After the conversation she'd had with Sam that night (although she would've had the same results talking to a wall), Darcy wanted nothing more than to spend her energy planning the creature's death as much as she wanted to dig them out of the hole he'd created. First, there was the issue of Lydia and her unlikely Enforcer friend. Diverting their attentions would mean treading a fine line, and she'd have to be careful not to say too much or seem to cautious. They knew about Helena. They also knew about Alex, apparently, based on Sam's story, but they didn't know that<i>she </i>knew. That would have to change; the more she was in the loop, the less she'd have to walk on eggshells. That was two out of two kills on Coven territory that'd been compromised, and one of the victims was still walking. That'd also have to change, and soon.<br/><br/>She wasn't sure if there'd be a comfortable starting point, either.<br/><br/>Standing in front of Lydia's office door the following night, she felt another pang of anxiety, like a hand clutching at her unbeating heart.<i>Nope. Not comfortable</i>. Darcy knocked on the door. "Lydia? Mind if I ask you something?"<br/><br/>"<i>Darcy? What is it?</i>" Lydia called across the door. She sounded inviting enough, despite her usual disdain for interruptions ... friendship had its merits.<br/><br/>"It's about last night, actually. I noticed th-," Darcy started to say, opening the door, but stopped abruptly when she saw another pair of red eyes, other than Lydia's, trained on her. "Oh, Alex. Hello," she said, not masking her genuine surprise. The redhead stood, head turned to look over her shoulder, leaning against the side of Lydia's desk as Lydia sat in her usual chair. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."<i>And I <b>really</b> didn't want to, either. </i>Luck had really turned on her hard, hadn't it? Of course the object of her incoming question would be --<i>miraculously</i>-- right there, flirting while Darcy had serious issues to resolve.<i>Change of plans</i>. Frustration aside, Darcy managed to hold back her sigh and make nice. "I suppose I<i>did </i>predict you'd attract the attentions of 'Lydia Cleur Herself'." That made Alex laugh.<br/><br/>"Oh, is that what you told her?" Lydia asked, eyebrow raised. The club owner scoffed. "Am I that predictable?"<br/><br/>Darcy closed the door behind her and stepped further into the room. Alex stepped back as she did so; the conversation was between three people, now, since Lydia appeared not to have any intention of making the redhead leave. She chuckled softly. At least, if the mood remained light, her nerves wouldn't get to her. "No, no, I've just known you too long."<br/><br/>"You're not wrong about that. Now, what was it that you wanted to ask?"<br/><br/>"Oh, well ... actually, it has to do with<i>you</i>," she said, nodding in Alex's direction. "Lydia, last night, when you came back here, you two walked in together, and she'd been turned. I figured it was your doing, right?"<br/><br/>"Yes." Lydia paused and raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"<br/><br/>Darcy knew Lydia didn't explain herself unless she felt it absolutely necessary, but her brevity made Darcy feel like she was burning under Lydia's gaze. She swallowed. "No, of course not. But ... I know you wouldn't just turn someone for fun. And, given the ...<i>task</i>you gave me last night, I was wondering if the two incidents were at all related."<br/><br/>"No. Actually, I<i>did </i>just turn her for fun."<br/><br/>Darcy felt like she'd start sweating.<i>What? Why would she hide the truth from me? Is she suspicious of me? Already? How?</i><br/><br/>But after a few seconds that felt like eternity, Lydia broke out into laughter. "Oh, Darcy, I'm only teasing. Of course I'd never turn a human without my reasons. What do you take me for?" She paused to chuckle again. "With the way you looked at me, I wondered if I'd sprouted fur."<br/><br/>Darcy sighed, relieved beyond words.<br/><br/>"And yes, the incidents are related." Lydia nodded towards Alex. "Alex was attacked earlier. Morgan -- the Enforcer, I mean -- and I believe that it was the same pest who killed the Petrini girl. Paris and I saw him and he scurried away, just like a rat." A scowl crossed over Lydia's face at the mere mention of the creature.<br/><br/>"You saw him? Can you describe him?" Darcy asked, pushing further. Yes, this was good. She was getting somewhere. "I just want to have a better understanding of what to look out for, while I'm behind the bar. Just in case."<br/><br/>She watched as Lydia and Alex shot glances at each other. Alex sighed. "Uh, jeez, I got a closer look at him than she did. Guess I can give the whole story again," she conceded, not sounding too thrilled. As Alex began speaking, Darcy tuned in carefully, making sure to seem surprised at all the right moments. A little bit of shock here, a little bit of curiosity there -- and suddenly she started to feel like she had a handle on the situation.<br/><br/>"Well, if he covers up that much, he'd stand out like a sore thumb inside," she responded, after Alex finished. "But I'll keep an eye out -- maybe he carries the disguise with him, stalks around, then puts it on once he needs it? Or maybe not. Maybe someone'll say something. People like to talk when they're drinking."<br/><br/>"Yes, that's why we need your eyes and ears, thank you," Lydia said. "I'm expecting the Enforcer back here later this week, with a plan. Whatever it is, you should be aware of it. Is that all, Darcy?" Seemed like Lydia was growing tired of the conversation.<br/><br/>"No, actually," Darcy decided to try her luck, and gestured towards Alex, "there is one more thing. We need to figure out how we're going to train her to feed on her own." She smiled to herself. If she'd be in on their plans, that was all she needed. She'd have to warn Sam not to bother with the Coven for the rest of the week, and once she found out the whole strategy, she'd be able to work on getting rid of them. "I have an idea ... just hear me out for a second."<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Whether she liked it or not, Alex became Lydia's main focus over the next few days. The poor thing didn't know what to do with all of the energy she had. At the very least, Lydia tried to keep her entertained lest she might drove herself mad. It really was like watching over a child ... a adult child, but a child nonetheless. She'd have to get her to a point where she'd be independent; as much as she enjoyed Alex's company, she hadn't intended to spend every waking moment with her.<br/><br/>They'd made progress, though. Cautiously, Lydia had allowed her to feed from a human source. She'd overseen the entire process, of course, and she<i>did</i>have to step in -- Alex almost sucked the man dry. The last thing she needed was human blood on her hands, given the current situation. Later that same night, Alex expressed mixed feelings about the situation; she was equally troubled about losing control as she was excited by it. Lydia had tried to console her about it -- no one had died, after all -- but she could tell that Alex wasn't fully convinced, and before she could confront her further, Darcy had decided to pay them a visit, asking more questions and making the strangest suggestion.<br/><br/><i>"She can hunt on Carpe Noctem territory."</i><br/><br/>Lydia'd shot the idea down immediately. There was no way she'd let one of their own act like the scum in Adrian's brood. It was true that any slip-ups Alex made would be overlooked more easily than on Coven lands, Carpe Noctem vampires weren't the kindest to outsiders. It was dangerous. While Alex was her own woman, Lydia felt she had a good enough influence over her to keep her out of that mess, anyway.<br/><br/>The next night, however, had brought an entire change of plans...<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>"Darcy."<br/><br/>The blonde looked up from her position, leaning over a table as she cleaned in preparation for the night. "Yes?"<br/><br/>"I have business to attend to. Take care of Alex for me, if she needs anything while I'm gone." Lydia hardly waited for Darcy to agree before she left the nightclub, clutching a little piece of paper inside her pocket. Paris sent another note, left waiting for her on her desk as ominously as the first one had, this one not nearly as vague.<i>Meet me by the docks at sundown. You know where to look</i>, it read, scrawled onto to the tiny slip. That was all it took for Lydia to head for their meeting place -- a little tavern near the port, the place where they first spoke -- without a second thought.<br/><br/>He was there, waiting for her, sitting alone at a table for two. His raven hair was swept to one side, but not quite as neatly as it usually was, and his eyes looked sullen and dull. Only one hand rested on the table, while the other, stayed braced across his stomach. With the way he looked, Lydia wouldn't have been surprised if the cane he carried around as a fashionable prop had taken on a more serious role. While paleness wasn't a sign of ill-health for a vampire, he looked more like a ghost than anything.<br/><br/>"Paris, you look awful," she commented, taking a seat across from him. Despite her frankness, she was genuinely concerned -- how could anything have made him look this bad?<br/><br/>"I know. Tragic, isn't it?" He straightened up a little, winced, and reverted back into the same position, the back of the chair being his main source of support. "Did you get my first message?"<br/><br/>"Yes. I need you to tell me what happened."<br/><br/>"We ran west. I caught up with him, and we fought. He was strong, Lydia,<i>abnormally</i>strong. Stronger than any vampire I've ever witnessed. And you know I've seen plenty in my time."<br/><br/>"And your wounds -- how bad, exactly, are they?" It didn't take a long time for a vampire to heal after a proper feeding, and it'd already been two days since the incident. Surely, he'd fed more than once by now.<br/><br/>"He slashed me across the chest and across the stomach. Ripped me right open. If I'm honest, he fought more like a werewolf than one of us ... but then, he took my blood, and it left me unsure. Unsure and suspicious. I've been ravenous, too; I've fed at least four times, and my wounds haven't fully healed."<br/><br/>Lydia had ... no idea what to make of that. "Paris, I...." She sighed and shook her head. "Did you get a good look at his mask? What do you make of that symbol?"<br/><br/>He only shook his head. "It's nothing I've ever seen before. Doesn't look like any underground clans or factions that I've come across. Not even black market. My guess is that it's more of a personal symbol, representative of him as an individual, rather than a collective." Paris attempted a shrug. "I could be wrong, though. All I know is that something strange is going on. When he attacked me ... the exchange did something to me. I've never had this much trouble healing, and my control over my appetite is ... unsettlingly weak." He sighed. "I'll stay in touch, in case I happen across any useful information, but ... for my sake, I'd prefer to stay far away from this ...<i>thing</i>. And for<i>your </i>sake, I'd suggest getting rid of him as quickly as possible."<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>After what seemed like forever, it was time for the Enforcer to return, hopefully with some kind of answers. Lydia was sick and tired of questions. Lydia wore a dress that night, with fabric silky and as dark as her hair, held up by golden adornments over her shoulders. It left most of her back exposed, the view of her porcelain skin obscured only by delicate jewelry that hung there. The front of the dress echoed the back, revealing just enough of her chest to be suggestive, but not enough to be distasteful. She waited for Morgan on the first floor. It was a busy night, tonight; seemed like it was as crowded as it'd ever been. She stayed close to the door, honestly worried she might miss the woman walking in amidst all the other mingling folk, vampires and humans alike.<br/><br/>Then, the door opened, and Lydia gave Morgan a slight smile, suddenly remembering how much fun she'd had getting her flustered the other night.<i>How could I have forgotten? </i>she wondered, as if the strange past few days hadn't been enough reason to forget anything. "Hello, Morgan," she said, turning fully to greet the pair as they entered, "I see you've brought a friend." Lydia gave them both a once-over -- she couldn't help it. That was something else she'd forgotten; how utterly disarming the Enforcer was without her uniform. And now that she'd completely left it behind, she'd have to control herself if she didn't want to get lost in all of the pretending they'd have to do. Morgan's friend was another story. She'd never met the woman before, but she could already tell she was more competent than her male partner ... not to mention<i>far </i>more attractive.<br/><br/>"Come in." Lydia led the two women inside, to what might very well have been the only empty seating area, and bade them to sit. "Darcy should be here shortly, with drinks. Now, let's talk about ... how we'll conduct our business here."