Anonymous Rex

[Kor]

"Hello.  Nice to meet you." Karl said before following Nick to his office.  He looked around the area a bit as they walked to Nicky's office.  He thought he smelled that Nicky was a Compy.  Not surprised that some dinos would be among the police and detectives.  He had never seen the inside of a real police station, just those on tv.

He sat in the chair pulled out for him.  He did his best to try to get comfortable.  He nodded, smiling at the question.  "Yes, I've had some books published.  Not to many yet, but I've not been writing to long, about 3-4 years or so." He said.

[bushwacked]

"I thought your name sounded familiar. Haven't had a chance to read them myself, but my neighbour assures me that they're, in fact, awesome." Nicky gave Karl a small smile. Judging from his guise the kid was only in his early 20's, a few years younger than himself. He isn't doing too bad for himself.

Nicky shifted in his chair. "Anyway, I'm sure you have other places you'd rather be so I'll get right to it. There was a shooting at Skylark involving Senator Morrow. As you can see -" he indicated the flustered cops rushing around, "- we're hard at work getting to the bottom of it. Your call was actually the very first we had, so there's a chance you saw something. If you could just tell me in as much detail as you can what you saw, it could really come in useful." He folded his arms and leaned forward on the desk. "You also mentioned some photos you took..."

[Pterano]

Vincent had opted to just give in and shower, guiseless. The water ran down his green scales, forming rivulets that gushed down his body and swirled around the drain at his clawed feet. Resting his hands against the tiled walls, the raptor flexed the big claw on his right foot; there was no pain.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. That was the very claw she had been hanging onto when he'd been unable to save her... the very claw she'd willingly let go of to plummet to her fiery death... or so he thought. He'd been gazing into her eyes right up to the moment she'd let go, begging her to just hold on...

Feeling the steam playing about him and warming his body, the raptor's mind drifted even further back, to the hotel room on Maui. He'd been at a Luau that night, the slowly cooking pork filling his nostrils, and the banana leaves gradually eating away at his brain, causing his mind to spin in lazy carousels of pleasure while he'd been bugging Ernie about how long Ernie had last been with a female. Then all of a sudden it had hit him... the sweet smell of a nude female raptor striding directly toward him from across the hotel grounds. Never mind how she was evading the countless humans she was passing by; she'd gotten Vincent's attention and fast.

But that image had dissolved into a simple female dino in a guise, an employee of the hotel who'd informed him he'd had a phone call waiting for him in the lobby. After the call, Vincent's already cloudy mind had shifted its focus to this guised dino, and soon, they had been practically ripping each others' clothes off in the elevator on the way up to his room. He wasn't sure why he'd been so filled with lust that night (he didn't typically fall over himself to make out with a strange female after all), but by the time he'd gotten back to his room and had stretched his guiseless body out on his bed, closing his eyes while he waited for the female to freshen up in the bathroom, he was completely at her mercy.

Imagine his utter surprise and sweet shock then when the bathroom door finally opened, and emerging through the steam like a Hawaiian goddess arising from a volcano was Circe. Vincent had been struck speechless as her claw had pressed itself against his lips, shushing him as she'd begun whispering into his ear: Love me, Vincent. Love me tonight.

That had been their first (but not last) time, though the PI had later completely forgotten about it due to his heavily drugged state, and the intense amount of pheromones Circe had used on him that night. The memories of that deliciously delirious night had only come flooding back moments before Circe had taken the final plummet. She'd unlocked his mind and allowed him to recall every last sensual detail of it, and then she had let go... saving his life but giving up her own in order to kill her former mentor and leader.

It was only now that Vincent realized he was crying. Dammit! Pull yourself together! he chided himself. He was so vulnerable when thinking about her. Was she really alive, or was this just some sick joke someone was playing on him? He wanted to believe with all his heart that she was still out there... that she would be waiting for him at this gala three nights from now.

Straightening up, he practically began attacking his body as he scrubbed himself down, using one of Heather's wash cloths she'd lent him before he'd stepped into the shower. Sniffing, he shook his head. The past was the past... but it was so damn hard to forget sometimes. Passion had turned into memories, and memories now tore at his heart, jabbing that knife just a bit further down every time they were brought to the surface. "Come on Vincent..." he whispered, turning the water off now as he finished up. "Come on... let it go... stop thinking about it..."

Stepping out of the shower and reaching for a towel, the raptor began to dry himself off, his large claws clicking on the floor as he moved ever so slightly with each swipe of the towel over his body.

[Kor]

Karl smiled, "Thanks.  I just write the sorts of stories I'd like to read.  And attempt to improve when I can." He said.

He breathed in and exhaled slowly as he thought back to the time.  Not sure what details may be important.  At the mention of photos he reached into a pocket and took out the pictures he had made.  "I took these, one of them is of the back and part of the side of the van, with the license plates.  The others are of the entrance & lobby area a second or so after I got to the entrance." He said, unfolding the loosely folded pictures and put then on the desk.  "Not sure if they would help any or not.  Not high quality since I took them with my cellphone."

He paused before continuing. "I was going home like normal.  parked my car and went to the entrance.  Along the way I noticed the van near the entrance and was a bit suspicious why the van was there.  Not like it was a postal, UPS, or some other vehicle like that, but some cleaning company the condo doesn't use.  Then I got to the lobby I saw some heading towards the elevators in back.  I saw the hand and arm of someone behind the desk.  I quickly took out my cellphone and took a few quick pictures and thought it best to leave there before they noticed I was there.  I thought to get one of the van back and bit of the side, once I was away from the entrance where they couldn't see me.  Then I went to my car and drove a block away. Parked it to call the police since it looked like something was up.  Then I called dad so I could stay at my parent's place till it was safe to return home." Karl said.  "not sure if what I said or took pictures of are of any help." He said.

[bushwacked]

Nicky nodded when Karl had finished speaking. "That's okay, you did the right thing. Staying away from there was smart." He rubbed his jaw and sighed lightly. "So you didn't manage to catch a glimpse of anyone suspicious? Anyone at all?" He'd suspected as much, but it was hard not to feel a pang of disappointment. Then again, even if Karl had seen one of the gunmen - if the body outside Vincent's door was anything to go by, the team would consist of dinos, and swapping out their guise for a new look would be all too easy.

He reached forwards and slid the photos across the desk towards him. The first showed the side of a van, 'Evolution Cleaners' printed loudly in white against the black paintwork. As Karl had mentioned, the quality of the image wasn't perfect - it was grainy, and the windscreen of the van was tinted black. It was impossible to make out anyone behind the wheel.

The next two photos showed the foyer, slightly blurry as if Karl's hand had been trembling slightly when he's taken them. Nicky could just make out the hand of one of the dead security guards behind the desk... but again, none of the gunmen were in the shot.

Nicky rubbed the bridge of his nose dejectedly and flicked the fourth and final photograph to the front. It was the shot of the back of the van, again slightly blurry. He started to sigh again. "Well, you did all you could, Mr. Flyn. Thank..." His voice trailed off when he looked down and noticed the license plate. Nicky brought the picture up closer to his face. With the quality of the image, he couldn't see the numbers, but it was white with a  colourful curve across the top... a rainbow? He only knew one type of license plate with a rainbow across the top. The plate is from Hawaii? It was obviously stolen and wouldn't link back to the van itself... but it was an odd choice. Nicky knew that in most cases, it was easier to obtain a stolen license plate from the same area.

He looked back up at Karl and smiled. "Thank you very much for coming down here, Mr. Flyn. I think these photographs could be useful for the case. I assume it's alright if I keep the pictures?"

[Kor]

"Sure, you can keep those.  I still have the digital files on my cellphone, if you need more made.  Not sure if I was able to help any but I hope I was able to at least a little." He said.  "Looks like a mess, with the activity here." He said looking around at the activity around where they were.  He started to get up to go.  "Good luck on the case.  I hope you find out who did it and those involved." He said.

[Pterano]

Vincent stepped out of the bathroom, his natural raptor body guiseless as he was now dried off (he'd had to use two towels). Sighing a little, he plopped down onto Heather's sofa, spreading his arms out across the leather top. It was comfortable... but he could sleep anywhere really. If he could sleep in that sorry excuse for a bed he'd had on the Progressives' island, than he could sleep here no problem.

On that island, he'd had to build a bed out of twigs and feathers and leaves, part of the whole "getting in touch with your Ancestors" crap the Progressives believed in. Tapping his hands on the leather, the raptor picked up the TV remote and switched the television on. Might as well see what was on before bed.

He glanced at his guise, hanging up on a hook by the TV, and briefly considered slipping back into it, but then decided to just leave it for tonight. He'd change in the morning, and go natural tonight.

===========================

Approaching Nicky's desk now, Dan Patterson took off his coat and draped it behind his chair before he kept going towards Nicky's "station." "So think we got a hit on those traffic cams." the brontosaur said as he stopped by the compy's desk. "The vans turned into a parking garage, which of course had no security cameras EXCEPT at the entrance and exits, and three black SUVs drove out. Camera quality was too poor to get no more than a partial on the plates, and CSI only got smudged partials for fingerprints in the vans. Not surprising though... considering who our assailants were." Dan spoke guardedly.

Dino guises rarely left perfect prints, simply because they weren't real human skin and didn't secrete human oils capable of leaving perfect fingerprints behind. It was basically the same as a human wearing gloves, except guises could at least leave partials since a dino's sweat sometimes leaked through the skin. "So that's that..." the bronto glanced down at the photos Nicky had, and tapped the one with the plates. "Hawaii plates? How the hell's a van from Hawaii end up here?" he murmured. "Come to think of it... Vincent's investigation DID take him out to Hawaii." Dan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Wonder if that means the good old Ps are involved. You get anything from either Morrow's or Rubio's places? What did Vincent think of it all?" he inquired.

[bushwacked]

Nicky leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers against the desk. "Morrow's place was cleaned out pretty well, so there's not much to go on. CSI might find fingerprints somehwere but - " he locked eyes with Dan, " - we both know how unlikely that is. I did notice one thing though. Morrow had a family photo. The back was cut open. It looked like something had been hidden, and the assassins took it. Must have been something thin and concealable... like a piece of paper, or a disc. Maybe Morrow wasn't as uninvolved as we first thought. Either way, I'm sure there's something here... we just have to pick up on it."

He leaned forward. "Vincent's place... that was interesting." Nicky lowered his voice so only Dan could hear him. "Yeah, he told me about his history with the Progressives. You just said his investigations took him to Hawaii? It looks like things have started falling into place," he said, indicating the pictures Dan was holding. "We both think there could be a link between the Progressives and this new virus, and he's agreed to help... but only on one condition. I'm not sure how involved you were with all this before, but you probably remember a woman Vincent was... attached to? Circe? It seems she was waiting in his room earlier, when the whole business with Morrow happened. He wants her immune from arrest during the investigation until he can prove her innocence."

[Pterano]

"Hmmm... I'll talk to the family and see if they knew what might be in that photo frame." Dan said thoughtfully now. "It's a long shot, but maybe he didn't keep secrets from his wife."

Dan's brow furrowed at the mention of Circe. "Circe? Far as I knew she died when Raal did." he said, remembering to hush his voice as he gazed down at the compy detective. "She's alive? He wants her immune?" Dan didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit. But it was Vincent, and he'd proven instrumental in cracking the Progressives' case... but still, something about that didn't bode well with the bronto. "There's only so much I can do for him on that front. If her name starts popping up... well she WAS complicit with the Progressives, and yes, I know about Vincent's claims that she was nothing but a dupe. Still... he was heavily involved with her, to my knowledge. He doesn't usually fall so hard for the females, but he fell for her harder than I've seen him fall before. If you run into her, use extreme caution." Dan warned.

"She's got pheromones that are off the charts from what Vincent told me, and I don't trust her. We never really got the chance to question her, and while she may have sacrificed herself to save Vincent's life, that doesn't clear her one hundred percent in my book either. I don't trust any of those two-timing 'get in touch with our Ancestors' whackjobs, and even if most of them were idiots taken in by the cult's false ideals, it's the ones who KNEW about the REAL goals that worry me. I'm still not sure if Circe was one of them or not. So be careful around her. Find out what you can, and use your judgment. If she's on the level, fine, but make sure you know that before trusting her." he said, pointing at Nicky now.

"Anyway, I gotta go. Briefing with the lieutenant soon. I'll keep you posted on my side of things." He clapped Nicky on the back, and moved by him to get the briefing rolling.

=========================

Three Nights Later

6705 Vado Drive was a large house nestled in the Hollywood Hills on a road that descended into a quiet, wooded area. Fryman Canyon Park was close by, and the area was relatively secluded. Who was hosting the party wasn't exactly clear, but dinos from all walks of life in LA would be present.

As Vincent pulled up to the place in his red 2013 Lincoln MKZ, the raptor let out a whistle at the sheer size of the place. It wasn't as large as that Greek style "palace" that Circe hosted her gatherings at earlier in the year, but this place was big enough that it would definitely give even some Hollywood actors envy.

The palatial residence stretched on into the woods, 25,000 square feet complete with a rotunda somewhere in the middle and multiple wings fanning out from the center. "Jeez... what do these people do?" he asked Heather as he pulled into the driveway which (was more like a parking lot). Stopping towards the front of the house, Vincent idled as a guised dino came around from behind a valet desk, all smiles as he motioned for them to exit their vehicle.

Opening his door, Vincent climbed out and was promptly handed a valet ticket by the dino. "Allow me, sir! When you're ready to leave, just present that ticket and your vehicle will be delivered to you no problem."

"Uh... thanks." Vincent nodded, glancing over at the parking lot. "Damn... and I thought I had a nice car." he mumbled, noticing his Lincoln was paled by the array of Bugattis, Maseratis, Bentleys, Aston Martins, and Lamborghinis present. He did see a few "normal" looking cars though, much to his relief. Vincent's Lincoln was new, but it was really the only thing he'd been saving for this past year. There was always someone better out there though...

Striding up to the front entrance, Vincent was pretty familiar with the drill of these places by now. "I might have to offer my services to some of these party-goers inside." Vincent half-joked to Heather as they walked over to the check-in desk. "I mean who out there wouldn't need a snoop job or a tail on a wayward lover?"

"Please check your guises here." said an unguised female compsognathus at the desk.

"Of course." Vincent responded, and promptly stepped into one of the dressing rooms to begin undoing the buttons, straps, and clamps that held his guise in place. One of these days, he'd really have to switch to those newer zipper models, but he was a fan of the older Nakitaras, and was still ordering from their catalog.

Having freed himself from his guise, Vincent stepped out of the booth in his natural state now, holding out his now empty "skin" for the compy to take. She fluidly draped it over a hanger, pressed a button, and the guise was soon zooming into a room somewhere deeper in the manor. She handed him another ticket, and Vincent immediately regretted not bringing any dino clothes to this gathering. Oh well... he'd just hang on to the stupid thing.

A few minutes more and they were in the main ballroom. White pillars stretched up to the ceiling, and dino servers on roller skates moved about the expanse with trays of goodies like banana and mint leaves, cilantro, basil, and oregano. Others had plates of assorted meats and hors-d'oeuvres, and Vincent was pleased that none of it was alive. The Progressives had served live snakes on platters at their parties, which Vincent had completely balked at.

"Well... this is nice." he said, looking around as Christmas music filled the air. Dinos were dancing, chatting, eating, and some were even playing a few card games around tables. He tried to catch a whiff of Circe, but alas, her herbal scent would be masked by the herbs floating about him. His stomach rumbled, and the temptation to reach out and grab a banana leaf was almost too much. But no... he couldn't flaunt his addiction in front of Heather.

Nevertheless, his hands started trembling as he caught the scents lingering about the room, and he grabbed onto them to stop the tremors whilst looking longingly at a tray of basil that drifted by him.

[Ducky123]

After Heather had unguised herself, wearing no dino clothes either, she followed Vincent to the actual party. Heather was familiar with parties like this one from the time she had been a teenie, but she had to admit that many things had improved since. Or maybe she had just been at the wrong locations all the time...
"Impressive..." she awed. "Have you ever been at such a party, Vincent?" she asked the velociraptor walking beside her.
Heather scanned the masses but how should she spot a fellow dinosaur she hadn't even met yet? She decided to leave that to Vincent and just enjoy the party like in her gool old times.

[bushwacked]

Nicky watched his car being driven away by the valet wistfully. He turned to face the huge house. He'd always had an aversion to parties. Gruesome crime scenes were no problem, but in a room full of people talking, laughing and having fun, he was totally lost. But if this can help the investigation... He shook his head and made his way up to the entrance.

The compy behind the desk smiled when he entered and motioned to the dressing rooms at her side. "Please check your guise here, sir."

"Sure." He stepped over, sneaking a quick glance as he passed her. Not bad. Behind the curtain, he stripped off the guise and folded it over his arm, sighing as the air hit his scales. The dark red and green stripes seemed odd after wearing the pale guise's skin. He rarely took off the guise, even at home - several mammalian children lived in the apartment building, and he wasn't willing to take the risk of them happening to catch a glimpse of him. He had to admit, it was nice to be out in the open. Clipping his watch back on his wrist, he tucked the valet ticket behind the metal links and stepped out, handing the guise to the receptionist. As his 'skin' was taken away, he tucked in the second ticket behind his watch too. It now looked like he was wearing some sort of bizarre bracelet, but at least his hands were free.

"Enjoy the party sir!" The female said.

Nicky nodded back, giving an unconvincing smile, and headed down the hall, following the signs that pointed to the ballroom. When he reached it, he stopped and eyed the huge, faceless, partying horde in front of him. His tail flicked as he scanned the dinos, but he couldn't pick up on anyone who looked familiar. Nicky stopped a waiter passing by and picked one of the carnivore treats, the meat calming his nerves slightly.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. Through the crowd, he caught a glimpse of a velociraptor walking with a female companion. He recognised his walk. Vincent. And that must be Heather. He walked over, skirting his way through the room full of taller dinos until he reached the pair. "Nice to see you both again," he said, slotting himself next to them. "Looks like modest isn't a word that fits the host..."

[Pterano]

Vincent nodded at Heather. "Yeah... I have. The Progressives used to have parties that were pretty similar to this." he confessed. "I was undercover at the time... though this seems to be more a party for guiseless dinos with money. Not that some of the Progressives didn't have money but... I'm just thankful none of the food is alive." he admitted, gulping as he remembered those snakes.

Glancing in the direction of one of the card games, Vincent briefly wondered if he could bait one of these rich pukes into betting the keys to his Bugatti Veyron, like Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. Unfortunately, Vincent doubted he had enough money to cover the bet, so that option was probably out.

The smell of mint on a passing tray was rather overpowering, and without realizing it, Vincent reached out and plucked a leaf from the skating server. Herbs were to dinos what alcohol was to humans. Whilst dinos could certainly get drunk on alcohol, they preferred to do it via herbs. Shoving it quickly into his mouth, the raptor began chewing as he noticed a compy approaching them.

"Oh no, not another compy!" Vincent said with mock exasperation, rolling his eyes in a dramatic fashion as he smirked at Heather. "Detective Chaseman, I presume?" he asked now, giving him a playful smile. "It's good to see you as well. I wish I knew who owned this house." he said, looking around. "Modest doesn't even begin to describe them. But whoever they are, I want their job."

He once more scanned the room, but was unable to pick out Circe... if she was even here. "You know, I'm gonna have to start offering my services to some of these dinos... I could really use a chunk of whatever they have." he joked. "As for Circe... no sign of her yet... but she's also good at masking her scent whenever she pleases. I hope she won't mind a cop being here, but she did say I could invite whomever I pleased. I'm also not a complete idiot when it comes to her either. Having... backup, is a good idea." he said, looking from Heather to Nicky.

[Kor]

Karl arrived in his cherry red Tesla Roadster.  After the valet drove off with his car he put the ticket into an inner pocket of his vest that he had.  He had brought it as some dino clothing he would wear.  He always liked having pockets.  His vest he had draped over one arm.

He smiled at the compy behind the desk as she smiled back.  She motioned to the dressing rooms to her side.  "Please check your guise here, sir."

"Ok." he said.  He went into the dressing room and took off his human guise, putting it briefly on the floor as he put on his vest.  Being a state of the art guise it was easy to get out of and into.  The pockets were closed with velcro.  Slightly annoying to put anything into or take out of the pockets but it made being pick pocketed very hard to do so he could live with that.  

Once he had his vest on he picked up his guise and took it to be checked in, putting the ticket into the same pocket as the valet ticket.  Easier to remember 1 pocket he had 2 tickets in then which pocket he had which ticket in.  

He then walked into the main party are, getting some meat off of a tray one of the staff had.  He avoided the plants and such.  He prefer to keep a level head most of the time.  He then looked around to see the different folks at the party, deciding if he wanted to just mingle first, then maybe go to the dancing area in a bit.  He was sure he'd know some folks here, maybe some of his family and friends had arrived, and folks he knew from a business standpoint also.  

[bushwacked]

"A good idea from a raptor? Makes a nice change," Nicky said sardonically. The waiter with the tray of herbs passed nearby, and he shook his head, preferring to keep a clear mind. He gazed around the room, but couldn't make out anyone suspicious. Without her guise on, though, Circe could be standing right next to him and he'd never know - and if she could mask her scent as Vincent pointed out... He was going to have to put his faith in Rubio to spot her, and trust that, if she took offense to him being there, she wouldn't try anything in such a crowded environment. Still, being so exposed made him anxious, and the fact he'd left his gun didn't help him feel any better...

"Back up? You think there's a chance this could turn violent?" His eyes passed over Karl standing alone across the room without recognition. "Is it safe for a civilian to be meeting her?" Nicky asked, bringing his attention back to the two standing with him and shooting a quick look at Heather.

[Pterano]

"Nice..." Vincent rolled his eyes and shook his head at Nicky's first remark. Oh this interspecies rivalry was truly a fun affair. "As for violent? No... I don't think so." the raptor shook his head here thoughtfully. "She was never a violent dino. Seemed to be saddened by it in fact whenever it did occur. I just want backup because... how I might get around her." he commented now.

No sooner had he spoken than his nostrils filled with the intoxicating scent of basil and oregano. Closing his eyes, his mind floated upon it. It was much stronger than the plates of herbs, and Vincent just knew. It was her. Opening his eyes, the raptor felt time slow as he turned, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

It didn't take long. She was a short distance away, materializing through the crowd in all her green scaled glory. Her scales shone verdantly like millions of emeralds sparkling under the lights' glow. If possible, she looked even more radiant than the last time he'd seen her. But there was... something about her too. Remnants of scars? Had she had surgery?

She was smiling warmly, her eyes directly on his. Vincent felt his heart stop, gulping at her sheer beauty. She wasn't wearing anything save for a slim golden band around her waist, which held a small, egg-shaped emerald which draped over her front, covering her package in that sexy manner Vincent remembered from his stay on the Progressives' island. The only difference was that on the island, the emerald had been a pin. Here it was dangling from that band.

Without saying a word, she crossed swiftly over to him, wrapped her arms about his form, and pressed her lips against his in a deep, affectionate kiss. Vincent inhaled sharply, eyes widening, and then finally, he sank into it, giving in and holding her against him, kissing her back. It was like some wild dream that Vincent never thought would come true, and he still wasn't sure if this was some delirious hallucination or not. But she suddenly pushed him back just a tad, breaking the kiss. "Vincent, I did tell you to behave yourself." she said, giving him a wink now.

Vincent blinked, and flushed a tad, realizing he'd been "rising to the occasion", and quickly stayed close to her to conceal that. Circe gave him a knowing smirk, and brushed his leg surreptitiously with her tail. "It's good to see you again, Vincent." she said now.

"It's a spectacle I never thought I'd see again." he admitted. "How?" he asked.

"In due time, Vincent." she said, smiling at him again. She turned her eyes to Heather and Nicky now. "Pleasure to meet you." she introduced herself to Heather, wondering at Vincent's relationship to her. She didn't care though. She had said Vincent could bring whomever he pleased. "And Detective Chaseman, I presume?" she asked, nodding at Nicky. "It's nice to see you without your guise. I do thank you for graciously letting me go back at Skylark." she said, giving him a more coy smile now. "It's nice to see my innocent girl routine still works from time to time." she gave him a good-natured wink. "However... I'm sure you're not exactly... trusting of me. As a symbol of my good faith, I'm willing to cooperate with you fully." she informed him, clasping her hands in front of her, threading her fingers and claws together and letting them hang down to just above the emerald.

[Ducky123]

Even though Heather didn't like Circe from the very first moment she saw her, she had to admit that she was gorgeous, being female at that. However, when Cirse kissed Vincent, se felt some sort of wrath boiling in her veins. Vincent didn't know that Heather had a crush on him, luckily, and Heather didn't want him to discover that at that moment so she fought back her strong aversion against Vincent's love. Glaring at Circe grimly, she listened to what the female raptor had to announce.

[Kor]

Karl saw a few folks he knew and went over to where they were, grabbing a meat snack off an offered tray along the way.  They greeted him and he waved back.   It was a group of mixed species.    He joined in the small talk they were doing.

[bushwacked]

Nicky crossed his arms as Vincent and Circe embraced, noting with a small degree of amusement Heather's sullen expression. Looks like you have some competition. As they broke apart, he inclined his head towards Vincent, eyes darting down for a second. "Looks like it might be a bit... late to back you up."

He brought his attention over to Circe when she addressed him, his gaze sharpening. She wasn't hard on the eyes, that much was for certain... but she seemed fully aware of it, and willing to flaunt what she had. That could be a dangerous combination. I can't let her distract me.

Nicky nodded when she offered her cooperation. "I'd appreciate that. And that was a nice trick back at Skylark," he admitted disgruntledly, still prickled at how easily she'd managed to deceive him. "Although now that I know about it, you'd need to pull something really spectacular for your act to work again." He shot a sly look over at Vincent, a smile flicking quickly across his face to let him know he didn't mean it.

"Vincent tells me you two go back a long way. Still keeping in touch with your... old friends?" he asked, scratching his elbow with his claws under his crossed arms.

[Pterano]

"Uhhh..." Vincent flushed again at Nicky's crack at him, but Circe helped him out by raising her tail from his leg to in front of him to block the view until he settled down a bit. Vincent caught Nicky's look, and gave him a little shrug and a sheepish smile.

Circe nodded at Nicky's words on how she'd managed to trick him, smirking again. She didn't blame the detective. She was well practiced in making herself look innocent. She shook her head at his question. "No... I do not, detective. But to answer that question more fully... I'd need to answer Vincent's as well." She turned to look at him now. "Vincent... do you remember when Raal attempted to dump you into the La Brea Tar Pits?" she asked. He nodded. "How did you survive?" she pressed.

"I... used my tail." Vincent said, remembering the event, though he'd been heavily drugged at the time. "Slowly pulled myself out."

"That's right, your tail." she smiled at him, using her own appendage to brush along the front of his body.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Kind of hard to 'behave' if you keep flirting with me." he mumbled to her under his breath.

"Fair enough." she confessed, patting his belly now with her tail's tip before continuing. "Well I survived the same way, though I suffered burns." she explained now, indicating the scar traces she had on her body. "It was a long recovery... and that's why I didn't immediately inform you of my survival, Vincent." she told him. "I couldn't bear to let you see me in that state..." she said, her face falling here.

"But now... we can be together again." she added, reaching out and running her hand over his chest. "That is... if you still... desire that." she said more cautiously.

Vincent noticed Heather seemed to be a little... odd. He couldn't quite tell what was wrong... but would need to talk to her about that later if he had the chance. He thought about Circe's question a moment, then decided on the safer route. "More than you know." he admitted to her now honestly, staring at her sincerely. "But... I'm afraid you're going to have to earn the trust of... them." he nodded in Nicky and Heather's direction. "And though it pains me to say this... you... need to regain my trust as well, I'm sorry." he said sadly, closing his eyes and looking down.

"I understand." she said with sincerity and perhaps some regret. "To answer your question, detective, no, I don't associate with the Progressives anymore. And for good reason." she said. "They're more dangerous than ever before... or at least... Raal and his core group is. They betrayed my ideals a long time ago, and I haven't looked back since. Raal himself betrayed me... he betrayed... everything I used to see in him."

"Raal died..." Vincent said, not sounding like he believed his own words.

"I survived." Circe responded. "He did as well. I couldn't stop him back then... but that's a mistake I intend to fix." she said resolutely. "As part of regaining that trust, I'm prepared to present you with some information. The Progressives are behind this virus outbreak that's afflicting New York. Raal and his core followers have become even more violent than they were before. His resources have allowed him to manufacture this virus. His facility is located on the island I took you to earlier in the year, Vincent. Not only that, but Los Angeles is in danger, detective. Raal is planning on unleashing the virus on the city next." she said with grave seriousness. "He won't stop until humanity is wiped out. He's convinced that only extinction is the path the mammals must take, and he's prepared to see this nightmare through."

Vincent took the opportunity to move over to Heather, whilst keeping his ears on the conversation. "You all right?" he asked her in a low voice. Fortunately, he had "recovered" enough so that he was able to step out from behind Circe to do this.

[Ducky123]

Heather listened to the talk carefully. Obviously, somebody HAD to note that she was peeved.
"I... well you know..." Heather stammered as she was adressed by the PI. "I dunno why but I don't like her..." she muttered. Searching for a pretext to hide her true reasons as for why she strongly disliked Circe, she quickly had one in mind.
"I just can't trust her. I have a feeling she's up to no good, no matter that she's trying to assure she's not," the hadrosaur explained, continuing to glare at Circe who didn't seem to pay any atention to her anyway.