiled, “The place is pretty destroyed. And that was our main problem, everything was too damaged to get any evidence from-”

“We tried to track but the ash made it impossible,” Nina cut in, “So than we got a new idea-”

“-to steal the police report on the place…”

“Which is a terrible plan,” Taryn stated incredously, “And a stupidly risk one.”

“We knew that,” Derek snorted.

“But it’s us,” Nina finished, grinning ear to ear and lifted a beige folder Derek handed her that Taryn had yet to notice.

There were dark, ash fingerprints from Derek carrying it, but opening the file showed only the edges were stained with ash, the rest remaining pristine white with black lettering. Taryn only got a moment to stare at it before Nina closed it again.

“Not here,” she hissed, beckoning them all towards the closest exit, “This may be stolen...”

~~

Taryn stopped just before the door and motioned for them to continue, excusing herself to pay for her things. Derek gave her directions to the SUV before they split up. Once the three of them were outside she slipped back into the women’s section and grabbed a few more items, hoping they’d all fit before proceeding towards the cashier.

~~

Derek stuck close to Nina, seeing how stiff she walked a few steps ahead of Drew who looked equally uncomfortable.

Leaning close to her ear he whispered, “Relax little wolf. He isn’t poisonous.”

“You never know,” she barked and shoved the folder back into his hands before stomping away. Derek fell in line with Drew, walking at a much slower pace towards the SUV.

“Any idea what you did?” Derek asked without taking his eyes of Katerina.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor scrubbed his hands through his hair. He'd managed to go through most of his life without talking about it, and now his nature was popping up in conversation everywhere. He debated briefly on how much to say. On the one hand, he didn't know much about him at all; on the other, that little was that Nina trusted him. The fact that the extremely closed off werewolf held him in some esteem spoke volumes about his trustworthiness.

"It's... complicated. The short answer is that I let her believe I was something I'm not, she apparently learned the truth, and my best guess is that she's upset both that I wasn't completely honest and that I wasn't the one to tell her." That would have to do, for now.

 

[BurningWillows]

​

Katerina was tempted to swing around and snap back at the men, hearing every last word from only a few paces ahead. Instead she shot a glare back at Derek who knew he'd stepped out of line then trailed ahead, trying to keep her focus on their findings. She'd deal with Drew later, when she could manage to lift her head and speak to him.

Clutching the folder to her chest, she weaved between parked vehicles, leaving Drew and Derek to catch up. Footsteps behind her pounded on the asphalt, falling into line with hers when they got close enough. Just by smell Nina could differentiate that it was Derek, although his scent was almost masked with the soot. He remained quiet for a few moments, possibly organizing whatever new lecture he was forming in his head.

"So what is he?" he finally asked, jumping straight to the point.

"Who is what?"

"Drew says you know what he is."

"And?"

"Well he won't tell me...why don't you clue me in?"

"Derek," Nina planted her feet and swung around, stopping them both cold, "Stop trying. Please."

"I want to help," was all he said, trying to focus on anything but her stern look, "You two shouldn't be fighting."

"Rebenok," she snapped, but her eyes lost their hardness, "I'll tell you later."

They continued walking, Derek looking triumphant while Nina tried to sulk. Drew had caught up and the three of them made it to the SUV together. When they reached the vehicle, Katerina opened the trunk and spread the contents of the folder out as they waited for Taryn. The younger girl didn't take long, jogging out with a handful of bags on either arm. They let her unload it all into the back seat of the SUV then brought the focus back to the folder.

“Okay,” Taryn motioned for the folder, “What’s inside.”

Derek picked up the first paper on the very left and passed it around as Nina explained, "This is a copy of the police report on your apartment. You can see here how the fire started.”

“It says technical issues, and underneath just ‘crossed wires’,” Taryn read out loud.

“They are filing it as an accident,” Derek continued, “No one tried to kill you last night. Unless our killer also has a degree as a technician.”

“So what about the rest?” Taryn motioned to the other papers.

“We had a little extra time since Derek is great at distracting an entire police station,” Nina complimented as she picked the next paper up.

"You didn't stage anything illegal, right?" Taryn asked, raising her eyebrow at both of them.

"Best you not know," Derek winked, sending Taryn to glower at Nina who looked confused.

"Why can't they know? You just bought coffee for everyone," Nina looked lost, staring at the paper, "You said you bought them all coffee..."

"I did," Derek shook his head, "It's a joke people make."

"How is breaking the law a joke?" now Katerina was more lost than ever, her golden eyes wide with confusion.

Derek plucked the paper from her hands, patting her shoulder while he did so, "Nevermind Katerina."

Continuing he spoke to the three of them, “This one is the first murder. All of these are reports on the murders Jess had in her notes. Nina couldn't get the whole case files, these are just the initial crime scene reports. There were entire files for each murder, but we didn't have the time to copy them all, so she just grabbed these. See here is Jess’: ‘Female, early twenties, found lying in alley way. Time of death: unknown. Cause of death...well you get the picture."

"We can look at these and your notes Taryn," Nina added, "Maybe there's a clue to this killer somewhere."

“Except all my notes burnt down with the apartment,” Taryn muttered, “The laptop too.”

“I have a copy of them all at my place,” Nina exclaimed, "We can use mine.”

"Why don't we go over there now?" Taryn asked, and Derek agreed.

Neither Nina nor Drew had time to argue before they were both being shuffled along, Taryn taking Drew back to his car and Nina being instructed to get into the SUV. Derek quickly cleaned up the papers into the folder and handed it to Nina as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"I hope your happy," she snapped, flashing her teeth at him, "Pozhaluysta, ubeyte menya seychas. I don't want him in my house Derek!"

"He doesn't even know exactly what he did wrong Katerina," Derek shot back, "Maybe if you eased up-"

"Idi k chertu," she swore loudly, cutting Derek off,"Vy ne imeyete ni maleyshego predstavleniya, chto ya byl cherez. On lgal mne, on prodolzhal ot menya sekretov, Dryu net dazhe chelovecheskiye."

"I don't speak Russian Katerina," Derek reminded, not that she was listening.

"Well Aiden did!" she snapped, and immediately regretted her words.

Derek stiffened, his eyes turning stony as he refused to look over at her. She had crossed a line...for both of them.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor followed the rest in silence, not knowing what else he could say. I probably said the wrong thing again, but at this point, what does she want me to say? I'm trying to respect her boundaries, but I never noticed before how easy it was to cross them when she doesn't tell me where they are. He could hear Nina snapping at Derek, though he couldn't make out what she was saying. It didn't sound especially pleasant though. I wonder if she'll ever actually give me the chance to explain.

He didn't have much to contribute to the discussion, even if he felt comfortable speaking up around Nina, so he instead listened and tried to sort through the information they had gathered. It seemed rather disjointed to him. Maybe it would be clearer if we could match patterns to Jess' notes. He was about to suggest that he return to Mistik to get his copies when Nina volunteered hers. She had kept them at her home, of course.

Mor gave a start when Taryn suggested they go there now. That's not what she meant! "I don't think that's--"

Before he could protest further, Taryn was pulling him back towards his car. Mor was so shocked that he didn't offer any resistance until it was too late, and he found himself standing beside the car, keys in hand. He glanced at the girl. "I hope you know what you're getting into. I don't think Nina is all that comfortable with the idea of me being around her home right now."

 

[BurningWillows]

​

Katerina withdrew into her self the closer they got to her apartment, inklings of fear slipping through the cracks of her armor. How was she supposed to do this? To face the lies Drew told?

And how do I apologize now to Derek? The other werewolf looked immensely unhappy, her words having cast a dark cloud over them. She was so focused on anger she lashed out, hurting her last ally.

"Derek," she started but he shook his head cutting her off.

Nina turned to her side window, leaning her forehead against the cold glass and watching cars zoom by as they drove. She was going to walk into this alone now. How long till Taryn or Drew asked what happened? How long till they all begged for answers, cornering her? Her worries were making the backs of her hands itch and the hairs on her skin stand up. If she continued she'd start to Change, her emotions fueling the wolf inside her. A Change wouldn't be awful, she admitted, scratching her hands, I could use a run today.

When they arrived at her apartment she jumped out before Derek had turned the engine off. Drew and Taryn had yet to arrive and she didn't wait for them. The soot on her was becoming irritating and itchy, and she wanted to shower before anyone invaded her privacy. She let Derek follow her in, using the elevator to get to her floor.

"Stop," Derek hissed as the elevator doors opened, and pulled Nina as she went to step out.

"Now is not the time to talk," Nina stated, trying to pull away but his grip tightened around her wrist and he yanked her hard.

She fell back against the wall as he pressed the button to shut the doors but didn't press a different floor. He stepped closer to her, so close that his breath tickled her eyelashes as he leaned towards her. His lips brushed her ear as his fingers curled through her hair and pulled it back.

"Breath," he whispered, ever so quietly.

She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath and Nina let it out slowly, turning her burning cheeks towards the floor. As she took a breath in however her nose caught something strange. It was the faintest musky scent, so faint she hardly noticed it. It wasn't cologne, more like a natural musk, and it was lingering from the hallway. Nina's golden eyes shot up and met Derek's, clear understanding in them.

"Is someone out there?" she mouthed, realizing they could be listening in.

Derek nodded, looking at the doors and back at her, "What do we do?" he mouthed back slowly.

Nina she slipped her purse over her shoulder and pressed the button to open the doors. When they opened they glanced out into the hallway, both looking different directions. The hallway was empty, but the scent slightly stronger.

"This way," Derek whispered, pointing towards Nina's apartment door.

Of course this has to do with me, Nina silently whined, It always has to do with one of us.

As they crept down the hallway the scent got stronger. It never got strong enough to be overpowering, as if it was a day or two old, but Nina couldn't remember catching the scent when she had left earlier. Sure enough, when they got closer to her apartment she could see the door ajar again, a clear sign that this was connected to her. Derek took the lead, tiptoeing up to the door and trying to sneak in. The problem with her apartment building was aside from the main doors downstairs, the apartment doors were old and seemingly easy to break into to. They also never opened silently, and both Derek and Nina knew that.

There was either a serial killer, or a stranger in her house. They were either trying to kill her, or take her notes. Again, she felt like it was too sloppy for the killer. Why leave the door ajar? Why give Nina the advantage of knowing they were inside? And if it wasn't the crazed killer, than that left a stranger snooping through her home.

"C'mon," she mouthed, pressing the door to open.

It creaked alerting anyone inside that they'd been caught. Nina immediately spotted a head of dirty blonde hair disappear into her bedroom. Her notes were scattered through the living room, littering the floor.

"Honestly, can I not have a day where nothing surprising happens," Nina voiced loudly, moving to her bedroom, "Please come out before I break this door down."

A few seconds ticked by and then the door slammed opened and someone charged out, tackling her. Caught off guard by the sudden act of violence she fell, but quickly righted herself, tossing them over her head and flipping back onto her feet. They got up too, green eyes looking wildly at Nina before they lunged again. Nina dropped her purse seconds before she was tackled again but this time she held them up.

It was a woman fighting her, her sinewy body trying to pull Nina to the ground. The musky scent wafted lightly off the girl's skin, still not overpowering, but soft and subtle. Her muscles outweighed the woman's and she overpowered her, pulling her off but not hurting her. She'd seen her eyes, and Nina knew what they meant.

"Stop!" she tried, as the girl rushed her again and Nina defended herself, thrusting her fist once into the woman's side and knocking the breath out of her, "Seriously just listen to me!"

The girl tried again, rushing her with a panicked expression and Nina deflected her once more, this time tackling her to the ground and pinning her before she could do any more damage to herself.

"For fuck's sakes, I know your a dryad!" Nina growled loudly, her voice filling the entire apartment.

The woman stilled, the fight rushing out of her as Nina held her to the ground. Someone's feet shuffled near the door awkwardly, catching her ear. Nina's head whipped up as it did and her eyes widened at the sight of not Derek, but Drew standing in the doorway. Derek was beside the call button near the door that let visitors in. Taryn stood behind Drew, looking striken as she took in the scene.

"Into the bedroom," Nina muttered, pulling the girl up with her and whisking her into the room without a single word to the awkward group standing in her entrance way.

"What's your name?" Katerina asked a little too harshly as she closed and locked the bedroom doors, gesturing for the young woman to sit on the bed.

She looked like she was still in her teens, her round face too young to bore any lines. Her green eyes continued to stare at Nina and her straight blonde hair falling in sheets around her shoulders.

"I don't think I can tell you my name," she replied, looking away, "I don't need to answer to you."

"Then just tell me why you broke into my apartment?" Nina asked, her patience already thin, "Why did they send another dryad?"

She looked up at Nina, her resolve breaking, "They think he's dead."

"Who?"

"Boro- uh, the man who visited you."

"The other dryad."

"Yes."

"And why do... do whoever think he is dead?"

"He never returned after leaving for your apartment."

"How many of you are there in Toronto?" Nina asked, but quickly shook her head, "Do not tell me. Your friend left my apartment last night. After that, I know nothing. Please don't tell me they sent you to kill me..."

"To gain information about his disappearance," she murmured, "He's the second of us to go missing in Toronto."

"Jess," Nina nodded, "She was suppose to return months ago, wasn't she?"

"More," she agreed, the words tumbling out now, "She was suppose to come back only weeks after she came here. That was...it feels like a year ago now. She never came though. She decided to stay longer, and never told us why. But then...then we needed her..."

"Needed her for what?" Nina asked.

There was a creak outside her door and Nina was almost sure they were all listening in. The young dryad hadn't noticed yet and Nina left the matter alone, not wanting to interrupt her story.

"I cannot say," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself, "But Jess refused to come home. She wanted to stay here. She knew the stakes. And then she died."

"Is that why you came? Because she died?" Nina asked.

"We came because one of our kin has fallen," her voice steadied and she finally looked Nina in the eye, "Unlike her, we do not abandon our own. We have come to collect what is ours and avenge her death."

"Collect what is yours..."Nina's voice grew quiet as she measured her words, a clear understanding washing over her.

Nina stood up slowly, dragging her feet to her bedroom door and opening it slowly. She could hear their footsteps as they all scattered into the living room, but she didn't care. She looked back at the young dryad and motioned her to follow. Leading her to the front entrance she opened the door wide and gestured towards the empty hallway.

"What do I tell them then?" she asked, as she walked past Katerina into the hall, "That we now have one dead and one missing? Do you understand they will blame you for all of this? Or would you like me to tell them you are willing to help us? I'm sure you know why we are here by now..."

The young girl was spirited, but also naive. Nina could see that she thought she had the werewolf cornered, that Nina would never choose to run against them. It was something she hadn't realized till now, but she was starting to understand why Drew never told her. Dryads weren't nice; they were sneaky, and egotistical, and above all they looked down on all others.

Nina stared hard at the girl, until she saw the confidence behind those green eyes falter.

"If any of you break in here again," she whispered, her voice a low snarl, "I will personally make sure your time here in Toronto is short lived."

And with that she slammed the door shut.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Taryn said nothing, merely giving Mor a small smile as she got in the car. He sighed and followed suit. There wasn't much choice at this point. Staying away would just alienate Nina further. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was a bad idea, though.

It was an easy drive in to Nina's apartment. He took a deep breath before pushing the buzzer labelled "Silvka." His instincts were screaming at him that this was a bad idea. Screw it, listening to my instincts and subconscious is what got me into this mess with Nina in the first place. Rather than give himself a chance to back down, he nearly ran up the stairs to her apartment. The elevator would give him too much time to talk himself out of this.

Mor reached the door and found it slightly ajar. He was about to knock to be let in when he heard the sounds of a fight. He hurried in, but he stopped in shock in the doorway as he heard Nina shout "I know you're a Dryad!" Nina was atop another young woman, though Mor quickly took note of her slightly pointed ears and green eyes. Another dryad? This is getting ridiculous. I'm clearly involved somehow, because this is really stretching coincidence.

Before he could say anything, Nina dragged the girl off to what Mor presumed was her bedroom. He glanced quizzically at Derek, who merely shrugged and moved to her door, clearly trying to listen in on them. Despite his burning desire to know just what the hell was going on, Mor took a deep breath and counted to ten in his head. Now more than ever, he needed to respect Nina's privacy and personal space. Even if he was practically itching to move just a little bit closer. He could hear the muted sounds of argument.

A short time later, they came back out. The dryad seemed smug, and Mor knew this one wasn't very observant. He could practically feel the anger radiating off Nina, even if it wasn't directed at him. He didn't catch what they were saying as the dryad went into the hall, until the last bit. "...break in here again, I will personally make sure your time in Toronto is short lived." She slammed the door hard enough to make the frame rattle.

Mor let her stand by the door, wrestling with her anger. He had no idea how to proceed from this.

 

[BurningWillows]

Taryn remained quiet through the drive, even following Drew into the apartment without a noise. It wasn't that she couldn't talk; she just had nothing to say. There was nothing she could do for Drew and Nina, and bringing it up would only cause problems.

When they got to her apartment the door was ajar and Drew peeked in first, Taryn hearing the argument well before they pushed the door open. Peering over Drew's shoulder she could see Nina fighting with a girl slightly younger than Taryn herself. Nina seemed to be holding back, yelling at the girl. Finally when she yelled, "I know you're a dryad!" everyone stilled.

Nina's eyes flashed up and caught Drew's face before looking away quickly. Taryn didn't get a chance to push into the apartment before Nina had whisked the girl into another room, shutting the door. Derek was at the door in moments, leaning his ear and Taryn moved closer too, maneuvering around Drew to try and hear.

Minutes later Derek jumped back and shuffled into the large, but bare, living room. Taryn scurried in as well and even Drew moved out of the way as Nina guided the dryad to her front door, looking annoyed. Taryn jumped as Nina slammed the door and balled her fist, her face hiding behind her pale blonde locks.

Derek had forgiven Nina by the time they were walking up to the apartment. She was stressed, and she was lashing out only because she felt cornered. He hadn't had time to talk to her though, as they entered the apartment and a odd smell hit him. He tried to ignore it, but when the elevator opened on her floor and the smell grew stronger he had to pause and breath in the musky scent.

Nina obviously didn't notice it, wrapped so tightly in her thoughts. When he leaned in to tell her, the odd smell was overrun by Nina's intoxicating scent, making goosebumps rise on his arms and his eyes roll back. He suppressed his feelings though, leaning to her ear and telling her to breathe.

Sure enough, the scent led to her apartment, and more surprisingly the guest had yet to leave. When all the fuss had died down and Nina slammed the door shut, Derek could see the anger and pain washing over Katerina.

I wish I could change. I wish I could run off and just...Nina shook the depressing thoughts from her head, clenching her fists as she balled up her anger. They were all standing there, in her apartment, waiting for her lead. They would want to know who the dryad was, and what was going on.

And I should give them answers,Katerina debated with herself, They should know, Drew should know.

 

[BurningWillows]

Nina let Derek orchestrate where everyone sat. She only had one stool in her apartment, which Derek pulled out for Drew. Taryn found a spot on the carpet, collecting the notes that had been scattered around.

"Where's the file?" she asked, as she piled the notes together.

"In my purse," Nina muttered, retrieving it and handing it over before finding a spot along the wall cutting off the kitchen from the larger room. She leaned against it, letting the cold paint chill her skin. Derek moved in beside her, quietly supporting her.

"Hey," Nina finally said, her golden eyes finally looking up and holding Drew's gaze.

It was all she could get out. The words "I'm sorry" sat heavily on her tongue, but she couldn't muster the guts to say it out right. Drew seemed to acknowledge her meager attempt at an apology, or so she hoped, and a heavy weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Last night I got a visit," Nina started, staring at the floor, "He asked for five minutes, that's all. I gave it to him, and then he left. He said...well he said he was a dryad, a fae or something. He told me you were a Changeling Drew. I didn't believe him at first but he had evidence. He had this picture of you with an older lady, your mom I guessed. In the picture your eyes were green, not gray. You stood in front of this tree, all posed and ready.

He then told me that you would eventually lose the humanity in you that kept you attached to the human world. Without proper training, you could lose your mind. They had come looking for you, to bring you back with them."

Nina paused, her voice faltering before she surged on, her eyes rising to meet everyone's, "I didn't believe him at first. He told me Drew's father's name, and while I recognized it, everything sounded so...surreal.

When he left I looked up dryads. They have green eyes, like the ones you are hiding right now Drew. They can't touch iron, and I remember those gloves you used to where back...then - and now in the Mistik it is made with mostly natural materials. I thought of how you've never mentioned your father, how Jess was looking for you and knew your father's name. It all added up and I got so mad."

"Because you lied. To me," Nina's voice trembled and Derek hand gripped her shoulder, steadying her emotions, "You told me you were human. Your interests in the supernatural isn't based on curiosities and a genuine want to help us is it? It has more to do with you than you care to admit! And I am -was- so angry at you for that."

"What changed it?" Taryn asked, breaking the silence amongst the three of them.

"That girl," Nina gestured at the door, "wants Drew. She is even willing to blame me for Jess' death to get to him. I thought they were just trying to help Drew, that he was the selfish one. I misjudged them entirely. He's nothing more than a prize to them. They don't care if he wants to stay, if they did they would have simply asked him to come already."

"They are being sneaky and trying to break any ties he might have with the human and supernatural world first," Derek summed up, "That's why they came to Nina first. And gave her an ultimatum when they realized she couldn't be swayed any further."

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor sat heavily on the offered stool. He was still trying to process what had just happened. Yet another dryad, evidently. And clearly demanding something from Nina, to make her react so strongly. Does it have something to do with me? Why else would the dryad's be taking such an interest? I already knew that Jess was looking for me. What on earth is their interest in me?

"Hey." Mor was jerked out of his thoughts by Nina's soft voice. He met her eyes. She seemed to be struggling to say something. He gave her a sad smile. He knew how much it took to even acknowledge him directly like that; he understood her well enough to know how much that simple "hey" had meant.

Mor listened quietly as she recounted what had happened. When she got to the end, he felt even worse than he had before. "I should have been more open about this. I'm truly sorry. It's a subject that I have a hard time thinking about, let alone discussing. I know you've got similar things you'd rather not talk about." He removed his glasses briefly, to take his contacts out. Without them, his green eyes were obvious. Replacing his silver frames, he continued. "A slight correction: I never said I was human. I can't, in fact. Part of being half fae, or faerie, to be proper, is that I've inherited their compulsion to speak the truth only. But it's also true that I didn't correct you when you made the assumption."

Mor sighed and looked down briefly, holding his head in hands. After a moment, he met Nina's eyes again."Yes, a part of my interest in the supernatural is selfish. Part of it is so I can find a way to not be ruled by my heritage. But I meant what I said. I really do want to help the supernatural world, to give them- us, a safe place."

Mor looked away, unwilling to face anyone as he began to tear up. "When I was growing up, I felt so... so alone. I had no one. There was my father, who was never there, and my mother, who spent all her time waiting for him. I hurt the only other person I cared about badly when my dryad side started to manifest. I could never be... normal, like everyone else. I never had a chance. For most of my life I've been utterly alone." Mor was choking back sobs by the end of his explanation. "I wanted... I knew that I wasn't unique. That being supernatural had an isolating effect on everyone. Yeah, there were other werewolves, or witches, or whatever, but the vast majority of the world was something you had to hide from. I wanted to try and stop that, do something to keep others from having to go through what I went through." Mor chuckled softly. "I'm not very good at that yet." He wiped away a tear sliding down his cheek.

His strength returning, Mor faced the group again. "If they were seeking to isolate me further, they couldn't do much better than target Nina. No offence to either of you," he said, nodding at Taryn and Derek, "but I've only recently met you. And my relationship with my employees, though cordial, is strictly professional. They wouldn't shed any tears if I just vanished.

"Nina, on the other hand... I've enough history with her to have an idea of how she'd react if I was taken by someone. She'd probably hunt them down and beat them until they said where I was, then go off and find me, if she wasn't furious with me. Probably berate me for letting myself get kidnapped." He laughed a little self consciously.

Mor shook his head and sobered up, addressing the real issue. "The question is, why the sudden interest in me? And is it related to the serial killer in some way?"

 

[BurningWillows]

"It isn't," Nina exclaimed, trying to move the conversation away before anything more personal was admitted. Neither Mor or herself enjoyed stating their feelings to the world, and while Nina felt at ease around Derek, Taryn was too new for Katerina's liking.

The younger girl however looked upset herself, as if feeding off their emotions. She sat cross legged in the middle of the room, her eyes casted down as she clenched and unclenched her fists in her lap.

"They don't know what Jess did," Nina explained, "They know she is dead, but they haven't put together she was murdered by a serial killer. That girl...she seemed to be mostly clueless about her friend's death. And now the other dryad is missing too."

"So it is just coincidence this all started happening at once?" Derek asked, looking unsure.

"Jess has been in Toronto for close to a year now. What set all this off was when he killed Jess," Taryn piped up, confirming Nina's theory, "But how did she know there was a murderer before the police did? And if she did come to Canada for Dr. Mor why hasn't she approached him sooner?"

"Drew hasn't been here for a year," Nina's brow creased, "How...how did they know you would move here Drew?"

 

[Georgie_Leech]

That.... was a very good question. Mor's brow furrowed as he thought about it. "I've only been here about four months, in fact. I used to be way out in the west. I came here because it had a larger community, the better to set up Mistik or someplace like it, but it's not like I was planning to come here for very long." Truth be told, it was rather impulsive actually. I just couldn't stay in Belua any longer. It's a good thing they paid well, at least.

He thought some more. "It seems more likely that she was here independent of me at first, and was either told to keep an eye out for me just in case, or perhaps..." Mor turned to Taryn. "Do you know if she's been in contact with anyone new recently before she died? In the last four moths or so? It's possible she was told to seek me out after I moved here."

 

[BurningWillows]

Taryn shook her head, "I wouldn't know. We were close friends, but I didn't know all her whereabouts. I thought she was human for the longest time too. I mean she never told me otherwise, but I never asked either."

"It doesn't make sense though," Nina frowned, "They told me Jess was sent her specifically to find you Drew. And if they can't lie, then that's why she was in Toronto. They also said she got too fond of the human life though, and cut herself off from the rest of them."

"It mentions that in her letter too," Taryn held up a paper, waving it in the air, "But she came well before Drew did."

"Is it possible they've been keeping tabs on you Drew for longer than you think?" Derek asked, leaning on the wall beside Nina still, "Where'd you get the idea for Toronto anyways? A travel magazine, a commercial? Did someone, anyone, mention it in that place?"

He didn't call it what it was, knowing it irritated and upset Katerina. She never brought it up and he never pestered her. Whatever happened inside seemed to be locked away deep within herself, foul memories she wished to keep buried.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor paused. The idea that they were watching him without his knowledge... He shuddered. "Well, I came to Toronto because... hm." Why had he come to Toronto, out of all the places he could have? Sure he grew up in Canada, but Manitoba and Ontario weren't exactly the same place. If it was about getting away from Belua, he could have gone considerably further, Europe, perhaps. Was it just an arbitrary decision? That wasn't like him; he tended to do everything for a specific purpose. He shook his head. "Well, I've known Toronto has had an active supernatural community for some time, but as to why I came to Toronto specifically, I'm not sure. It seems possible..." He paused, not entirely sure how to continue. "I suppose it's possible that someone in Belua mentioned it, but nothing immediately jumps to mind. If I take the notion that the dryads were keeping tabs on me though..." He eyed Derek. "Are you suggesting that someone meant for me to come here?"

 

[BurningWillows]

Nina's head snapped over to look at Derek, an eyebrow raised.

"It's possible, if they really wanted to keep tabs on him. And maybe they found out you were leaving and pointed you in the direction on Toronto, where they already had one of their own living amongst the community."

"But if he was leaving, wouldn't they have tried to keep him there, where he couldn't go far?" Nina asked, "That place was sealed pretty damn tightly."

"No," Taryn chipped in, "No because they wouldn't be able to get him out. If they want Drew, enough to take him without directly asking him to come, then a sealed off place won't help them. They needed him to leave, to go back into the open. About 4, maybe five months ago I remember something odd happened. Jess got a call during work, and when she got off the phone she seemed really upset. She took a week off work, and when she came back she acted like nothing happened."

"No one questioned it then?" Derek asked.

"She said it was the flu, that the call had been from a doctor," Taryn shrugged, "I went with it. But if we are seriously considering them meddling in Dr. Mor's life for awhile now, chances are that call was from whoever was tailing Mor, probably instructions or some such. And that would play into why she never did talk to him. She wanted to continue enjoying humanity, not serve him on a platter to her kin."

Nina moved over to Drew's side, squeezing his shoulders, "Is this possible? It sounds so far fetched but...but it all adds up."

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor was a bit taken aback by Nina's gesture. He supposed that she had forgiven him for what he'd done, but to go from stone-walling him earlier to physical comfort now was a bit... jarring. Still, he appreciated the support. "It does seem far fetched, but it makes a frightening amount of sense, actually. The Fae live longer than most other living things; some are nigh-immortal, unless something kills them. So a long-term plan is almost to be expected. They also tend to be skilled manipulators. Dryad's in particular can subtly or directly influence emotions in those around them. They could have pointed me here fairly easily."

His brow furrowed deeper. "But why go to all this trouble to get me?"

 

[BurningWillows]

"Jess mentioned your father in the letter, remember?" Taryn was still holding the paper up, "We could assume it has something to do with him."

"Or it was a subtle warning," Nina approached it differently, "Even I knew Drew's parents were a sensitive subject. Jess could have been trying to scare Drew away."

"Either way, this doesn't bode well for Dr. Mor," Taryn concluded, "If Jess was trying to spook him out of Toronto it means she didn't like what they had planned. And I know she is a dryad, but she truely was my friend. She was kind, and social, and it is what probably made her the most human out of any dryad you'll ever meet Dr. Mor. Whether it was to warn you or scare you, she was trying to help us either way."

"So now we have a killer and a cult of lunatics to worry about," Derek breathed.

"They can't get any closer to Drew," Nina growled, not threatening but assuring them of her strength, "They want to play games with me, they can. I can keep them from thinking Drew knows anything for awhile. That will give you all time to look for this murderer."

 

[Georgie_Leech]

"Well, if it was a warning, it went completely over my head. I never knew his name. For that matter, it's still technically just a guess. Oraien could still mean something else entirely." A note of worry crept into Mor's voice. "What exactly are you planning on doing with them?"

 

[BurningWillows]

Nina smiled, showing off her white teeth until Taryn paled and then she broke into a laugh.

"I'm not going to kill them," Nina teased, letting Drew's shoulder go and adding, "Or hurt them if you don't want me too."

"Just a friendly game of chase then?" Derek asked as she returned to her spot against the wall.

"Exactly," she smiled wider, "And I'll try and gather what's going on. I'm sure I'll have a new visitor in my apartment soon enough."

"Speaking of which, there is a missing person we forgot about," Derek changed subjects abruptly, "Which doesn't bode well for him."

"Should we look for him?" Taryn asked, her question aimed at Drew.