1.1 Giddy Fortune's Furious Fickle Wheel [Sprout+}

Sprout Simon grins at Eddie's lame attempt at a joke, despite the obvious racism. He considers invoking Glamour to become a criminal looking person, but it's draining and he may need all his resources if they're going to work a job. Still, the Detective might be more comfortable if he looked like a human murderer than a Changeling. It happens all the time, he normally uses that to leverage mystery, but for some reason he's not doing that here. Kebi, it must be here influence. He was softening, or didn't want to disgrace their mutual heritage with showy tricks.

"Sure, either way. Tonight is good. The sooner the better so you coppers can take your threats and leave poor Sprout Simon to his honest livelihood."

"Have you any objections to tonight, Detective? What about your partner?

Would it endanger your contacts?"

Kebi takes her leave with a polite smile to the others and heads towards the bar, and joining McGregor just as he receives the tray from Zsofia.

"Ah. I see the food is prepared. Perhaps a full stomach shall soothe the beast?" With a warm smile she nods to the detective and catches Zsofia's eye.

Apparently eager for a distraction, and to be drawn away from McGregor's attention, she slips past him and back behind the bar counter with a relieved smile. "What can I do for you, my lady?"

Kebi's eyes dart to the now still swinging door to the back where the low voices of Carl and Patrice can still be heard mildly squabbling. Kebi furrows her brow and, at about the same moment, the squabbling ends, replaced only by amiable silence.

Zsofia glances over her shoulder towards the door and takes in a short breath and releases it, her shoulders relaxing.

Kebi returns her attention to the young lady and smiles. "Might I have two cups of espresso, please."

Zsofia's return smile is as genuine and she chirps a happy, "Of course!" And she sets about her task, humming to herself.

He might be raging inside but it actually helps to make him more observant than normal, having glanced at Kebi due to her question and waiting for her to finish her exchange with the waitress the coincidental brow furrowing and kitchen silence was for a vampire hunter not unknown. When the waitress goes about her task he softly growls, just because cannot get to currently stop, "I do not suppose you could do that little kitchen trick on an inner beast." He was not expecting a yes, as a few vampires had tried their similar trick on his beast only to get the opposite reaction. Still she was obviously not a vampire and he was willing to give it a try as he expected she knew the limitations and such of her own abilities.

Kebi turns soft eyes towards McGregor. She cocks her head at his query.

"Is your beast yearning to express itself, Detective?" As she speaks, she steps closer to him and rests her right hand on his upper left arm.

In a soft, kind voice, she says to him, "Truly, I can settle the rage you feel. Though, it is as much a part of you as your arm, or, your heart." He hands slides over his arm and she splays her fingers open against his breast above his heart. "Still your troubled heart and the beast will follow. If tonight, or some other time, I can help guide you upon this journey if you might still wish it, Patrick."

This is the first time that McGregor has heard Kebi use his first name in the relatively short time they have known each other.

Patrick listens, is his beast yearning to express itself, hell when was it not yearning to get out and play would be a better question. He senses her movement and simply holds very still, if she was going to use that magic trick on him he wanted to be ready to run if the beast took it the wrong way, like it usually did.

Yeah Patrick understood enough about the beast to know that his anger would fuel its rage but he had a long way to go to temper his own anger which meant the beast was always just one pissed off moment away. Her hand on his chest felt good, and he glanced down at it. He also liked the way his named sounded when she said it and any help in fixing his anger issues would be a step in a good direction according to Eddie and he respected Eddie's advice even though he did not always agree or understand it.

He then turn his head to look at Kebi, "Well Miss anytime you got time, I will make it just tell me when and where." As he looked at her, it occurred to him that he had not been this close to a woman since the change, well except for a few female vampires but that was a much different matter. It was not that he was no longer interested but... no time too busy hunting and/or just perhaps too dangerous for many reasons. Vampires liked to attack you through your vulnerable spots and then there was himself a powder keg ready to explode at the smallest of fires. Yep females were just not something he could deal with right now. He snorted a short laugh through his nose, "I just hope you understand what a shit hole you will be stepping into." Still even this short interaction had taken his mind off his reason for being angry which in turn, as she said, helped to calm the beast. No fuel no fire. Of course, there was a danger of removing the fuel altogether which is probably why Gaia had chosen him as he had plenty of fuel to spare he just needed to figure out how to use it properly.

Shocked, watching Kebi seem to soothe his friend, the small brad of sweat that had gathered at his temple almost vanishing as Eddie released a tense breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding in while watching, he turns a surprised eye to Sprout "There ain’t many as who can do that, talk him down while the pressure builds" he mutters to him quietly, hoping the laid back man would take his meaning.
He sets his cell phone on the table, checking it for any missed calls or messages

Sprout Simon hears Yanric's question to Eddie go unanswered as the man watches the interaction with Kebi. He meets Yanric's gaze, only briefly, and says to Eddie, "Are you with us tonight Detective? If we try and buy some of this drug, it would be worth much to have the support of one of London's Finest to back our story that it's for an investigation rather than recreation. You know, in case other police get involved."

To Mcgregor, Kebi nods, gently patting his chest where her hand lay splayed against it.

"I have been around a very long time, Patrick, and I am familiar with the animal within. More importantly, I understand the man that struggles to tame the beast."

With a final pat, and the brush of fingers along his chest - not in a sensual way, but, in a manner apparently meant to be reassuring - she smiles up at the broad figure of McGregor. "You know where I live, and you have my number. Feel free to ring me one evening and I can help."

The hiss of the espresso machine behind the bar winds down, and with the clatter of two cups onto saucers, Zsofia adds them to the tray McGregor still holds in his hands. She looks up at McGregor and no longer has the lingering look of trepidation about her. She gives the detective a weak smile and then nods to Kebi. "There you are, miss."

"Thank you," she says to Zsofia and then steps top McGregor's side. "So, shall we sate the hunger of you and one of our companions?"

"Course I’m with you. I ain’t gonna let any of us hang in the wind. And if there’s any collar pinching to be done, it’ll be me and Patrick doing it. But I don’t see things going that far tonight. I’m thinking two of us make the deal, get the Haze and disappear, then the others can tail the dealer, see where they go, who they meet, that sorta thing. While that’s happening, the gear gets taken somewhere for analysis. In fact...." He clicks his fingers together, an idea just seeming to have entered his mind "....we could get two lots, one fer the division and one fer us."

Patrick was just going to stand at the counter and partake in his food but perhaps she was right and probably why she'd come over here in the first place. "Alright." He then glances to the waitress, "Sorry if I was a bit off putting." He then picks up the tray and follows Kebi back to the table.

"Sounds like a plan to me, Detective. Once you and your partner finish your meals, we should depart."

Yanric passes his eyes across the two officers.

"Perhaps my friend here... he motions to Sprout "... and I should be the ones to make the purchase. I fear that those in the business might make you and your partner for enforcement.

What do you say?"

Sprout pales a little, but nods. "That makes the most sense. If it is clear what I am, then their willingness to sell to me also indicates how malevolent they are." He gestures. "Whether they see themselves as tabacconists or poisoners'"

"I hadn’t even considered that. Very good, indeed. Yes.

I dare say you should put a good word in for Sprout Simon for a position at P Division, Detective."

Kebi and McGregor return to the table with their assorted food and espresso, and Kebi retakes her seat.

"I’ve got Sprouts name linked to mine. I haven’t put him down as a informant or anything like that, but as a name of interest to be directed to me. Safer for him that way. And yeah I reckon me an’ Patrick will stick out like a sore thumb at a drug deal." As he finishes talking, he checks his phone again. Seeing no messages, he looks up to Sprout "An’ that is actually a good angle to be thinking from. We need ter see if this drug is intended to harm the community, in a specific directed sense, rather than the generic harm drugs do"

Noticing that the Detective seems distracted by his phone.

"Expecting someone else, Detective? If you need to reach someone, I’m sure we can entertain ourselves here for a few minutes. It’s not a problem."

"Huh" Eddie looks up from his phone to Yanric "No no. Well yes, but just a message from a snitch really, a lead in a haze dealer. Once we have that we can go"

After setting the tray down more towards the center of the table and then removing his food from Patrick begins quietly eating and listens to the conversation. If he felt there was anything he needed to add he would but for the most part Eddie had them covered quite substantially, as he usually did. To avoid any unnecessary issues, however, Patrick's visual attention was directed almost exclusively on Kebi.

Eddie knew not to bring up any issues or folks that might tap the wrong nerves, as there were some of his contacts Patrick just did not accompany him to meet and a few that he did not know about due to his predisposition or agenda of eliminating them from existence. Yes for the most part vampires were inhuman parasites however there were some, mostly the much younger ones, that still held on to enough humanity to be viable contacts and with the vampire community as a whole wishing to maintain secrecy of the hidden world it helped some to maintain some communication with them.

Kebi quietly sits with her espresso hovering just beneath her nose, inhaling the aroma before she takes her first sip.

"Please do be careful," she says, her tone laced with concern. "This abhorrent substance and its users could be volatile. I am afraid I can offer no leads in this particular matter as my understanding of the street is limited to Oxford Street." She lowers her cup and smiles with a sheepish shrug. "But, you each have my contact number if you need anything."

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