"What do you think?" Kenzi asked lowly, sliding up to Lauren who was looking over a long table with rows of white index cards on it.
"It's hard to tell what exactly things are from just the labels." Lauren admitted quietly, guiding the younger woman away from the table so they wouldn't be overheard. "There's definitely some things I don't think even the most altruistic of people would use in a good way though. Did you talk to anyone?"
"Yeah." She pointed her gaze towards a serious looking rotund man in a sports coat on the far side of the warehouse that was standing where the auction would take place. "Winston Churchill over there is about as high up as I got. He says he's going to be calling the auction but I couldn't get him to spill about whose running the show. Did you figure out how to take the wards down?"
Lauren shook her head, pulling her gaze away from the portly man before he noticed they were staring. "I'd need to see physical evidence of it. Usually, it's a line of colored powder just inside the area being blocked off but there's nothing near the door that would even indicate a ward. At least not by the way we came in. I've not gotten a chance to check the side door, I didn't want to be conspicuous."
Kenzi nodded in agreement and was about to suggest they make another round since the auction was going to start soon but hesitated when she saw a woman approaching them. "Incoming." She whispered when Lauren's expression looked questioning. The blonde turned to see who would be walking towards them and stiffened immediately.
"Lauren!" The approaching woman greeted brightly, smiling as she stopped in front of them. "I thought that was you! I'm incredibly surprised to see you. What are you doing here? This isn't exactly a place for a medical professional."
Kenzi looked back and forth between the two women, not bothering to hide the confusion on her face. The woman was tall and lean with long red locks and eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. She didn't register as anyone Kenzi had seen before and she watched as the blonde responded to the greeting with a tight-lipped smile and an incline of her head.
"Rona…" Lauren started, sounding unsure of herself. "I can't say that I expected you here either. I don't…I don't really practice anymore. I've gotten into artifacts lately."
The woman lowered her glasses to peer at the blonde in natural light, revealing that her eyes were a bright shade of yellow. "These…artifacts are rather unusual. How did you hear about the auction?"
Kenzi bit down on the inside of her cheeks to keep from jumping into the conversation before she needed to. She had had a cover story all planned out but hadn't told Lauren about it since she assumed she would be doing most of the talking.
"I only deal in the unusual." Lauren replied, her demeanor still tense though her voice sounded more confident. "The stranger the better. I was talking to a client who said he'd been very happy with some… curious animals he purchased here and decided to check it out."
Rona nodded as if the answer satisfied her and turned her aurulent gaze onto Kenzi, giving her an obvious appraisal before smiling and pushing her sunglasses back up, making the dark haired human uncomfortable. "Whose your friend?" the redhead asked, somehow making the question sound terribly lascivious. "She doesn't really seem like your type, if I recall correctly."
"Oh, no, we're not…" Kenzi started automatically before being interrupted by Lauren.
"She's my assistant." The doctor said, stepping slightly in front of Kenzi as if she were going to have to shield her from something.
The redhead laughed and shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I guess, if that's what you're into." She replied flippantly, making it clear she didn't believe her. "Anyways, stick around after the auction. There's some stuff we hang onto that knowing you, you might be interested in and I'd like to catch up." She snickered as if she'd said something funny. "If your assistant doesn't mind." She waved her hand in dismissal and strode away from them towards where the auction would center.
"Do you think we look coupley?" Kenzi wondered before derailing her own train of thought with a sudden realization. "Wait, did she say we just then?" she elbowed Lauren gently to make sure she was paying attention. "Is she fae? I mean her eyes have some serious Island of Dr. Moreau thing going on and waitaminute, how do you even know her?" she put a hand on her hip and frowned at the implications of this new information.
"Rona is human." Lauren supplied, hanging back slightly as the man in the sports coat took his place behind a podium that had been wheeled up and announced that the auction would begin in three minutes. "She's a venefica."
"A what now?"
"Venefica." Lauren repeated, searching for the right words to explain. "A sort of witch. They don't really have any powers on their own besides immunity to most toxins. They get their abilities from ingesting potions, most of which are poisonous. Everything about them is poisonous. Even if one spit on you, if they've been in training a long time, they could put a full grown man in a hospital."
"Yikes. How do you happen to know that about her?"
"I met her a long time ago when…shortly after I first signed my fealty away to the Light. I thought she could help. As far as I know she doesn't know anything about the fae. I haven't even seen her in nearly eight years." They moved with the last of the stragglers towards the group gathering near the podium. "Kenzi, maybe we should go. Rona is dangerous."
"No way." She whispered hotly. "We knew this was going to be dangerous and this is good, right? Maybe we can figure out whose running this thing."
Lauren hummed in agreement but still looked uncomfortable, watching as the auctioneer opened the bidding on a small 'mysterious cabinet' that materialized on the low table near the podium, the doors bound shut by a heavy chain.
"Bid on that. It looks dangerous." Kenzi said softly.
"It's not." The blonde assured. "The chain is probably for show. It's just a cabinet. Looks muse made. They probably won't sell anything worth our attention until near the end."
The younger woman refrained from letting out an annoyed groan. There were a lot of labels on that table.
ooo
"What's going on in there?" Bo asked anxiously for the fifth time, knowing from the uneasy expression on Tamsin's face that she wouldn't reprimand her for asking again.
"They should be out by now." Dyson agreed, his voice calm but his jaw clenched. "I didn't expect them to stay for the whole auction."
"Maybe that's because something happened." Bo fretted, gnawing nervously on her thumbnail. It had been nearly two hours since they'd watched the two women in question disappear into the warehouse, during which time, she and Tamsin had tested the wards repeatedly. Even Dyson had tried once, earning nothing but the wind knocked out of him just like every other time. "Maybe we should try the door again."
"Be my guest." Tamsin said flatly, gesturing towards the open space where the warehouse sat.
"At least I'm trying to do something." Bo countered, frowning. "What's your bright idea?"
The Valkyrie shrugged. "Wait for the little gnats to come out and start knocking the marrow out of their bones until words come out."
"Hey, something's happening." Dyson interrupted, pointing as people began streaming out of the building.
"Perfect." Bo announced, looking at Tamsin to make sure she was serious about her plan and starting to march out of the tree line when the valkyrie nodded firmly.
"Not yet." The shifter scolded, stepping in front of the women.
"You can't stop us both." Bo pointed out.
"Just wait and see if they come out first. If we blow cover now, we'll not get another chance to do this."
"I hate it when you're right." The succubus complained, backing up, causing Tamsin to retreat as well. "If they're not out in three minutes, we're following those people and going with Tamsin's plan."
Dyson nodded his agreement and the trio turned their attentions back to the warehouse, willing the familiar sight of the two humans to appear.
ooo
"I'm second guessing not leaving." Kenzi whispered while the last of the bidders left the building and they were watching Rona, the auctioneer, and a well-built man she was sure she'd not seen on her go around before the auction talk to each other.
"Then talk us out of here." Lauren whispered back, feigning a smile as Rona waved them over.
"So what did you think?" The redhead asked when they reached the little gathering. "You must not have been too impressed, your bidding was half hearted and you didn't buy anything."
Kenzi made a dismissive motion with her hand. "Please, you must think we're new. You expect us to come in fresh without casing the stock up for sale? There's going to have to be something far more interesting than an old medicine cabinet with chains wrapped around it or a sword that summons fire if you want any money. I can get any of that with a couple phone calls for half of your starting price. Maybe next time, if there's even anything worth buying."
Rona smiled but it was hard to tell if the gesture was sincere since she was still wearing her sunglasses. "Your friend is pretty discerning." She said appreciatively.
"Assistant." Kenzi corrected, earning a sidelong glance from the blonde.
"The collection wasn't as…unusual as we were led to believe." Lauren said disinterestedly.
Rona visibly bristled as if she had been personally slighted before shrugging it off. "I should have known you'd be more particular." She said, her tone not showing any of her resentment, if indeed she still felt any. "It takes a lot to procure these things, even the more useless items. I can get you an appointment with the owner, he keeps the more interesting items only for those who are serious." She confided. "How much are you willing to spend?"
"Money is no object." Kenzi assured with conviction.
Rona appeared pleased by that and nodded. "Excellent. Come with me." She casually waved her hand and a large black door appeared in the middle of the warehouse floor.
"An appointment, now?" Kenzi asked, the pitch in her voice rising. "You've got to be kidding."
The redhead frowned slightly. "Are you serious, or not? I'm doing you a favor, here."
"Right, and we really appreciate it, but you caught us off guard." She replied quickly. "We're going to need some time to take stock of current inventory, talk to a client or two, you know? We didn't come all this way to rush into anything, I'm sure you understand."
There was silence between the three women for a tense moment, the only sound being the low hum of the lights overhead and the mummer of the auctioneer talking to the new man but Rona waved her hand again and the door disappeared. "You're right." She said finally, putting her hand in her back pocket and pulling out a business card. "Meet me here tomorrow night at eight."
Lauren took the business card and glanced at the address. It was more or less in the middle of neutral territory, which didn't tell her anything. She needed to find a way to know if the location was going to be warded. "This is a pretty public office. Is it safe?" she fished.
Rona nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry. There's a way to keep undesirables out, we won't be bothered by anyone that matters."
"Great!" Kenzi exclaimed, taking the card from Lauren and placing a hand on the blonde's shoulders to lead her away. "See you then!"
"Don't be late." The redhead called after them as they exited the building.
"We were about to storm in and get you." Bo said excitedly, resisting the urge to pull them into a hug as they joined them just behind the tree line. "We were really worried."
"We're fine." Kenzi replied waving the business card. "Better than fine. We've got an appointment with the boss, whoever he is."
"Kenzi, that's great!" Bo said taking the card from her friend and studying it, her face falling slightly as she did so. "The address doesn't tell us much, does it? That far removed from Light or Dark borders, it could be anyone. But you know it's a guy? Was he in there?" she trained her gaze back towards the warehouse door.
The dark haired woman shook her head and looked over at Lauren whose eyes seemed to be pleading with her not to say anything about her connection with Rona. "Nope, he wasn't in there but his head go-fer or security or whatever really seemed to like our good doctor here." She covered. "Chicky gave us the card and told us to meet up at eight tomorrow night."
"Is she coming out? It seems a little asinine to go through all that tomorrow when we can just get it out of her now." Tamsin spoke up.
"Sorry, I know drinking, screwing, and fighting are the only ways to pump the ice water through your cold Nordic heart but there's some serious portal making going on. The head broad is a, um…" she looked to Lauren for help.
"She's a venefica." The blonde supplied, explaining what that meant when Bo's expression remained blank.
"How would you even know something like that?" the succubus asked.
Kenzi opened her mouth to say something; anything to cover for the doctor but Lauren didn't need it.
"Her eyes were gold." She clarified easily. "When a venefica consumes a potion, their eyes turn gold for the duration of the effects. I'm guessing she was causing the auction items to materialize."
The succubus nodded her understanding and the small group began to make their way back to where the vehicles were parked. "Guess we'll have to pick this up again tomorrow."
"She implied there would be wards in this new location too." Lauren said as they walked up a gravel road away from the warehouses.
"Did you figure out how to bypass it?" Dyson asked, sighing when Lauren shook her head.
"There wasn't any trace of a ward I could see. It must be something really advanced. I don't think the same kind of ward will be used tomorrow, though. The one on the warehouse was something high level enough to throw fae backwards a good distance."
"That's an understatement." Bo mumbled.
"I think something that big would be impractical in a more confined space. Hopefully it's something weaker, something more tangible but I think it would have similar effects."
"I'll go talk to Trick and see if he knows any way around wards." The shifter said, pulling the keys to his car out of his pocket. "I'll see what I can do about setting up a surveillance spot close by. It shouldn't be too hard in the neutral zone."
"It's okay, we'll go to the Dal and ask about the wards." Bo said, catching the keys Kenzi lobbed gently at her. "Maybe Trick knows something that will help even if he doesn't know how to get around them." She glanced over at Tamsin and Lauren, cringing internally at the blues swirling around them. It wouldn't be so bad if they were doing it on purpose, then she could pretend it was for spite. She returned the smile Lauren gave her when the doctor caught her staring and slipped into the drivers side of her car, waiting for Kenzi to take up her position as co-pilot and left the two blondes standing near Tamsin's truck.
"C'mon, doc." The valkyrie started, pulling open the passenger's side door for the human. "I'll take you home."
Lauren nodded and got into the vehicle, fidgeting silently nearly the whole way back to her apartment as she came to an internal decision.
"You alright?" Tamsin prodded gently when she finally cut off the engine and the human still hadn't moved.
"Do you want a drink?" Lauren asked instead, looking over at her.
"Is that even a serious question?" the valkyrie retorted, raising an eyebrow.
The doctor smiled and shook her head, opening the door. "No, not really, but it's polite to ask instead of assuming." She pointed out, waiting for Tamsin to get out and lock the doors before starting up the path that led to her front door.
"What do you want to drink?" Lauren asked as she unlocked the door and led them into the apartment, leaving the Dark Fae to fold herself gracefully onto the couch while Lauren made a beeline for a liquor cabinet that Tamsin had mistaken for a credenza.
"Whatever you got that's going to make my eyes water." She answered, tilting her head slightly to admire the curve of Lauren's backside as she bent in front of the cabinet. She smiled unapologetically when the doctor turned around with an unmarked bottle in her hand, catching her staring.
"I don't have the kind of stomach it takes to process the pure ethanol and paint remover you're used to." Lauren teased, setting the bottle of dark liquid on the top of the cabinet and collecting two glasses from inside the door.
"You wound me, doc." Tamsin informed her, watching as she filled one tumbler two-thirds of the way and the other less than a quarter of the way. "I'll have you know that I have a highly perceptive palate when it comes to appreciating alcohol. I just don't have a very discriminating one."
"Well see how you perceive this." Lauren goaded, placing the fuller glass in her hand and sitting what would probably be considered too close to her, given that the couch was empty. She smiled as Tamsin made a show of smelling the contents of the glass and shook her head, taking a small gulp of her own glass.
"Shit." The Valkyrie breathed out after taking a large mouthful and swallowing. "This is serious scotch, doc." She took another healthy drink. "You know, I really wouldn't have pegged you for a dark liquors straight up kinda girl."
"Just because I'm not drinking thirteen hours a day doesn't mean I don't drink at all." She said smiling into her glass as she took another taste.
Tamsin laughed and raised her drink slightly. "Fair enough." She conceded, watching the doctor put her glass on the coffee table as she finished off the contents of her own. "So what's going on?"
"What do you mean?" Lauren countered apprehensively.
Tamsin rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I dunno… you just seemed real tense earlier. But it sounded like everything went okay with the auction… are you okay?"
The human nodded; surprised that she'd picked up on her anxiousness over Rona from earlier though she was still feeling a hard knot in her stomach about how tomorrow evening would pan out and maybe it showed. There was a pretty good chance that Rona would tell whoever she was working for about where she knew Lauren from and that would certainly make the meeting more risky, given that there weren't too many human doctors nosing around for information on reviving comatose girlfriends at the time she met Rona. She vaguely registered that Tamsin had said something and pulled herself out of her nervousness to look at the other woman who was regarding her with an expectant expression. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs.
"I said turn around." The valkyrie repeated. "You're obviously full of shit." She explained when the doctor looked at her questioningly instead of doing as she was asked. "You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but you're the most stressed out person I know. Lemme help."
Lauren watched the other woman's face for a moment, looking for something, but for what, she wasn't sure. Finally, she nodded, still not sure what she had been looking for or if she'd found it, and stood up, shedding the white button down she had been wearing over her tank top and rearranged herself in front of Tamsin on the couch with her back to her. Her eyes slid closed and an inaudible sigh escaped her the moment she felt warm hands on her shoulders, allowing her head to loll forward as the hands kneaded the flesh beneath them. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, really. She had never thought of Tamsin as the type to give massages, it seem far too tactile an activity given her personality, but the way her hands were manipulating the muscles in her shoulders and back of her neck showcased that not only did the Valkyrie probably have some professional training, but she was very skillful as well.
"How the hell do you even move around without a shitload of relaxants?" Tamsin asked seriously after several minutes, moving her hands down the curve of the doctor's shoulder blades.
Lauren chuckled but didn't answer and tilted her head from side to side, enjoying the slightly bruised feeling that the loosening muscles left her with. "How did you get so good at this?" she sighed out, breaking a long moment of quietude.
"Are you kidding?" the valkyrie answered, sliding her hands back up to the curve made by the doctor's shoulders connecting to her neck. "Before we got all this hands off battle technology, it was harder to deal. A valkyrie's life was war." She confided, moving one hand to smooth out the muscles on Lauren's lower back. "Sometimes it still is. Even with the powers, you still gotta fight and I dunno if you've ever swung a steel sword or a pole-arm around for the better part of the day, but as fun as it is, that shit is havoc on the muscles. You get ways to cope, or get a cramp mid swing and you get dead."
"Of course." The human replied in a tone that betrayed she felt ridiculous for not having thought of the most obvious answer to her own question.
"Plus, it's pretty popular with the womenfolk." Tamsin added and though Lauren couldn't see her, she heard the smirk in her voice. She bit down a groan when the valkyrie hit a particularly sensitive spot and sucked in a sharp breath when she felt the Dark Fae's warm breath near her ear. "You wouldn't honestly think," she started in a low purr, causing warmth to wash over Lauren. "That I wouldn't have the skills to back up all my shit talking, would ya, doc?" She slid her hands to Lauren's sides to stabilize her when she started to sway slightly but didn't venture further.
Tamsin heard the doctor swallow hard and allowed herself a self-satisfied smile, having achieved the desired reaction. She started leaning away and began to drag her hands back to the muscles near the base of Lauren's spine but she was taken off guard when the other woman's hands reached to grip her wrists, keeping her from continuing the massage and pulling her forward. The valkyrie obeyed the pull, not having intended to derail her ministrations but not minding in the slightest, enjoying how both of their breathing rates quickened in anticipation. Lauren let go of one of Tamsin's wrists and reached backwards to grip the top of the Dark Fae's head, slightly craning her neck to guide their lips together.
Unlike their first kiss, which had paralyzed them both with its reality for a few moments, their tongues met almost immediately, the fae leaning in as far as she could to wrap one arm around the doctor's stomach and tangle a hand in her loose locks, practically picking her up to help her push herself onto her lap. Tamsin registered a desperate whimper but was only sure it had come from Lauren because she could feel the sound reverberate through the human's body. The low moan when Lauren managed to fully turn herself around and roughly pushed her down on the couch had most assuredly come from her own throat though. She gripped the human's hips and gasped partly from need for air and partly from Lauren having moved to run her tongue along the contours of her ear. Tamsin bit down hard on the flesh of the doctor's shoulder as she traced wet circles with her tongue down the side of her sensitive neck, causing the human to cry out and dig her nails into the valkyrie's sides which only made her jerk her hips upwards.
Tamsin's lips found the younger blonde's and she shuddered as Lauren hummed her pleasure at having her bottom lip sucked and nipped at. She was running her hands along the inside of Lauren's shirt, making an obvious move to unhook the doctor's bra when the shrill polyphonic ring of her cellphone cut through the sounds of heavy panting and nonverbal vocalizations "Shit." Tamsin hissed loudly at the same time Lauren let out a displeased groan. The valkyrie sat up when Lauren moved away from her, pulling the offending object from her pocket and answering the call.
"What?" she demanded, her voice husky but unquestionably displaying her annoyance. "Uh-huh." She intoned, trying to pull her gaze away from the human so she could concentrate. "Shit, right now? … You people are killing me." she gripped her phone tighter, wishing it was the neck of the deputy that called her. "Fine. I'll be there in a minute." She hung up the phone and resisted throwing it by shoving it violently back into her front pocket.
"Work?" Lauren asked, her own voice still breathless.
"Work." Tamsin confirmed with distaste. She leaned forward, running a hand up Lauren's arm and onto her shoulder, kissing her several times before reluctantly pulling back and getting off the couch. "Rain check?" she asked, appreciating the other blonde's slightly disheveled appearance.
"Definitely." Lauren confirmed, walking the Valkyrie to the door. "Maybe tomorrow night if we can figure out what's going on?"
"We'll figure it out." Tamsin assured, pulling open the door and walking down the path. "See ya, doc." She only resisted turning around to hide the wide grin on her face.