Rebecca had no sooner walked off, when someone pulled up beside her, walking along with her as if he had always been there.<br/><br/>"Well, that was an interesting series of events," Michael said, his hands in his trenchcoat pockets, a friendly smile on his face as he walked next to her.<br/><br/>"You pass some drugs along for some cash, and then you come to the defense of a young woman in need of aid. In doing so, you teach a man a lesson, and then walk away as if nothing ever happened... and you did it all right under the noses of the cops," he said, turning his head to look back the way she had come.<br/><br/>"That's not how this is supposed to work, Rebecca. You can't do something wicked... and then do something good as some sort of equal 'tradeoff'. Doing a good deed does not give you an excuse to do a bad one. You're off to a pretty bad start," he said, giving her a wry smile.<br/><br/>"And before you ask - no, I was not following you. I was simply in the neighborhood. I have a lot of business to attend to in these parts. I'm a... counselor of sorts, and this area happens to be one of the areas I am assigned to. It's challenging but very rewarding work, helping people - but I can only help those who -want- to be helped."<br/><br/>Michael looked over and up into her eyes. "Do you -want- to be helped, Rebecca? Or are you so far down the dark path that you can't let go of your previous life?" he asked, and strangely enough there was the genuine sound of caring in his voice.<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/>Across the street, a tall, blond man leaned against a lamp post. He had a clear view to Michael and Rebecca as they walked, but with traffic, lots of other pedestrians, and the other obstructions along a busy street, he doubted that either Michael or Rebecca would see him. He simply watched as the two walked side by side together, Michael speaking to her, probably espousing the wonderful world of the Almighty and how she should turn her life around.<br/><br/>Sam almost chuckled. His plans were pretty difficult a few hundred years ago, but now, in this hedonistic society with so many souls eager to take a darker path for personal gain, life was pretty good for him - a virtual buffet of people wanting to get ahead, and willing to do anything to get there. But his eyes settled on Rebecca mostly. He had plans for her. He actually -needed- her.<br/><br/>For now, though, Michael was simply being a tiny little thorn. Sam would not have to act unless Michael truly got in the way. Then, and only then - would things get ugly.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>