So they saved people here as well, people who likely couldn’t go to a normal hospital. More criminals? Government agents? Fellow assassins? Perhaps there was more to them than just the two. A syndicate or a brotherhood. It seemed that Aedan was perhaps quite the caregiver when it was deemed necessary. Govannon did not doubt Raff’s concern about being potentially shot at. He had likely found himself staring down the barrel of one of those guns on occasion and was familiar with the feeling. Van was shaken even if it appeared to only affect him mildly. He had never been faced with a gun before, and though he had gambled with his own life on a metaphorical level, he had never actually been under threat of death. He was perhaps numb to the overwhelming realization of his predicament and it was his own curiosity that brought him here. No risk, no reward. He supposed that could be used as a motto for his life, though all of his risks were usually carefully annotated with contingency plans. This was not one of those times... No, this was one of those fly by the seat of your pants with no helmet type situations. The fact that he had passed Raff’s so called test gave him little satisfaction and did nothing to lessen his concern that Aedan would never open up to him. Given time, he thought it possible to get closer were he careful enough in the beginning but Aedan’s anger seemed to have a fragile outer shell, something broken easily due to the built up pressure within. A quickly burning star.<br/><br/><br/>Govannon thought that the kitchen simply had to be the most beautiful room in the house, as they always tended to be. It was the heart of the home, and though it was furnished with the utmost care and attention to detail, it was cold and empty. Foreboding. A home with no life was just a house, after all. He ran his hands along the smooth hard counter and over the rich dark wood. The room was fitted with every accoutrement one might need to make it functional, yet barely a thing looked used. Brilliant copper pots, for instance, shimmered over the range, untouched. It took him a moment to find the seamlessly hidden refrigerator. He popped it open and peered in, condiments and other things that took a long time to expire. In the connected freezer, all manner of frozen prepared meals. Van hmmed softly, touching his finger to his lips in quiet thought. He stopped at the edge of the kitchen’s threshold to the darkened foyer room, his eyes pressing against the dark to find the distinct shape of a comfortably furnished open space. Why built such a large house to only use a fraction of it? Why built it at all if one were dying? There was more to it than what Van could see and he accepted that. It was a gorgeous manor all the same, regardless of its purpose. It would be put to better use at some point in its very long future. Van knew he would have spent his time similarly had he been under the same stress, trying to find a cure. To extend his life one desperate attempt after the other. In a way, his own clock was ticking in a similar slower fashion, as it was for every single living creature. It was his own purpose in coming here, the reason he put himself at such great risk. There was no guarantee either, that he could complete his work. The equipment and materials were one thing, adequate test subjects were another and he wouldn’t permit himself to try anything with Aedan until he obtained a definitive breakthrough. There had been only one promising instance over the length of his research but the details had eluded him somehow. An incompatibility that he had not even considered. An illuminating oversight.<br/><br/><br/>“He must have a terribly efficient mind to be able to achieve what he has done. I can’t help to wonder how a mind like his would have developed had he not been dealt such a difficult hand in life.” A great mind, a mind capable of anything, even the impossible. “Maybe, it’s not too late at all... Maybe, it’s right on time.” He smiled over the warm amber reflection in his glass, so similar in color to his eyes, then looked up at Raff. The man had answered his question instead of evading it. It surprised him in some small way and he found the answer to be interesting. “Warm and short, huh?” He laughed softly with a tilt of his head, flashing well maintained but natural looking white teeth. “If I were to answer my own question, I think I would prefer a long and productive one. That is what would make me the most happy. It is different for everyone, but one thing that is always true, is that people will choose life over death whenever possible. It is our natural instinct.” Aedan and perhaps even Raff knew this better than he ever could, never having fought for his own. He appreciated it just as much, however. He sought to see it continue indefinitely were he able.<br/><br/><br/>Raff shared more details with Van and the man smiled as he listened. “You must love deeply in order to do what you do and still maintain such an intense emotional capacity. You care for him a great deal... he is like family to you?” Something deeper than platonic or even familiar love most likely. “I would have liked to return to my family were I from a warm one. Sadly, that is not the case for me. My connection to them was severed when my parents died.” Perhaps it was him who had pushed them away. In any case, he did not know them and they did not know him. The family members on his father’s side were like distant stars, consumed in their own orbital habits as he was himself; and his mother, an only child, had been orphaned herself as an adult many years before he had been born. He could remember their faces clearly, could almost reach out and touch them.<br/><br/><br/>Aedan’s diminishing appetite was brought up. “This is what concerns me the most at the present moment. If he is choosing not to eat, that can be addressed, but if he simply cannot eat, he will have a difficult decision to make. There are ways of getting essential nutrients into his body. He doesn’t strike me as the type to allow something so invasive, however. Have you ever discussed such a thing with him?” He was of course referring to a feeding tube. Govannon moved to sit in one of the plush stools that lined the bar, taking another sip from the glass of whiskey. It was just to take the edge off as he was not a regular drinker. He wondered quietly if Aedan used this home gym often, or if it sat in quiet seclusion like the other parts of the house he’d seen.<br/><br/><br/>Red wine was manetioned. “A red man... Sangiovese? Something with fruit notes is my guess. I prefer a leathery Pinot myself, fresh and dark.” He felt a sudden unease at the comfort he felt speaking freely with the man and stiffened slightly in his seat, looking towards a window with a pretty curtain treatment. Was he being a fool, opening up so willingly to the substantial conversation. Was Raff sharing this information with him for some veiled reason he did not yet understand? Was it a way to remove his own suspicion of them?<br/><br/><br/>It was on to business from that point, with discussion of the vaults content. It didn’t make sense to withhold the information if it was true. “I only need a distraction of an hour or so. Enough time to get what I need and leave unnoticed, there is not much to carry, an unobtrusive sedan with a working trunk would be sufficient.” He didn’t know what would happen if he was discovered. As of now, he doubted anyone was aware he’d even left his condo. The maid never entered his room even when he wasn’t there, though she might notice that he had stopped having his groceries delivered every Tuesday. The food would diminish over time as she slowly pecked away at it, thinking him unaware of her habits merely because he never complained. That would take time, however, and even then she was not likely to mention it to anyone.<br/><br/><br/>“I suppose that this is as good a time as any to discuss transportation back and forth? There are obviously things that I will need in order to work most effectively. Aedan is very clearly consumed with his privacy, so I am unsure of how to proceed in making sure there is a regular influx of food and supplies. Surely you don’t have the time to devote to such a menial task, yet I can see no other solution. I cannot move so freely here, if I am permitted to leave the house at all and frankly, I don’t know how much time I have left to work with. Would you have any suggestions?”<br/><br/><br/>Were he to leave on his errand that very night, he could start on his research sooner than later. He would be able to cover his tracks a bit more throughly in order not to be missed ... for a time. Once returned, he would need to supply the men with his list of acquisitions and tour this underground lab. Only when he knew what he was working with could he move forward with showing Aedan and Raff his findings. Sharing with them through their contract of trust. Or so he hoped.