Matters of Grave Importance - Chapter Three

[Maxx]

Department 7 - The Common Room - 9:00 PM 

Paul and Vesper entered laughing, half finished Timmies cups in one hand and skateboards under the other arm.  Vesper sported a pretty scrape down the right side of his face and his eye was slightly  swollen.   There was a  cut on his forehead.   He didn't seem to mind, however.

"You should have seen it,"  Paul exclaimed.  "There he was, starting to make this killer move and suddenly BAM!  There it was.  This pebble comes out of nowhere and jams his wheel.  We are talking some MAJOR air.  Four, maybe five feet in the air.  Lands on his FACE, then gets right up and back on the board.  Now that's what I'm talking about.  Getting right back on the board."

Michael looked up.  His gaze focuses on the open wounds on Vesper's face.  "You might want to get that looked at," he said.  "I doubt infection or scarring will be any kind of an issue but there are those among the local nocturnal dwellers that might be interested in trying to lick you."  He patted his leg.  "Sadly, I am less than fully mobile, so you are safe from me.  Some of the others are much more limber and able to pounce."

His hideous face was unreadable and it wasn't clear whether the was serious or indulging in a macabre sense of humour.

[Sonovaditch]

Department 7 Headquarters - The Common Room - 9:01PM - Vesper Novak

Vesper rubbed at the scraped skin of his cheek with the wrist of his coffee-occupied hand clumsily as Paul retold how he'd managed to get so 'jacked up' at their day trip to the skate park. He smiled, though he felt a smidgen guilty for not admitting that for him the painful injury was more of an incentive than a deterrent to jump back on the board.

The tender, reddened flesh stung, naturally, but was beginning to smart more like a bruise. For Vesper, the raw wound was a trophy. Not only as proof of his first skateboarding experience (which would surely not be his last), but as a symbol of his newly-fledged friendship with Paul (who's name he'd finally worked up the courage to ask).

Taking Michael's warning as earnest advice cloaked in crooked humour, Vesper replied with his own peculiar brand of comedy, "If it becomes a problem, I promise I shall get it covered. But if you don't mind it too much, I think I will leave it as is. I'm curious to read from them how attractive an hors d'oeuvre I'd make." He chuckled, a rare phenomenon that was becoming increasingly common in Paul's friendly presence.

It was clear that Vesper was not put off my Michael's… abnormal appearance. It was questionable whether the young Bonegnawer had noticed anything off-putting about Michael at all whilst so caught up in the euphoria of the days events. Had he been in a less distractible state, Vesper might've been slightly more sensitive to the very real yearning his slow-healing wound could crop up amongst his more nocturnally orientated coworkers.

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - The Common Room - 9:01PM - Michael Redding

Michael's warm chuckle was completely out of sync with his cadaverous appearance.  "I stand corrected,"  he said.  "I suspect Crickett might want to finger paint with it but Molly would be willing to see how you tasted.  I'm still trying to figure out if there is an easy way to tell which one is present before I say or do something that one of them will make me regret."

At that moment, Nicky's voice came over the intercom.  "All prisoners, report to the common room.  All prisoners, report to the common room.  The warden would like to have a word with us."

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Personal Quarters - 9:01 pm - Samuel

Samuel was lounging comfortably with his head on one corner of the couch. A thick towel lay between the couch and his long dark hair, which was hanging off drying slowly while he half dozed waiting for it to dry after his shower.

When he heard Dundee come over the intercom it startled him awake. What the hell?!???, he thought, before he remembered where he was.

He lay back against the couch again for a moment and blinked a few times, waking up, then stood up and began tying his hair back while he kicked the towel that had been wrapped around his waist when he flopped over into the bathroom and began looking for a pair of pants and shirt.

Once he was done tying his hair back, he pulled on some jeans over his naked form, grabbed the first shirt that his hands found and headed out into the hall barefoot. As he walked to the common he grinned crookedly when he realized that the shirt he was about to pull on sported a logo for the Six Nations Police. It was old and worn thin as hell. It was also the shirt he'd been issued on his first day in the police force. It seemed appropriate somehow.

[Maxx]

Department 7 - The Common Room - 9:02 PM  - Nicky

The Australian entered the room with none of his usual swagger.  He threw himself down in a chair, glowering to himself.  Even though he had issued the call for all the agents to come to the common room, he gave no explanation.

"S'up Nicky?" Paul asked, feeling mildly rebellious referring to the older man by his first name, rather than calling him 'Mr Dingo'.  The fact that the Bone Gnawer's last name was so amusing made it easier.  He almost asked if Nicky had eaten any babies for dinner but the look on his face stopped him cold.

"Wait and see," Nicky replied.  "Boss man has a few announcements and I doubt you're going to like them any more than I did."

"He must have decided to enforce the hygiene policy,"  Talbot said as he entered.  "Looks like you might have to actually learn how to use soap and water."

Nicky shot the soldier a sour look.  "I'll get right on that.  As soon as you figure out how to pull your head out of your ass enough to realize you'll slit your own throat using that much starch in your shirts."

"It's called a uniform, agent Dingo,"  Talbot replied mildly.  "It promoted discipline and unity, something a Bone Gnawer wouldn't know much about."

Nicky chuckled but it wasn't a nice laugh.  "Careful, soldier boy.  You're outnumbered even just in this room.  You might find the Bone Gnawers know more about unity than you think."

"Play nice, boys,"  Michael said, his tone that of an adult chiding unruly children.  "Don't make me get up out of this chair."  The Nosferatu stood little chance in any confrontation with either of the werewolves, let alone both but his mocking words had the desired affect.  The two Garou stopped bickering.

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:03 pm - Samuel

Samuel padded quietly into the common room on bare feet nodding to the small gathering. A number of people had already arrived. Dundee and Capt. Asshole were being told to stop sniping but Dundee didn't seem to be enjoying it as he would have expected.

He wondered where the foul mood came from as he said, "I ambled here as rapidly as possible so the bulls wouldn't have an excuse to toss my cell. Any baseless speculation on what the warden wants to talk to us about?"

He wandered over to a couch and lounged down into it while giving a nod to everyone.

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:04 pm - Heinrich

"The warden has an number of things to discuss," Heinrich said as he entered the room.  He wasn't alone. 

A woman followed closely behind him.  She was close to seven feet tall and seemed to be built of solid muscle.  Everything about her seemed wrong and her presence made Paul shift uncomfortably.  Nicky didn't take his eyes off her.  She screamed 'UNNATURAL' almost as loudly as she would have if Crickett had drawn the word on his forehead.  Talbot sniffed dismissively but unconsciously shifted his weight to a more balanced position.

"This is Eve.  She will be joining us on this mission, which is fortunate because we will be losing several agents, at least temporarily.  Babadora and Darien will be liaising with the local vampire community.  Akira is on a recruiting mission.  Their replacements will be here shortly."

Michael said nothing but made note of the fact that he was the sole remaining Kindred on this particular mission, unless  Molly was deemed stable enough for field use.  Perhaps the department had deemed his extensive knowledge of the occult to be of more use on this mission than his vampirism would be in dealing with other Kindred.

Heinrich looked at the clock on the wall.  "I'll give the others a few minutes to get here before I begin the mission briefing.  Eve, why don't you take a seat with the rest of the team?"

 

[Tinker]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:05 pm – Eve

Being thrust into the very center of attention in a room currently inhabited by a handful of other beings wasn’t something that would ever sit well with the hulking Promethean. The heat of their gazes and the frigidity of their unease may have been concealed to the onlooker, but to her it was palpable.
 
Her mismatched eyes flit from face to face as the faint aroma of her disquiet teased their heightened nostrils. An odd satisfaction in the discomfort she was causing sat lightly in her chest, the path of Cobalus being appeased with the affirmation of her general “wrongness”.

As she was instructed, she strode with an almost shambling gait to loveseat that looked as if it would accommodate her immense frame and sat with her clumsy hands folded in her lap. 

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:06 pm - Samuel

Samuel worked hard to conceal his tension trying to turn the sudden narrowoing of his eyes into a slow blink. The first and foremost thought in his mind was, What the FUCK is that THING!?!?!, followed closely by, What the fuck IS she?

He'd never imagined a creature like this existing. He cautiously took in as much of her scent as he could in his human form, fascinated by her. His instincts told me that this thing was most definitely NOT part of the natural order of things and therefore he reflexively wondered how closely tied to corruption.

He slowly drew himself into a comfortable position that would allow him to move quickly if the need arose. Between the Major Asshole, who seemed to have a gift for triggering his instinctive hatred of the dogs, Dundee's reaction to the she-giant and his personal instincts yelling at him that she was unnatural, he did not want to be caught by surprise.

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - The Common Room - 9:07 PM - Michael Redding

"Good evening, Eve,"  Michael said, finally breaking the silence that had suddenly spread throughout the room.  "My name is Michael Redding.  I apologize if you are offended by my appearance.  It is a curse that comes with my condition.  I'm not sure what you've been told about us but in case you weren't aware, I am a vampire, specifically from the Nosferatu bloodline.  I am by no means the most unusual person present."  The expression his face twisted into might have been supposed to be a smile but his hideous features made it impossible to tell.  "I'm sure the others will introduce themselves in due time."

"Call me Nicky," the Australian werewolf said but he didn't extend a hand.  He was eying Eve with a mix of curiosity and distrust.  His human nose wasn't telling him anything about her but he didn't dare shift into a form with a more sensitive nose.  The tension in the room was far too thick.  Just about anything could set off  chain reaction that would not end well.  After all, they'd only recently gotten the last of Talbot's blood out of the carpeting.

"I'm Paul," the skater said, looking like he was hoping Eve didn't bite.  He took his best shot at being friendly despite his discomfort and asked what he hoped would be an innocent question.  "How much can you bench?  You look like you pump some serious iron."

[Sonovaditch]

Department 7 Headquarters - The Common Room - 9:07PM - Vesper Novak

The grandest dilemma of Vesper Novak was found in the lack of an adequate bridge between himself as the son of a scientist and himself as a Garou. Never before had the struggle admist these two sides of himself been as radical as it was the moment Eve stepped in.

Vesper tensed. He was struck by a strong physical repulsion, a need to leave the room which he ignored on principle. As she entered, his lupine senses (though significantly dulled in his present form) were so repelled by the corrupt abomination of natural order, her terrible existence an embodiment of everything the Garou had ever loathed.

But as his eyes fell on what should have been his worst nightmare, Vespers scientific mind surged at the implications of her presence that his body's natural impulse confirmed: that this somebody was a man-made someone. And she was terrific. A Promethean sculpture of fine craftsmanship if Vesper had ever seen one. Her unnatural scent, though unfamiliar, filled him with nostalgia. She inspired him, made him long to return to days spent at his mother's hip helping her work in any little way he could.

He wanted to run with his tail between his legs and snarl her away. He wanted to run tests til he found what made her tick. He wanted to get away from her. He wanted to get to know her. He shivered involuntarily. This was not Frankenstein's monster. This was Pygmalion's creation. She was neat.

"Dobroye utro," he greeted her, "I am Vesper. … And I am also interested in how much serious iron you can pump."

"That sounds like an impressive feat," he added a little more quietly to Paul in some failed attempt at whispering.

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:08 pm - Samuel

Samuel listened to the other make introductions as he watched She-Hulk. He had already used his padaa to explore this novel new creature but while it opened the world to sensations of taste and smell that a human would never begin to understand it was still weak in his current form.

His fascinated mind hurled questions at him like a runaway forest fire. What was it? Where had it come from? What was it doing here? Was it unique? How had they found it? Would it be staying? What was wrong with it? Was it a victim of Cahlash? If so, would that effect fade or was it to late for her to recover? What wondrous tales and riddles could be created from her for the next Taghairm!!

He ignored the strangely loud creak of the couch as he leaned forward ever so slightly. He flared his nostrils and drew in his breath across his tongue exercising the sensitive organ at the roof of his mouth that combined both scent and taste to turn the world into a unique sensual experience.

[Goosekat]

Department 7 Headquarters - 9:10 p. m. - Tabitha

Tabitha had just left the gym and was heading back to her room for a quick shower, a change of clothes and a nap when the call to assemble came in.  She let out a sigh and changed directions to head to the common room instead of the hot water her shower promised.  Hoping that the others wouldn't be too offended by the musky odor her mangy coat was emitting after the two hour run she had just had on one of the treadmills.  Tabby loped into the common room and stopped dead in her tracks.  Something was not right here.  Her hackles rose and a growl started to emanate from deep in the back of her throat.  She looked around the room and her eyes stopped on the creature who's shear bulk was threatening to break one of the couches in two.  Tabby's ears flattened against her head and her tail swished back and forth as she unconsciously lowered herself to the ground.  It took all of her self control not to do one of two things, either turn and bolt from the room as fast as she could run or to attack the creature that was causing so much distress.  Keeping her eyes on the creature she slunk around the room, keeping as much distance between herself and the 'thing' as possible, till she came to rest at Michael's feet.  She wasn't all that comfortable with any of the vampires yet but they were a known factor and she felt safer with one of them near by.

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - 9:10 p. m. - Nicky

The Australian werewolf immediately dropped to all fours, on his hands and knees a full three seconds before he started to change shape.  Once in his wolf-dog form, he trotted over and nuzzled Tabitha.  "Peace, Sister," he said, although all those in the room who were not Garou heard only animal noises.  "Just as you lie at the feet of one of the Wyrm's children, so too is our new companion of the Wyrm but they both are here, standing with us as enemies of the Wyrm.  I have learned that we cannot use the old rules, the old laws and automatically assume that all that is unnatural is to be destroyed.  Eve may not be our sister or our cousin but she is our ally.  Just like the Bogeyman who's feet you lie at, she is here to help."

"Even the Bastet stands with their ancient enemies,"  Talbot chimed in, speaking English.  "There are bigger issues at hand than our personal enmities and when a Get of Fenris can say that, you know the world is being turned on its ass." 

"True enough,"  Heinrich said.  "Mr Dingo, would you mind returning to human for?  You as well please, Miss Monroe.  I'd also prefer you to stick with a human form as well, Mr Travers.  The discomfort level is high enough without people having to deal with things they aren't fully comfortable with, not that comfort is a major consideration of this job."

He set a small pile of 8x10 photos on the table.  "There have been a number of graves opened recently in the Hamilton cemetery, two or three a number for the past two days.  There may be more than one group involved, since there are two distinct groups of graves being raided; those filled the previous day and those filled July 26th 1851."

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:11 pm - Samuel

Samuel felt the she-wolf coming before she entered the room but he only spared a glance towards the door, returning his attention to She-Hulk. She definitely caught his attention when her anxiety shot upwards and the growling began, kicking his tension level up with it.

He began easing himself slowly into a comfortable position that would allow him to take a nap or move instantly should the need arise. He was unwilling to bank on anyone else's self-control and didn't want to be caught by surprise.

Dundee then dropped to the floor and although he couldn't understand what he was saying to the she-wolf it was clear that he was trying to calm her. He liked Dundee as much as he did anyone else that he had only known a short time and by far was the only wolf he had ever known that he hadn't wanted to destroy on principle alone but he wasn't entirely certain how comfortable he was at the moment with Dundee having shifted.

The next moment it became entirely self-evident to him how comfortable he was when he felt a his jeans strain to the point of ripping and his once loose t-shirt began to tighten as he realized his body had been slowly slipping into sokto for the past few moments, the near human form of all Bastet. Once fully in sokto his senses were demanding that he pay attention to everything at once, the mounting tension of everyone there, wolf, vampire, human, it didn't matter; but overriding all of that was the presence of the She-Hulk. Everything near her seemed to be trying to pull away.

He heard Major Asshole speak but what he said was every bit as unexpected and almost as unnatural as the She-Hulk. He stared in astonishment, his eyes narrowed suspecting some sort of trick or punch line. It sounded like the setup of particularly good tale to put a young Bastet in it's place.

He waited for the hidden blade but it never came. It was the Warden that spoke instead. Maybe it was time to consider a demotion from Major Asshole to Captain Asshole.

Instead of answering he considered the request from the Warden for a moment; it did make sense. Any change was bound to make everyone else more anxious and it was certainly true that She-Hulk was disturbing enough in human form and far more than he had expected her to be while shifted.

He gave  a courteous nod and relaxed into the change back to his human form.

[Tinker]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:07 pm to 9:11pm – Eve

The theatrics of those who apparently shared the same shadows as Eve fed her Cobalus to the point of bursting. The negativity her presence had summoned to the room with the aid of fang and claw resonated with all of the subtlety of the full chorus of bells of morning mass in Vatican City. The reactions at first surprised her, surely all here must identify with her in being that in reality, they too were all monsters? Her interaction with humans, mortals were less theatrical and yet, she was closer to something resembling this cast misfits in the unnatural order.

None the less, the fortuity of choosing the path of Cobalt shone brightly with the affirmation that she truly was, not as others.

The not so pretty vampire was the first to speak directly to her, his face a mask of grimacing horror, somehow brought her a certain comfort in the level of discomfort it would most definitely bring others.
“I do not know much of your kind, but your face is fine. It is not like mine or like the rest, but it brings me no fear.” Her voice was oddly lyrical and feminine it’s simple syntax, not what would be expected to come from such a hulking thing.

The werewolf that smelled like red rock and hot dust was the next to sound his cautious voice in her direction, “I will call you Nick, yes?”

The casual air that was forced around the next speaker was appreciated, and she nodded as he spoke. She readied herself to reply but her words were snatched away as the pretty one with the heart full of questions joined in his greetings, “Thank you, men. What is to pump? I can bend, crush and break most things , but it is rare for me to do so if I do not need to.”

When the mangy beast erupted into the room, the flavour of chaos was thick in the air. Eve had never witnessed such an entirely over the top reaction to her presence. The beast writhed and snrled as if it were in physical pain, and the Promethean was stuck somewhere amongst pity, disgust and pleasure with the torment her very being there caused this animal. She would have to keep close to this one, feed off her fear and loathing, satiate the hunger of Cobalus with the validation of her wrongness.

The atmosphere was cracked with a readdressing to the business at hand, but the ozone of the entire room’s unease was still palpable. The reveal of the photographs finally brought some clarity as to why she was here. Turned graves were something she knew a great deal about, as were the countless different reasons as to why they were disturbed.

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:07 pm to 9:11pm – Paul

"Pump.  Iron."  Paul mimed bench pressing a weight bar.  "You don't lift weights?  Damn."  He looked as if he wanted to add more but decided to change the subject instead.

"So, Mr Faust, what about ghouls?  I mean, you thought I was one for a while but maybe there are ghouls digging up the fresh graves looking for a quick meal."

"I believe I can answer that best,"  Michael said.  "The term ghoul, as used in your case, does not refer to eaters of dead flesh.  Ghouls have a specific association with my kind.  Besides, the embalming process renders the flesh of the dead toxic."

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:12 pm - Samuel

Samuel cocked his head to one side, glancing between Skater-Boy and Count Orlok with interest. He recalled that Skater boy had said something about ghouls but he hadn't understood it at the time. Count Orlok's answer made him even more curious.

Samuel looked at Orlok, "Could you elaborate on the differences between ghoul as related to your kind and ghouls that are not? Why do ghouls associated with your kind not eat flesh?"

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:12 pm - Michael

Michael's deep set eyes found Samuel.  He paused for a moment, considering how best to answer the question without saying too much.  The occult was one of his favourite subjects and he was quite willing to talk about it for hours but this particular subject strayed perilously close to divulging information considered confidential by most Kindred.

Still, if they already knew about ghouls....

"The ghoul as an eater of dead flesh , originates in the fiction of the Middle East.  The word ghoul itself is derived from the Arabic ghÅ«l, which translates literally as demon.    They are, as far as I am aware,  fictional.  Then again, there is no one in this room that does not break that particular condition for  the average person.  With the notable exception of necro-cannibals of various unrelated origins, ghouls as a distinct species do not exist."

He looked at Paul, wishing he possessed the ability to read auras the way some of the other clans could.  "Kindred ghouls, on the other hand are normal humans who have consumed a vampire's blood.  In addition to halting the aging process temporarily, it also grants the ability to perform superhuman feats of speed, agility and strength, as well as granting enormous regenerative powers.  It is possible to regrow severed limbs but it is by no means guaranteed.  There are, of course downsides.  Humans were not intended to consume vampire blood and it can lead to certain aggressive tendencies and can be addictive."

Paul, who was listening with rapt attention up to this point, suddenly wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:14 pm - Samuel

He listened attentively as Orlok gave his explanation of ghouls, thrilled that The Man let him do so. He'd been half expecting The Man to cut off the question since it apparently was no longer relevant to the topic at hand.

He didn't miss it when Orlok shifted his attention to Skater Punk nor did he fail to notice that skater Punk dropped his eyes while explaining about human ghouls, even as he was thrilled with the knowledge he was gaining and his mind was buzzing with speculation and questions as he incorporated this new knowledge into his world view.

"I'm not treading on my own hunting grounds here, obviously, I don't even know how often something like this occurs, but to finish off the ghoul line of questioning, if someone were attempting to harvest vampire blood, would they have a reason to believe those specific graves would contain a vampire?"

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:15 pm - Heinrich

"Unlikely, especially with the fresh graves,"  Heinrich answered.  "The graves where the dates are the same are quite obviously an attempt to find someone or something that was buried on a specific date.  Vampires can be driven into what is effectively a coma, using various methods.  In such a state they can be, for lack of a better word, stored indefinitely."

Heinrich looked at Michael.  "Harvesting the blood from vampires isn't the safest of occupations.  They tend to get a little irate about people who try to steal their blood and they are more than capable of defending themselves."

[Trellin]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:16 pm - Samuel

Samuel shrugged, "Fair enough. I agree about the treasure hunt angle being very likely, although the idea of two different perps or group of perps in the same in the same graveyard that close together smacks of coincidence but stranger things have happened."

He cocked his head and smirked, "As far as harvesting blood from vampires being a bad idea, humans have no shortage of them and many of them would do it because it's so dangerous. The potential value of selling the ultimate drug would be incidental. For that matter, the military would love a supply of super-soldier serum."

He adjusted his limbs to try and get more comfortable, stretching out one of his legs and waited for more information mentally throwing pieces of the puzzle up in the air to see which way they would land next. It was an old habit from being a law enforcement office, although he had never tried it in a setting like this. This could be fun, he thought.

[Maxx]

Department 7 Headquarters - Common Room - 9:17 pm - Michael

"Add to that, if I may, the fact that I am sitting in this room, openly, is flying in the face of sixteen hundred years of careful camouflage," Michael interjected.  "My kind has what we call 'the Masquerade'.  It is a system of rules by which we conduct ourselves, to make sure we are not discovered.  All the recent obsession within the media aside, the discovery of the existence of real vampires would result in a very bloody purge that would likely end up with only the strongest and sneakiest of my kind left alive.  We work very hard to make sure that any information about us that does reach the authorities is spiked with enough falsehoods as to make it laughable as a concept."

[Sonovaditch]

Department 7 Headquarters - The Common Room - 9:17PM - Vesper Novak

Keeping his attention from the intense allure of Eve and attempting to ignore the urge to ask Paul if he was alright (an impulse caused by the young skater's sudden silence), Vesper moved to inspect the photos for himself as he listened respectfully to the other men discuss what potential evil had begun digging up the dead. He sifted through the information, sorting out what was relevant to the investigation at hand and what would satiate his curiosity concerning Vampires.

What fascinating creatures! Michael was proving himself a rich, vast well of knowledge on a number of topics, and here he was permitting them to sample some small barrel brought up from his bore's undermost depths. It was but a taste of the truth, a fleeting peek at the strangers behind the veil of the Masquerade, but its generosity was not unnoticed by the young Garou and he savoured it so.

"That makes a lot of sense," Vesper injected without looking up from the photographs, "My father knew a man who claimed he often spoke with zhivykh mertvetsov - the living dead. He spoke in whispers to most about his outrageous tales, but the goading laughter of other men made him frantic. I think my father was the only one who ever believed him. It would not have counted for much: my father believed a great many unlikely things. He even tried to write a book about the man. In the end, though, that man hung himself, so the book flopped before it was even finished."

He didn't pause long before adding his two cents about the case. His tone was different from that of when he'd been storytelling. "I have no notion of the relevance of 1851 in Canada. Unless its of some non-historical significance. But the fresher graves… Perhaps they are related to those filled long ago, perhaps not.. If not, then could this be not the act of a being… such as us, but rather a blossoming necrophile?" He spoke casually, giving less social caution to the topic of corpse rape than he did as he tiptoed around calling himself and the others "supernatural".

[Goosekat]

Department 7 Headquarters - The Common Room - 9:18 p.m.  Tabitha

Tabitha gave Nick a quick nuzzle back then looked at Heinrich when he asked her to return to human form.  She gave him a rather dirty look, or what would have been one if she wasn't in her current form.  Keeping her eyes on the creature sitting on the couch Tabby sat on her haunches and shifted.  Once fully human she slid to sit on the floor, still at Michael's feet and completely unconcerned with her state of dress or undress.  The wrongness of the being called Eve was still present put not in an overly powering pervasive way.  "Perhaps whomever is responsible for the desecration of the older graves is trying to find a powerful vampire that was buried on that date.  Without knowing the proper name on the headstone they would have no other choice but to open as many graves as it would take to find the one they are looking for.  As for the fresher graves, perhaps the are connected and perhaps not.  If they are then maybe the person or persons responsible are trying to locate a direct decendant of the person from the older grave."