DIMITRI
The weather does not dictate my choice of clothing, I told myself sternly. I was having an increasingly hard time adhering to my credo as sweat poured in rivulets down my face at ten o'clock in the morning. It just so happened that my usual choice of clothing included a heavy leather duster that had not originally been intended for wear under the searing California sun. But this was just the weather. I was above such things.
My resolve didn't diminish the layer of sweat continuously coating my body as I walked the short distance between where I had parked the car and Adrian's apartment. I had circled the block several times, trying to find a spot as close to Adrian's as possible. I wanted to spare Sonya from the torching sun as much as I could, knowing that the effect it would have on her made my complaints seem squeamish in comparison.
We arrived at Adrian's door right on time for our meeting scheduled at ten. Sonya knocked on the door. We waited. She knocked again, louder this time. When there was no audible reaction from within the apartment, she shot me an apologetic smile, as if it was her fault that we were standing in front of Adrian's apartment, right on time for our appointment with him to start our research, and he was not answering.
"He's probably still asleep," she said. I hoped he was just that. If he was passed out drunk in there, it would not only make it a lot harder to get him to let us in, it would also seriously impede our research. He would not be able to access his magic when intoxicated, thus rendering him completely useless for spirit research.
Just as I drew a breath to suggest we return to Clarence's and start our work there, there was a hustle from inside, and a muffled clanging sound. Then footsteps made their way to the door, and it opened to reveal Adrian standing in the opening, leaning against the doorpost with tousled hair and an exceptionally rumpled shirt.
"Adrian," Sonya managed to greet him in a patient and friendly tone. I bit back a comment. I had indirectly caused him enough hurt, even though my love for Rose and hers for me was not something I would ever find it appropriate make excuses for. There was no need to add to the damage already done.
"Welcome to the palace," Adrian slurred in a still drowsy voice. Even half asleep, there was a mocking tone to his words.
"I'm glad we can get started so quickly," Sonya said, trying to ease the tension that had sprung up immediately upon Adrian laying eyes on me. "I can't wait to get this going. We need to make progress as soon as possible."
"No doubt there," Adrian mumbled, not specifying which part of Sonya's statement he meant. He left the door open for us to come in, while he turned around and shuffled off towards the kitchen. He didn't try to conceal the telltale sound of glasses tinkling.
When he returned – empty handed - he found us still standing in the entrance, watching him.
"Well, make yourself at home. I figured that since you have no idea how to actually do your research, you can do without me just fine. I'm finding my brilliance a little wasted fumbling around in the dark of cluelessness."
With that, he disappeared back into his room. He did not bang his door behind him; but that was about as far as adult behavior would go with him.
Sonya sighed. "Well, I guess, we're here now – let's… well, let's just get started."
Without further invitation, we sat down at the dark wooden table that dominated the back half of the apartment's combined living and dining room.
"How do we start?" I asked. I automatically referred to Sonya as the head of our little research group; she seemed to be the most capable in the ways of spirit use and mental stability alike.
"Well…" She hesitated briefly, then raised her voice a little so that Adrian would hear her from his room.
"I thought we should start by mapping out all the possible routes we can take with spirit use. For example, we could compare auras and see whether there is anything different in our auras and in others. Also, Adrian could use his dream walking powers and compare the feel of your mind with-"
She cut herself short. This was probably on account of the alarm that showed in my face at the thought of Adrian and me in a spirit dream by ourselves. I quickly checked myself, putting the composed expression on my face that I had perfected for occasions of sudden emotion rising up in me.
"Maybe we should stick to the aura examination idea for a start," Sonya corrected herself quickly. "Are you okay with me looking at yours?"
"Yes, of course," I said.
Sonya scrutinized me with an expression of detached interest on her pretty face. I did not feel uncomfortable under her gaze; I just whished that there would be a little more for me to do in the future to contribute to this work than letting myself be stared at.
"You will never see anything when you go at it like this," Adrian's voice suddenly piped up from behind me. I turned to see that he had made an appearance in the living room again. He had changed and styled his hair in his usually carefully messed-up do, but his defying posture and the dismissive look on his face had not changed a bit.
"You're suggestions are very welcome, Adrian," Sonya said, her patience and kindness undiminished.
"We need a point of comparison if we want to find a difference to normal people. Any aura would be too complex to put a thumb on anything Strigoi related, unless it screams out to us. And I think that we both had the dubious honor of savoring Belikov's aura frequently enough so we would have noted a blatant mark left by his past, if it were that obvious."
"You're right," Sonya exclaimed. "We need a control subject!"
"I guess that ends research for today," Adrian said smugly. "No control subject, no use continuing. It was so nice seeing you two."
Sonya looked a little flustered at having her first attempt at attacking our goal end so quickly.
"But who can we ask to do this for us? Adrian and I aren't suitable. Our spirit magic messes with everything in our auras."
"No, we need someone else. Someone with little or no connection to spirit at all." I agreed.
Adrian wasn't contributing to our brainstorming anymore, now that he had succeeded in postponing work for today.
"Maybe we could ask one of the dhampirs with Jill to help us?" Sonya said hopefully. "I now Sydney would help us immediately, but with her being a human, I don't think she would be the best choice for this," she thought aloud. I noticed Adrian's head rising at the mention of Sydney's name.
"Why not try?" he said nonchalantly. "We could ruffle her feathers a little in the process, you know, make her uncomfortable with evil creatures of the night torturing her with magic and all."
"No, that would not be fair to Sydney," Sonya said, frowning. Adrian's interest ebbed away as quickly as it had come.
"I will ask Eddie whether he can make time to come," I suggested. "He will know the importance of this. He will be willing to help."
"Don't keep him away from his schoolwork, though," Adrian remarked ironically. Again, Sonya pretended not to notice the sting in his words.
"Yes, we can't distract him from his other duties too much. He is here on a mission too, after all. But maybe we can ask him to join us on the weekends. This way, we don't interfere with school."
Adrian rolled his eyes silently.
Sonya and I found no reason not to leave after this. We left Adrian to whatever he was going to do on any normal day, and traced our steps back to the car.
"He could do with some company, I think," Sonya said as I pulled from the curb.
"Certainly not with mine, I'm sure," I had to remind her. She didn't comment on it.
"He's been alone with spirit for too long," she reasoned. "I know the feeling."
She paused. Her voice was pensive when she continued: "This is another thing we might look into. I haven't been feeling the effects of spirit so much since I was turned back. I haven't been using it a lot since, but then, I never really have and it affected me anyway. Something changed when Robert changed me. Something might protect me from the spirit darkness, too."
"It almost sounds as if you're suggesting a fling with the Strigoi as a way of overcoming the effects of spirit," I said, a little more harshly than necessary. Sonya looked appalled. She stumbled for words, aghast at the very idea of what I had interpreted her thoughts as.
"Dimitri, that is not what I meant! I would never suggest such a thing! Me turning Strigoi… it was.."
"There is no need to explain," I said. "I did not mean to accuse you. I can only guess at the torments you went through."
It was true, I had no idea what a spirit user felt like when the inevitable backlash of magic use overcame them. But I still had trouble coming to terms with the fact that Sonya had chosen the path to becoming a monster voluntarily. I knew and respected her, and I was aware that she would never have taken this step lightly. Nevertheless, she had taken it.
An unbidden part of my mind informed me that Sonya's past spoke volumes about Adrian's state of mind, too. She had not been so much older than he was now when she broke under the pressures of mental illness. She had not been able to live with the darkness and the menace of insanity for much longer than he had been dealing with them. The young man did have some reason to be behaving the way he was.
"What are we going to do with all this time on our hands, if we can only do the work we came here to do on the weekends?" Sonya said when we pulled into the driveway to Clarence's mansion.
"Don't you have a wedding to plan?" I tried to cheer her up. It worked.
"I suppose. I could do some preparation from here," she agreed. "It's only that our different schedules make it hard to get a hold of Mikhail on the phone. He's on duty when I'm free, or he's asleep, and I'll be asleep when he is free. You're lucky Rose is on a more similar schedule."
I was, in fact. I had been looking forwards to calling her all morning. Her and Vasilisa's classes must have been over for an hour now; just the time to reach Rose when she was home, maybe getting ready to turn in early, maybe still up with Lissa or the guardians, spending her night in one way or another. I waited until I was in the privacy of my guest room to dial her number. I listened to the line beeping, counting the seconds. She was fast to pick up when I called, so fast that I sometimes suspected she must have a second sense telling her it was me calling. She would answer the phone as if she had expected my calls, even when I called her to times other than our habitual hour allotted to calling, just to hear her voice saying my name.
She didn't pick up this time, though. After the seventh ring, the phone went to voice-mail. I didn't speak on the tape, too disappointed at having my anticipating joy crushed. I would try later.
This chapter might be a little anticlimactic, but it's sort of just a quick check-in with Dimitri to see what he's up to. There's more action coming up in the next chapters, Lissa isn't out of the woods yet!