That was fast...

It wasn’t, Thaddeus thought, that he was upset with Alfarinn. He truly wasn’t. He was simply very confused, apparently, about just how their relationship –worked-. Did Alfarinn make a habit of jumping into dangerous situations? How had that been bearable for either of them? Maybe he was in over his head.

Maybe he just couldn’t handle this.

He frowned at that thought. Alfarinn needed someone to take care of him – ridiculous as it sounded, he knew instinctively that it was true the moment it occurred to him. It didn’t matter that he was an ancient, an elder even; Alfarinn needed him, and Thaddeus couldn’t help but feel a measure of tenderness at that.

In the course of his intense thoughts and conversing…no, communing seemed a better word…with Alfarinn, he had gone into autopilot with regard to everyone else. It wasn’t until Palmer gave a rather peevish response to one of his terse requests that he realized his friend must think him rude. Instead of making proper amends, though (a task for which he simply didn’t have the mental energy right now) he simply spoke in a more subdued fashion.

“He should be coming out of that building.”

Still thoughtful, he said nothing more as Palmer pulled up to the curb, and he got out silently to open the door for the boyfriend he didn’t quite understand but worried over all the same.

Alfarinn pressed his hand firmly to his side and went back to collect his bags. He had, after all, come here for a reason. They were going to try to get information on Simon in the sane way before rushing into the sewers and therefore he could collect his purchases. He did skulk the shadows as much as possible after leaving the construction area and luckily his bags were not far away.

Pointing to an employee side entrance, he headed in that direction.

"Let's go through here."Â?

Thaddeus had been driving to the mall even as he and Nova's attacker were fighting and Alfarinn couldn't help but be both pleased and a little embarrassed at the same time. He hoped his companion didn't think he couldn't take care of himself. Big bad elder was beaten up by some fledgling with a culinary implement. Yet it was nice to know that Thaddeus was concerned enough to want to know what was going on and willing to drop everything to come help him. Of course Thaddeus was a good person and he knew that his companion would be willing to do that for any friend. Feeling slightly less elated by the concern left him exhausted by the experience.

They had conversed briefly and he told the two Anantya which exit they would be appearing from. Once outside, he scanned the parking lot for familiar faces but in the sea of chaos and cars that was impossible. Sliding down onto a metal park bench, Alfarinn closed his eyes and waited. Thaddeus would find him.

"Any luck with Simon?"Â?

Nova gave her phone a frustrated shake as she followed Arin, letting him lead the way out while she struggled to call Simon. She wasn’t looking where she was going very carefully, but walking behind a six foot four pillar of hot blonde had a way of clearing obstacles and she was fortunate enough not to trip over anything. Making another attempt at calling Simon at the sight of the signal bars flickering, she stopped walking and listened with bated breath as the phone rang.

It rang once before cutting out. –Damn it-. She scrambled to catch up to Arin; fortunately he had stopped at a bench well within sight.

“No, no luck…stupid signal…,” She said with more hostility than the situation would normally warrant, but for the fact that they had all just been through an ordeal and Simon was still missing. “You’d think here of all places…hey, are you okay?”

She wondered if Arin were more seriously hurt than she realized – it was worrisome to see him sitting down, his eyes closed as though he were in pain. She peered, studying him intently. She had no idea how old he might be, but even a young vampire should be healed by now. It was impossible to tell, his shirt being as bloody as it was, if the skin underneath were whole, and she didn’t quite have the nerve to feel up Arin Bjorn in a mall parking lot, though anyone else and she wouldn’t have hesitated to lift up the shirt and have a peek.

She looked down at her own hand, discreetly, and frowned at the blood caked on her hand. God, what a mess.

Thaddeus scanned the crowd for Alfarinn and his female companion, a Tacharan named Nova that he had apparently met once before. It was crowded at the mall – the blaring music served as a reminder for the reason. Christmas.

He thought he caught a glimpse of pale blonde hair through the crowd, but just as quickly it disappeared. Frustrated, he tapped on the car window and pointed out into the crowd, indicating to Palmer that he was going to go and look for the pair. Palmer made as if to get out but he shook his head and turned to walk up the concrete pathway.

Humans, he reflected with a trace of annoyance, could be so oblivious. How they could continue milling about, busily finishing their shopping, not even noticing two injured parties in their midst? He supposed it was fortunate that they hadn’t drawn attention to themselves but even so…

He gave a mental shake of his head at his own musings – it was rather ironic, he thought, that he could be annoyed at people’s tendency toward self involvement while at the same time worrying over Alfarinn’s penchant for good Samaritan acts.

When he spotted Alfarinn and a woman who fit Nova’s description, his pace through the crowd increased – as a matter of fact he might have nudged a few people out of his way to get to the bench faster, even though that necessitated more contact than he would have liked with people he didn’t know.

It was just about impossible to hide his dismay when he got close enough to the two of them to speak; they made quite a pair, Nova with her black trench that covered everything but her blood speckled shoes and hands, and Alfarinn with his wounded side. He composed himself quickly enough, though, and held out a hand toward Alfarinn.

“The car is just over there – we should get you two out of sight.”

Alfarinn listened as Nova tried to call Simon again. There was no signal now that they were outside? He sighed they were trying to contact someone who, if still alive, was likely running through the sewers. It probably did not matter whether Nova had a connection, Simon was not likely to where he had gone.

"Call Carol if you can."Â?

He remembered the name of the blonde woman that came to his home a while ago. Alfarinn also knew that they were bonded. He was not sure how much Nova knew about Simon's situation but he did know that Carol would be able to tell whether he was still alive and in danger.

The healing lung tissue was a disturbing and slightly uncomfortable feeling, worse than the itch and sting of knitting muscle and flesh. Alfarinn inhaled deeply in experimentation and when that seemed to work, he did so again. The searing pain had all but faded to a remembered thing.

Hearing and feeling Thaddeus approach, Alfarinn smiled and opened his eyes. He answered Nova's question while watching his companion.

"I'm fine now."Â?

Turning to look at the woman next to him, he gave her a bigger grin.

"Shall we take a ride while we figure this out?"Â?

Accepting the hand that was held out for him, Alfarinn stood and smiled down at Thaddeus. He spoke softly.

"Thank you for coming."Â?

It was not just gratitude for the ride but also a thankfulness for his lover's willingness to come down here, for his worry and his attention. He probably did not deserve any of them after getting himself into this mess but he was grateful for them none the less and hoped Thaddeus did not think he had gotten himself injured for the sake of sympathy. Pushing those thoughts aside, He reached for the bags of Christmas presents.

"No peeking."Â?

Nova sighed and took a few steps back, looking to get some bars on her phone to try and call Carol as Arin suggested. Weird how these things worked – one second her bars were totally flat and the next the first two jumped all the way up. It would be nice to get all four but she wasn’t about to push her luck.

That guy Alfarinn had been with at the ball came up as she was scrolling through her numbers. She looked up and gave a little wave with her gory hand, forgetting already that it looked rather disgusting even without the hole in it.

“Oh hey…Tad, right? Can you look at him? He’s claiming to be fine but I have my doubts.” Shaking her head, she looked down at her phone again without waiting for an answer. What the…where’d her signal go! Beyond annoyed now, she gave a terse nod when the guys suggested they get to the car (presumably Tad’s) and sort this mess out. It was just as they arrived at the curb, where a grey towncar was idling, that all four bars leaped up at once. Woot! She was about to hit dial when her ring tone (Chili Peppers, as it happened) went off and the little yellow device started vibrating like mad. A glance at the ID showed her that it was Simon.

“It’s him!”

Holding up her blood encrusted hand to indicate that she was going to stop and pick up, she hit the speak button while people unceremoniously pushed past her like a river flowing around a sandbar.

“Simon! Are you alright? Jesus, where are you?”

Feeling it was safe to start walking again now that they had at last made contact, she followed behind the others as they got into the car, taking the front seat when Tad waved her in. It wasn’t until she sat down that she realized there was another man in the car. That gave her pause (mostly because he was pretty damn hot) and she lifted her hand, once again, in greeting, still oblivious to what a mess it was.

Thaddeus couldn’t help but return Alfarinn’s smile, though he had no idea of why he should be grinning at a time like this. Perhaps it was simply good to hear that his companion was good straight from the source, or maybe he was just that irresistible. His expression sobered, though, when Nova weighed in with her thoughts, raising a rather bloody hand in the air in greeting as she did so.

“It’s Thaddeus actually…”

He trailed off, realizing that one, it was hardly the time to be pedantic about what was, in the scheme of things, a small matter, and two, she wasn’t listening anyway. Instead, he turned back to Alfarinn, frowning a little now. Was this bravado on his behalf or was Alfarinn sincerely well? He could still sense some lingering pain through the bond, but it was considerably less than before and with it he could also sense a sort of calm preparedness for the next series of events. All in all he wasn’t exactly assured but he thought even if he wasn’t alright just yet he would be soon.

In fairness to Thaddeus, he sincerely felt that keeping a hold of Alfarinn was essential to getting him into the car, but he still felt a lingering guilt, questioning his motives even as he carefully pulled his companion to his feet, keeping his fingers gently but firmly wrapped around Alfarinn’s.

He had the grace to look sheepish at his companion’s thanks.

“I couldn’t sit still,” he admitted. “I was driving Palmer insane.”

Fortunately he was spared the need to embarrass himself further by the necessity of leading the way to the car. Still, he could feel his skin heating up as he leaned forward, just slightly, to gently take the bags from Alfarinn’s hands.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

He led the way back to Palmer, nearly managing to get them all the way into the car before Nova stopped suddenly. Apparently Simon had managed to get in touch with her at last, which was good news, but did the woman –have- to keep flashing around her hand? Agitated, he quickly ushered her into the car, giving her the front seat so he could sit with Alfarinn in the back.

Palmer drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and waited impatiently for Thaddeus’s return, thinking it probably wasn’t the best idea to be letting him wander off on his own right now. It wasn’t as though Sorin or his people could possibly be behind every trashcan and telephone pole just waiting to spring but Thaddeus was vulnerable and they should all be trying to stay out of trouble, not getting into more of it.

But, who was he to say! He was just the driver, he mused sarcastically.

Soon enough Thaddeus returned, completely unharmed, with Alfarinn and a woman he didn’t know in tow. This must be Nova, the lady fair Alfarinn had run after to rescue. She was busy on her cell phone but spared him a messy wave before turning her attention back to her call, which he assumed must be important. He smiled in satisfaction; he’d seen that little flicker of her eyes. He naturally returned the favor before twisting around to regard Thaddeus and Alfarinn.

“Good to see you back in…oh, that’s a lot of blood, you okay?”

So much for the security deposit on the rental, he thought, but without any bitterness. It was just funny how life happened.

“Where to, kids?”

'I'm alright, I'm in the car.' Simon started the car, letting the engine roar to life as if to prove it. 'Where are you? Are you alright? Where's Alfarinn?'

Simon began to circle the parking lot, trying to keep an eye out for any signs of Ellis' boy Tai or Nova. His body ached for blood and just sitting in the car made his head throb. His clothes were ruined and damp, he was covered in sewer grime and it was freezing outside. At least the warmth of his car kept the chill off but the aching would not go away.

Simon looked behind him at his cache of presents - at least he got his Christmas shopping just about done.

Alfarinn smiled at Thaddeus' admission that he couldn't sit still and wait. He followed his companion meekly enough, quit content to be led to the waiting car by the hand.

[Its alright,Beloved. I wouldn't be able to sit still either.]

He recalled nearly going out of his mind with worry when Thaddeus was out looking for a missing Anantya. His lover had been in no immediate danger but there was the possibility, in his mind, that Lykaios or the accomplice would choose that time to directly attack Thaddeus.

Crawling into the back seat of the car, he gave Palmer a smile in greeting before settling down. It seemed that Simon was alright if he was calling Nova and so they simply had to sit back and wait for her answer on what had transpired. He looked back at their driver for the evening and relayed his gratitude.

"Thank you for coming, Palmer. Its worse than it looks and luckily its mostly dry now."Â?

He did his best to keep his blood encrusted shirt off the seat and thought it was handy of his attacker not to have stabbed him in the back.

[There was more trouble tonight than just the attack on Nova and Simon. I will explain later though. Both Anantya and Evenhet need to be made aware.]

Pulling out his phone, he sent Christian a text page, requesting the sender to contact him in the usual method. Christian was ever alert, or so it seemed, and within moments of putting down his phone Christian had telepathically contacted him. He quickly relayed his message and request to the Chief of Security and then once more focused on the group. Realizing that a question had been asked, Alfarinn looked over at Nova for the answer.

"I don't know yet. What's up with Simon?"Â?

Nova flattened one hand against her ear, the better to hear Simon while the others in the car conversed. Her creator was firing off questions and Nova, still shaken, was stumbling through the conversation.

“We’re right up front in a, uh…towncar, a grey towncar. Arin’s friends came to get us…and who’s Alfarinn?”

As soon as that last question was out of her mouth, she realized what an idiot she was. Arin, Alf – arinn…it wasn’t that much of a leap for Christ’s sake. Embarrassed, she looked over her shoulder to see if Arin had heard, making a pained, apologetic face. Things were moving pretty fast and she guessed she'd just been a little slow on the uptake there, but she still felt like an ass.

“Er…nevermind. Yeah, we’re all in the car, we’re fine…well Arin says he’s fine anyway. The, uh…other guy ain’t exactly fine I don’t think but he isn’t dead either. So…yeah might want to watch out for him. What about you – kinda looked like you were in a tight spot there, you get away free and clear?”

Arin asked to be filled in and she gave him a thumbs up, turning the phone into her neck to loudly whisper an update.

“He’s fine, he got back to his car...”

Simon sighed, 'I wouldn't say free and clear but...where are you right now? I'm circling the parking lot on the south side where we came in. I'll come to you all.'

He wanted to see Nova for himself, to make sure she wasn't putting off any injury that might need attention. She was so young comparatively and with the Asian having Ellis' ancient blood coursing through him, it would have been an uneven fight with him and Nova, however Simon had full confidence that Alfarinn would be no match for him. That was the least of their worries now though.

Continue his slow circle around the perimeter, Simon tried to come up with what he would tell Alfarinn about the werewolves. Just saying it out loud was ridiculous, but it would be on the news soon enough and their nation would start to put two and two together.

Alfarinn smiled at Thaddeus and gently squeezed the hand that held onto his.

[I will try. It seems the world at large is conspiring against us.]

That sentiment was not in any way reassuring to either of them and he should really try harder to be more positive for Thaddeus' sake. Taking a deep calming breath, Alfarinn reflected that they were both alive, and though the future seemed uncertain, it seemed they would still have each other. That was one of the few things that really mattered to him in this world.

[Take me home and I'll be happy.]

He smiled as he caught his nickname and heard the question. Seeing Nova quickly catch on, he neglected to clarify. Instead Alfarinn asked about the Tacharan who seemed to be somewhere nearby.

"Is he headed home? Did you want us to find him?"Â?

Preferably -before- having to drive to some Tacharan stronghold. He really was not feeling his most charming and diplomatic at the moment. The healing process had taken a lot out of him and though he wasn't a young vampire who would be ravenously hungry from such blood loss, Alfarinn was feeling a bit drained and on edge. It did not help that he had not stopped to feed recently, being unwilling to leave Thaddeus alone for very long. It seemed to be something he was going to have to do soon whether he wanted to or not.

Nova twisted around to update Arin, trying to keep everyone on the same page while still maintaining her conversation on the phone. What did Simon mean, he wasn’t free and clear?

“I think he’s coming to us…oh, hey!”

Thinking she saw Simon’s car, she leaned over and, with no regard for niceties (as was her way), placed her hand on the complete stranger’s thigh, using it as leverage to push herself up and over to blast the horn.

A group of teenagers stopped in their tracks and looked their way, one of them sneering at her. Granted, she looked ridiculous on her knees with her ass pointed up in the air, one hand on some guy and the other on the steering wheel, but that was no reason to stare. She gave them the finger to help them along, and to her surprise they scrambled pretty quickly.

Oh – her hand was a bloody mess. She’d forgotten. And damned if she wasn’t freakin –starving-. Issues all around.

Crawling back to her seat, she continued speaking into the phone as though nothing had happened.

“You hear that? We’re right up on the curb at that south entrance.”

Palmer leaned back to give Nova room when she climbed over his way, smirking a little at the sudden invasion. Well, wasn’t –she- friendly? Catching Thaddeus’s eye in the rearview mirror, he raised both eyebrows as though to share this observation with his friend.

He had gathered that he wasn’t supposed to head out just yet, though he was certain Thaddeus would prefer if they got out of there. Nova and Alfarinn were each busy with their own respective phones, calling whoever one called in times of crisis and leaving him and Thaddeus to their own respective musings. Or at least, that was probably what his friend was doing – pondering the implications of events and having deep thoughts. Palmer was just thinking about more basic matters, like food. Maybe their first stop along the way could be a place they could get someone to eat.

/edit - gfd fonts

Simon heard the tell tale honk from Nova and found their car. Pulling along side of them, he shut the ignition off and stepped out of the car. He circled around and saw Nova through the windshield, haphazardly leaning on a dark skinned fellow, but at least looking reasonable well. He momentarily wondered about the condition of his own attire, a nice suit completely ruined and soaked.

Pulling open her door he leaned in to look at the occupants. 'Are you alright? Anyone hurt?'

Thaddeus was just coming to the conclusion that Nova might be a little bit obnoxious when Simon (presumably, or they were in trouble) opened the front door and inquired after everyone's health. It appeared that no one else was bothered by the woman's abrasive behavior, though - in fact, Palmer appeared downright amused at her forwardness.

On the other hand, perhaps he was just in an irritable mood through no fault of Nova's, or anyone else for that matter. Someone had gone in and pushed his little universe all out of orbit and it wouldn't be set to rights until he'd done as Alfarinn asked and seen him home, safe and sound.

He didn't know whether to laugh or just throw up his hands when he realized he wasn't entirely certain of which 'home' Alfarinn meant. He had at first assumed that his companion meant their apartment and had replied with a quiet [that's what we'll do, then]. It had taken him a moment to realize there was another option, one that probably made more sense; Alfarinn probably meant that he wanted to go to the towers. He'd said Evenhet and Anantya needed to be informed of something, after all.

Feeling tremendously stupid and not knowing quite how to fix this little conundrum, he slid over in his seat in a silent invitation for Simon to get in, should he wish to talk more. He imagined it would be more proper for Nova and Alfarinn to answer the Tacharan's question as they saw fit; if he answered words like 'could have been killed' and 'terribly wounded' would come into play.

/ooc God, he's so -dramatic- *laughs*

Alfarinn sighed in relief at Thaddeus' sending, quit content to know there would soon be a pleasant end to the eventful evening. He smiled and sent in return.

[Thank you, I hope everyone will forgive us for being poor company.]

It seemed, as he looked up towards the front seat and took in the goings on, that the other occupants of the vehicle might not even notice what sort of company they were being. Alfarinn raised an eyebrow and looked over at his companion.

[Well, at least this trip wasn't a total waste for Palmer.]

He winced as the horn sounded and hoped the cops would not rush over to the car to investigate. With as many kids that wandered around this mall, he suspected they would assume that it part of normal teenaged communication and nothing to be concerned about. Still they should move on soon just in case.

Grinning at the welcomed sight of a dirty but alive Simon, Alfarinn answered the question.

"We're all still in one piece...as I see you are as well. I'm not sure how you made it out of that mess but I'm glad you did."

Simon immediately noticed Nova's smile and the blood that had run down her arm from her mangled hand. 'Nova, Jesus.'

Reaching out he took her hand and looked at the wound. It was closing up, albeit slowly but it still concerned him. As much as she'd like to say she was a fighter, up against an ancient blood fed vampire was still going to be hell. Leaning across Nova he looked back at Alfarinn and saw the blood on his shirt and Simon gave him a grave look.

'The little bugger caught you, I see.' Holding a finger up, Simon popped back to his car and took a package out of one of the bags in the back seat. Returning to their car, he threw the crinkly packaged item to the backseat in Alfarinn's lap. Inside Alfarinn was going to find a rather beautifully tailored shirt the exact same shade of his eyes.

'At least the night wasn't a total loss, Merry Christmas.' He gave his friend a rue smile and then continued on with a recap of the evenings events. 'Did you see the wolves behind us? We need to definitely talk about them. Ellis, however, did get away and I'll tell you that story at a later date.'

Nova made a happy little noise at Simon's prompt arrival, pleased that her siren call had proved effective. Settling back in her seat, she flashed the stranger a 'hey, sorry for getting fresh' sort of grin before turning her broad smile on her creator, who appeared to have noticed her hand.

"Aw, this? Geez, that's nothing, really,"Â? she babbled, forgetting her own horror at the injury. "I just got a little bit shot...damn it's good to see you, are you alright?"Â?

Simon, good guy that he was, had also noticed Alfarinn's injury and was making the appropriate sounds of concern. Nova chimed in her agreement. "Yeah, he was a mean little fucker too - Arin tossed him out the window."Â? She turned a warm smile on Arin. "I'd a been screwed if you weren't there..."Â?

One of these days Simon was going to have to explain just how he knew Arin Bjorn. Giving the blonde hearthrob a 'fuck if I know' look when Simon pulled his disappearing act, she turned back to see what her creator was doing. He soon returned, package in hand, and Nova made a mental note of the fact that those two were on present exchanging terms.

She frowned a little when Simon went on to say they would need to discuss this incident more later, even bringing up Ellis. Just how important -was- Arin Bjorn, anyway? Granted he'd just saved her ass but she didn't think Simon was including him in this mess out of courtesy. It would seem, she thought, that the young hottie (or not so young, as the case may be) had many layers.

Alfarinn snorted quietly, conscious of the recent injury and expecting it to twinge, and said.

"I believe it would have been more accurate to say I caught him. He did bite back a bit but you expect that sort of thing when grabbing a scorpion by the tail."

Holding his tongue through the candid retelling of events, Alfarinn glanced out the window to watch the milling crowd and swirling blue lights. He turned back around and gave Nova a smile, waving his hand in dismissal. It would have happened just the same if she had been a human that he had not known but Alfarinn felt now was not the best of times to make such a statement. The whole event made Nova something of a mystery and he was genuinely glad that she was okay.

"I am glad that you are alright. It would be terrible to have such an enjoyable company injured."

Looking up at Simon with surprise, he grinned.

"Thank you. I'm afraid you'll have to wait on yours...the mall didn't carry what I was looking for."

They rarely carried well aged whiskey in malls, not even ones as large as this. Alfarinn was certain that he would have some opportunity to give his Christmas gift to the Tacharan at a later date.

"Yes, I saw the wolves. They are here now so it is already too late. It will get discussed soon I'm sure."

Palmer gave the newcomer a friendly little wave, feeling like a little bit of an ass for not making a bigger deal out of the woman's hand now that someone was paying attention. She had conveyed such an 'it looks worse than it is' attitude about the whole thing that he hadn't concerned himself with her injuries as much as he might have.

There was much checking over and affirming that everyone was alright in general - Palmer thought that was mostly courtesy among their kind, considering their healing abilities, but it was nice nonetheless. See, Tacharans could be civilized after all. He'd have to write Blaine and let him know.

It occurred to him then that his creator actually would be pretty interested in what was going on. Too interested - maybe he needed to play dumb for a while, or at least talk to Thaddeus about controlling what got leaked.

And then the much sought after Simon went and mentioned wolves. What the hell was -this- new development? He was suddenly paying a lot more attention but it didn't look like they were going to say anything else just yet. He wondered if the secrecy chaffed on Thaddeus as much as it did him, but a look in the rear view mirror confirmed that his friend was as inscrutable as ever.

At the next break in conversation, he interjected with his usual sense of Southern hospitality.

"Are you alright to drive home or can I give you a ride somewhere?"Â?

It seemed like the thing to do and he hoped Simon wasn't offended by the suggestion that he might not be in the best shape to drive.

Simon gave Alfarinn a half smile and chuckled. 'Well, it's the thought, isn't it? If the whiskey can wait, I can wait.' He nodded in agreement with Alfarinn's statement about the wolves; the Council would need to be informed immediately although he wasn't sure how much information regarding Marthinus he was willing to disclose. He'd burn that bridge when he reached it.

Turning toward the dark skinned man, Simon shook his head, 'No I'm alright, in fact let me take Nova back with me and my people will get her fixed up. I am truly sorry for the ruckus,' Simon shrugged sheepishly, 'I still can't believe...any of what transpired tonight.'

He gently helped Nova out of their car and tucked her into the passenger side of his. Going back he once again leaned in and offered his hand to Palmer and shook hands. 'Pleasure meeting you under the circumstances...Thaddeus, Alfarinn, I'll see you soon.'

With that Simon closed the door and gave a final wave as he slipped back into his car and pulled away.


((OOC - permission to shake Palmer's hand, permission to move Nova - Simon and Nova out))

Nova got out with Simon's assistance, which she needed only because she didn't want to get blood on the cute guy's car (a lost cause, as it happened - she'd managed to leave a smear when she slammed the door shut in the first place). Before she could leave completely, though, she felt compelled to turn back, bracing her uninjured (but still somewhat dirty) hand on the frame of the car and leaning in to thank Arin one more time.

"Thanks, really...that guy...yeah. Thanks."Â? Realizing she was babbling like a stupid fangirl, she gave the other guys a quick nod, whispered one last 'thanks', and turned to join Simon and get the fuck away from the mall.

Palmer shook the offered hand with his usual flashing grin and gave the woman a little salute in parting, supplying his name as they both took their leave.

"Palmer Calhoun, always good to meet a fellow."Â?

A fellow what, he didn't say, but hopefully what he meant was obvious. He sighed, then turned on the ignition, glad the chaos was over and realizing at the same time that he might be a shade optimistic with that thought.

"And there they go."Â? He twisted around to look at Alfarinn. "Nice friends - when Thaddeus mentioned Tacharans..."Â? He declined to finish that sentiment and instead interrupted himself with his next thought. "...anyway, are we going back to the apartment or did you need to go somewhere else first? We probably want to get out of here."Â?

Alfarinn smirked at Thaddeus' sent comment returning it with inner laughter as he watched the goings on. It would seem that Nova was definitely Tacharan if she were going with Simon to have his 'people' fix her up. People, we've got people...that need to know what went on here.

He nodded and smiled to Nova as she offerred him another parting thanks and waved to both of them before they turned to climb into Simon's car. Leaning back in the seat, Alfarinn closed his eyes for a moment considering what needed to be done and in what order. Palmer's question made him re-open his eyes.

"Yes, please." He smiled at the Anantya driving the car. "Thank you for coming, Palmer."

Alfarinn gently squeezed the hand in his own and settled down for the ride.

[Thank you both.]


((OOC: Everyone out ))