Celeste: Of course he only goes there to have a reason to be pissed (and to anger LaCroix, naturally), hehe. Nines and Hargreaves will be a very dangerous combination =)
Thanks rednightmare (I like Nines too. Just loves his cussing), Zaekka (aber es wird langweilig D:) and Heartfrost.
Katherine Falkner sat in a small, windowless room in the Los Angeles Police Department. In front of her was an untouched mug of steaming coffee. The artificial neon lights were cold and besides a table, which the mug was standing on accompanied by an unused ashtray, there were only two chairs and one was occupied by the Ventrue, the other vacant. 'I must have a fucking problem magnet shoved up my ass.' Perhaps she should've dug up her old good luck charm that was somewhere in one of the few boxes she hadn't unpacked. Good old memories. A lot could actually go wrong with a modelling job, hence the employer was a fucked up insane murderer who cut people's limbs off. She found Carson but he went straight out and called the police once Katherine set him free, after she'd snapped Gimble's neck with her bare hands. What else could she have done when an insane guy wanted to beat her to death with a severed arm? Shot him? Nah, waste of bullets. She could have knocked him out but that just now came into her mind. Noticing that she'd really changed a lot and a bit more mercy would have spared her all this shit, Katherine frowned. If this mess ended without her being sued, Katherine wanted to find some of her lost humanity if it was possible at all, as even Mercurio had mentioned that she was more cold than before in emotional terms. The door swung open and a woman walked in. Short cut black hair, dark skinned and dressed casual in jeans and a jacket. Your typical detective in her early thirties. You could not say that the officers threatened her badly; they were only distant but respectful. Was it really due to the fact that she'd stripped off some of her humanity? Carrying a clipboard with notes and paper in her hands, the detective dragged the vacant chair back to sit down.
"Miss Katherine Falkner, citizenship German and born August the 16th 1977 in Trier. Former soldier in the German military, then taking an office job and now employed at the LaCroix Foundation as a personal security guard of Mr. Sebastian LaCroix himself up till she lost this job three months ago." Thoughtful she put down the clipboard with the information and looked at Katherine. "Please excuse the long delay but it was not easy to verify even this little crumb of data about you, especially the last one, so thank you for your cooperation. I'm Detective Skinner." Reaching out a hand, Katherine grabbed it and shook it.
"Would it disturb you if I have a smoke?" Yes, she'd started to smoke. As a vampire you couldn't become addicted by simply inhaling it, but it evolved to some kind of bad habit like chewing on fingernails for other people. Dean really started something.
"Not at all." Leaning back, Detective Skinner smiled. "Gimble really picked the wrong person to dismantle. So you were the bodyguard of the rumoured and famous billionaire Sebastian LaCroix. He's really a mysterious person, never showing up in public and information about him is hoarded like a state secret," she mused and brushed over her chin like she had some kind of imaginary beard, while Katherine lit her cigarette and took a breath. "A very secretive family."
"He cherishes his privacy and I don't want to sound rude but I have no idea how this is related to the case, Miss Skinner." Did the detective really expect her to babble about LaCroix's private life? She barely knew it herself; well except for the fact that he was a 200 year old, blood-sucking undead vampire, who'd inherited the highest position in this city with the title Prince of Los Angeles. But he had family? Well, she never delved into his affairs and the idea to do so was uncomfortable. Katherine knew there was a Dwayne LaCroix in the tower somewhere, because Chunk mentioned it during her first visit, however that was all she knew.
"Sorry, it's the job. I tend to sniff around and it's rare - even for Los Angeles - to meet someone who was close to such a famous and rumoured person." If she only knew how close! Katherine sighed and let some of the ash fall into the ashtray. Well, close you couldn't call it. It was more a kind of business relationship, though she'd kissed him two times and was still paying an ungodly amount of money for it; however, she had to admit that she kept the second one as a very good remembrance. Actually she really enjoyed it and he hadn't refused it either. Of course only because of the money but women can dream, can't they?
"The fascination with rich and mysterious men," Katherine chuckled softly, a bit amused. "But I don't want to get sued, you know?" Seemed like she made the detective more curious than was good for her, because it was nearly uncomfortable how friendly the detective was being. Katherine tended to dominate her a bit. God, LaCroix had really rubbed off on her.
"Of course." Smiling, the clipboard was shoved toward her. "Please take a final look at your testimony and sign it here." Pointing at the spot with her forefinger, Skinner showed Katherine where she had to sign and upon re-reading it, Katherine felt the staring glimpse of the human.
"Is there something wrong with my face or do you want my coffee?" Nonchalantly demanding an answer, Katherine didn't even look up from the paper, continuing to check it for mistakes and noticing how the detective made a surprised expression.
"Ah, sorry. It's again the job, you know? The mimic reveals a lot about a person so I made it into a kind of habit." The decision had been made to make 'friends' with some humans and taking Mercurio's advice into account seek out human company, else she would have a hard time blending in and the last thing Katherine wanted was to violate the Masquerade, giving LaCroix another reason to chop her head off. Did she forget to blink? Hopefully not.
"If you want to know things about me, you could just ask. It's not like I share the same habit as my old employer." A human would smile now, right? And perhaps this was a good opportunity to observe humans so that she would be able to blend in like before. Taking the blue plastic ballpoint pen, Katherine signed the paper with a fluid motion and shoved the clipboard back to the detective. "If that's all may I leave now detective? I'm really busy." Not to mention she needed to report back to Arthur. Carson wouldn't be coming back so he would be in need of a new bounty hunter, and even if she encountered psychopaths it was a job Katherine was interested in and appealed her taste. Considering the fact that she was a vampire with the ability to dominate humans, it should be a walk in the park.
"No, that's all Miss Falkner. I thank you for your cooperation." Both women stood up from their chairs and Katherine took a last breath from the cigarette before extinguishing it in the ashtray. "I will lead you to the exit." Holding the door open, the detective gave her a slim smile which Katherine tried to return, but such small mortal gestures felt a bit alien to her. That's why she omitted it and gave Skinner just a small nod as a sign of appreciation for holding the door open, and she could not help but muse again about how she'd changed in this short time. Well, it wasn't really a short time, at least in Kindred terms.
The police station was busy, crowded with a lot of humans even at this time. In bright, artificial neon light cops were walking around with paperwork, on the phones or simply working at their computers, sometimes navigating a stoned junkie or drunken bum through the corridors into the cell block. The detective handed the clipboard to another officer and accompanied Katherine again.
"I'm still not getting used to it, that L.A. is alive even in the night." It was more a phrase murmured to herself but the detective caught it rather fast.
"It's not the prettiest face of the city, but you'll get used to it in time." 'Like you know,' was the first thing coming into Katherine's mind upon hearing those words. "But even I think that sometimes everything can get worse, like when you catch freaks like Gimble and on top of that the serial killer who's terrorizing the city's inhabitants." Katherine had read about those incidents in the L.A. Sun. Brutally slaughtered, the corpses were just piles of bloody flesh rather dead corpses.
"It's like everything here goes to hell." Earning a strange look from the other woman, Katherine passed the main entrance with her, standing now in front of the building. She rustled around in her pocket to reach for her cigarettes, and had already put one in the corner of her mouth as she searched for the lighter when a most disturbing sight interrupted her actions. Looking down the stairs which lead to the streets, someone was parking a black limousine with tinted windows.
"Would you like to accompany me for a late snack? I know a nice diner in Santa Monica. My partner normally comes along, but he's on holiday." The invitation received no attention and still holding the lighter near the cigarette, Katherine just stared down at the limousine.
"I think I have to refuse." The thoughts in Katherine's brain were spinning in a small streak of panic. Skinner next to her looked a bit surprised.
"Why's that?" It sounded a bit offended but in a fake way, however the vampire shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but I have some urgent appointment." Putting the lighter down, she gestured in the direction of the limousine, where a chauffeur stepped out from the driver's side and opened a door which faced the police department. Katherine couldn't tell if she was relieved or horrified that no one stepped out.
"It's just a limousine. Why should it come in between you and a nice snack?" Of course this was leaving a very strange impression on people who didn't know to whom this car belonged. Sighing heavily, Katherine stuffed the unlit cigarette back into her pocket. The smile on her face now gave away that she was in trouble, but the detective was rather confused about the behaviour of the other woman. Walking down the stairs and coming nearer to the chauffeur, Katherine could not help but to clench her hands.
"Miss Falkner?" With educated courtesy she was addressed by the chauffeur who was without a doubt a ghoul.
"Yes, that's correct." The cogs in her brain were already working and analyzing the possible scenarios, starting with the worst.
"Mr. LaCroix demands to speak with you." There it was. The sentence which doomed her. After all these months he sends his little Bobby-Car to pick her up in front of a police station. Oh this was bad.
"I'm again sorry that I must decline your offer, Detective Skinner, but you see, there is some...urgency to this engagement. You didn't call the LaCroix Foundation, did you?" It was more a question to strengthen a theory, rather than an accusation.
"Yes I did to confirm your information and it was a helluva effort to get them. Will that get you into trouble?" Asking cautiously, the detective at least didn't look embarrassed, showing now a bit of the hardened personality she probably needed as a female detective in this city.
"You've just done your job." By chance Mr. LaCroix needs the Kraut again. Why always assuming the negative? Well, it was LaCroix she was dealing with after all but no need to yell that out loud for the whole of L.A. to hear. "So enjoy your snack." That was all she had left to tell the friendly detective who was a bit too curious for her taste. Vanishing into the limousine and protected by the car's door against further questions or small talk, Katherine leaned back into the soft seat, inspecting the lavish innards of the limousine and she was nearly able to smell the most familiar cologne of the Prince. It reminded her of the feelings she suppressed for him and how hard it would be to actually face him again.
And not to jump at his neck, stealing his sweet and delicious blood.
AN: Mhm after abusing those character-building sheets rednightmare sent me, I have really no idea what kind of music theme would fit Katherine. I think it's EDITORS - An End has a Start.