When Ashleigh's answer came, 'I'll do anything you need me to do,' Izzy seemed relieved.  She sank into the booth for a moment's rest, smiled up at Ashleigh, and rose smoothly when the young woman was ready.  The proprietor nodded after them, and Izzy inclined her head as the small bell over the door sang its little song, and then they were on their way.  "This place I'm taking you-- it's mine, but it's not my<em>place</em>."  She shrugged.  "I keep a couple extra pads around the city, just in case.  Believe me," she flashed her dark eyes over at Ashleigh, her expression impish and flirtatious, "it's for your own good.  If I take you to my place I might not behave myself."  The excuse was just that-- an excuse.  She was keeping distance, that much was clear, and the humor was a deflection of that.<br/><br/>The streets were more vacant now, like the city was some kind of shop that was closing for the night-- the interior lights were going down, but the exterior lights were still on, like someone fading to sleep but still trying to look aware.  "This is the best time of night," Izzy said, glad that the rain had stopped.  She left her jacket open for the evening cool.  "Like the whole city's yours." Listening carefully to Ashleigh's questions, she nodded comfortably.  "Yes.  No family, nobody special."  She fished another cigarette from her pocket and lit it, her face illuminated for a moment in the orange glow from her lighter.  "Just me."  Lifting one eyebrow, she tilted the cigarette fingers up-- a silent offer, just to be polite... not a push.  "I have a few friends, you know."  She shrugged gently, as if maybe she should be embarrassed about it, but she wasn't.  "I don't do the long-term relationship thing."  And just like that, she'd dodged the very subtle question of her sexuality... leaving the question hanging.  The ease of it was maddening.<br/><br/>"You got a special guy?  Maybe a girl?  Somebody going to come hunting me down for whisking you away?"  The smile lingered at her mouth as she studied Ashleigh for a reaction-- maybe giving her a once-over to see if maybe there was something to her questions beyond mere curiosity.<br/><br/>After only a couple of drags, she tossed the cigarette into the storm drain, then slowed her walk just past the facade of a closed-down record shop, where a narrow door with dim interior ligthing waited, just before the locked and shuttered entrance of a chain pharmacy.  Above the iron security grating the door was marked "44903 A-B", and Izzy gestured casually at the single keyhole.  "There you are," she said softly.  "Make sure the key works?"