Rasa would be able to pass for human in most circles. Before his encounter with Angel's game-face the previous day, Eliot would have overlooked the differences as well but once you had been exposed to the supernatural you begin to notice the subtle things. The fact that her skin was just a shade off, her neck was the slightest bit too long for her form, which was saying something as the woman was six-six if she was an inch, the eyes were large and wide, and her teeth, even though straight and gleaming white, screamed predator.
She took Eliot's hand, long fingers wrapping around it possessively. "It is good to see you again, Lindsey," Rasa said, her accent said that English (American or otherwise) was a second language, but he couldn't place where it came from. He suspected it was distinctive to the clan.
"You as well," He answered and motioned for her to sit down before he took his seat in the chair next to her as she still held his hand in hers. "It's been a long time," Eliot said. "So why don't you tell me what it is you truly wish to see happen with this negotiation? Angel's head on a pike I understand is an option, but let's see what we can accomplish without getting dust all over the conference room floor," He said with a winning smile.
Rasa laughed softly, although Eliot thought there was the faintest hint of a growl underneath it all. The way she was looking at him made him uncomfortable. He hoped to god Lindsey had never gone there. That would be. complicated. At least he hoped that was the reason for her looking at him like she wanted to eat him alive.
"What I want, Lindsey, is for my tribe to be unified, under the traditions. I wish there to no longer be factions. We spoke of it briefly when last we met but at the time I thought it was nothing more than a wishful thought. Our last negotiation was. not. It brought an end to the violence but it did not solve the problem."
"Angel," He said.
Rasa nodded. She had yet to release Eliot's hand.
He asked, "What's changed that you think we can make this happen for you?"
*No, redirect. Don't lead her down that path. We don't want her Pollyanna Pipe dream. It's counterproductive to our interests,* Lilah hissed in his ear.
The one fortunate side effect of whatever the hell they gave him was that he couldn't get annoyed easily either. He was used to ignoring irritating chatter (Hardison and Parker) but there was something about Lilah's voice that just set his teeth on edge.
"There have been deaths in the family," She said and smiled toothily.
Okay, that should have been expected. It really should have, but he was still getting used to all of this. Eliot was, after all, still choking down that there were vampires. But again, his emotions were all dampened and maybe this time he was a little bit grateful. "I can see where that would change things, " He said with a nod.
*Find out if that's what caused the current schism,* Lilah said as though speaking to a child.
It was all he could do not to roll his eyes. "Is that what caused the friction?" He asked quietly.
"It created a power vacuum, which always creates friction, "Rasa said.
Eliot nodded and leaned back in his chair, finally easing his hand from hers. "Do you have much support? Are the others interested in a new way of doing things?"
*I swear to god if you don't get back with the program.*
"Excuse me just a moment," He said as he got up and walked to his door. "Can you have some refreshments brought up?" He asked Tara using the time to get the bud out of his ear and stuffed it into his jacket pocket without Rasa seeing.
"Right away, Sir," She said as he disappeared back into his office.
He took off his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair and took a seat behind his desk this time. He hoped it would stave off the physical contact.
"I apologize. I have a nasty dry throat today. Anyway, you were about to tell me what the rest of the clan thinks about your ideas," He said resting his elbows on his desk and leaning forward. He would probably pay for that little bit of rebellion, but he didn't care at that moment. If she wanted him easy to intimidate she should have just let him take aspirin.
"It's alright. Her voice was annoying me as well," Rasa said, shrugging her shoulders. She pushed long tendrils of hair back over those same shoulders.
"You heard that huh," He said, grinning at her. "Yeah, I've been away from the firm for a while now. I came back just a few days ago, so I'm on a short leash at the moment, that's all."
She made a sound somewhere between a sniff and a snort. "Your people have strange ways," She said simply.
"You know I cannot disagree with that, but, we are who and what we are," He told her. "So you were going to tell me.?"
"There is still division. The lines are not drawn by the usual factions," She said once more reaching to take Eliot's hand.
Eliot's brow furrowed as she unbuttoned his sleeve to push it up. "This may not be the best time for-" He started and the words were cut off as he watched her teeth become long and needle-like just before they embedded in his arm. He couldn't move, he couldn't scream, he could barely manage to breathe as she appeared to be feeding from him.
She withdrew and suddenly he could breathe easily again. It took all his willpower not to pull his hand away. Leave it to McDonald to leave this part out of his notes. What did she just do? Was there significance to it or was it just that he looked tasty for some reason?
"You taste different," She said.
"Medication," He said, thinking on his feet. "I woke up with a migraine; it's probably the meds you taste."
"Ah, of course," She nodded getting to her feet as if to leave and Eliot wondered if that love bite was what she had come for in the first place. "It was good seeing you again, Lindsey. You seem more balanced. This is good. I'm looking forward to the negotiations now. It should prove most interesting. "
Eliot stood and walked her to the door, ignoring the pain in his arm and the feel of blood trickling downward. "I'll see you again tomorrow." And hopefully, she would keep her teeth to herself.
There was only so much adrenaline the drug could suppress and by the time he fished the earbud out and put it back in place, he was nearly back to his old self. "What the hell is it with this place and teeth anyway?" He demanded. "Did you know she was going to try to eat me?"
*She wasn't trying to eat you,* Lilah said not bothering to stifle a laugh. *Have Ms. Chapel escort you to the infirmary.*
"I just need to get cleaned up. I don't need one of your doctors poking around." He had gotten past wondering what the hell kind of law firm had -fill in the blank; because he had come to realize that the reputation Wolfram and Hard had for being the law firm from hell was literal rather than figurative. For all he knew they could have a nuclear weapons facility in the building. It wouldn't surprise him at all.
"I wasn't asking, Eliot," She said. "You've had your fun pretending to have a say in things today but playtime is over," Lilah's tone was cold.
It was on Eliot's lips to tell Lilah to go back to whatever hell she had crawled out of when Tara entered the room; her eyes showing the concern she couldn't display otherwise.
"We need to get you to the infirmary." Tara set the tray of refreshments he had requested on the desk and took his arm in her hands to look it over. The punctures in his arm were swelling and turning an angry shade of red.
"No, I don't. I need to ride this out," He said feeling the venom hit his system. "I don't... don't think I did that the last time."
*That's because the one thing Lindsey McDonald had was a well-honed sense of survival,* Lilah snapped at him.
"I'm not sure that's exactly a good idea," Tara said. "We don't know what that venom will do. "
"Well, it's not going to kill me. They want me for the negotiations. Angel wants me dead, the other faction wants me dead, I'm pretty sure Lilah wants me dead," He chuckled at the last, "But Rasa doesn't want me dead. "
*Don't kid yourself,* Lilah told him. *They're one of the clans that hate humans and vampires the most. It's why they choose humans to negotiate for them. They don't care if you die in the process.*
"Just bring me a first aid kit. I can take care of this myself," Eliot said.
"I think there might be worse things than death," Tara said on the verge of breaking cover.
The pain was clearing Eliot's head of any of the side effects of the drug Lilah had forced him to take earlier and he gave Tara a warning look. "Quit nagging, woman, and do as I said." They had been fighting for days; now wasn't the time to break character.
Tara was reluctant to leave him in his current condition, she didn't know what the venom would do to him and had no way of contacting Angel without being discovered at the moment, but she left anyway. She quickly went to retrieve the extensive first aid kit that was kept on each floor. She ran back to the room, as quickly as she could, pulling on a mask of cool efficiency she knelt in front of Lindsey and went to work. She started by irrigating the puncture wounds, of course, a place like Wolfram and Hart would come prepared for puncture wounds. She really couldn't wait for this job to be over.
Eliot didn't want it cleaned out, he wanted it left alone. He opened his mouth to protest but closed it again at Tara's look.
"Sit back, shut up, and let me do my job," She said sharply but smiled a little at the frustrated growl she got in return. That was the Eliot she remembered. "Nothing broke off in there did it?" She asked.
Eliot shook his head.
"Okay." She said breathing a little nervously as she worked. "You're up to date on your shots right?" She asked as she covered the wounds with antibacterial cream. She didn't like the way his arm looked, not at all.
"Yeah, I'm up to date. Not sure about my client though," He told her.
*And that is why you need to get to the infirmary,* Lilah said with a frustrated sigh.
"No," Eliot said, although he wasn't sure if it was to annoy Lilah or some genuine need to see it through. Most likely it was just to avoid more drugs. "Give me a couple aspirin out of there. I don't want anything else from extension twenty-eight."
Tara handed him the bottle and then set about bandaging his arm. "You need to lay down a while and keep this arm down below your heart. I'll hold all your calls, not that you ever have any."
The security guards appeared at the door. "That won't be necessary," Hardwick said and stepped aside to allow two other security officers to enter the room followed by a man in a white coat.
"What's going on?" Tara asked as Hardwick pulled her away from Eliot. She wanted to resist, hell she wanted to get Eliot out of there, but she couldn't do either. He wouldn't leave even if she tried, so she did neither. She leaned a little against the guard, the same man who had been flirting with her the day before.
"I said I wasn't going to the infirmary," Eliot protested as the two guards moved in closer.
"Mr. McDonald isn't thinking clearly," Hardwick said. "The venom is most likely responsible."
"This is seriously a bad plan, " Tara said.
"Don't worry; we're not going to hurt him," Hardwick said.
"It's not him I'm worried about."