Love Changes Everything (Open)

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

(OOC For ease of starting the thread I put Reg and Mari in the same post)

Mari woke up late to the sounds of birds chirping and stretched slowly, her eyes were still closed and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face the world yet. Kissing Rodney had been wonderful but it was just another complication and she didn’t need any more of those. She’d gotten home after kissing him and had literally fallen into bed. She hoped he didn’t have mono or something stupid. Her father had been rather vexed over what had happened but when he examined her thoughts he’d determined Rodney had been the instigator and that she had been trying to get him to see reason. Kissing him back was something her father was irritated about but he’d chalked it up to her heritage and sighed. After all an incubus couldn’t split hairs that his daughter had kissed someone back when she was so keyed up that her senses were in overdrive. She was worried she’d hurt Rodney or something but the only one who had felt a surge was her and he was still quite alive and well according to his texts, so evidently she hadn’t zapped him or anything.

Sighing she stretched and slid out of bed. She always made her bed herself in the mornings even though the staff went and just redid it. It was the principle of the thing. After the bed was set to rights she walked into her bathroom, her bare feet making noise as they moved from carpet to tiles. First order of business, brush teeth then shower and other morning rituals. She sleepily grabbed her toothbrush and put a small bit of paste on it then looked back at herself in the mirror and blinked. Setting her toothbrush down, she grabbed for her glasses. She had to be seeing things wrong. The face that stared back at hers was her, but her as if a plastic surgeon had had free reign with her features. Her eyes seemed brighter and had depth to them. She was still blind as a bat of course, needing the glasses proved that, but this was completely surprising. Her hair had a natural depth to it that no beautician could ever master and it had gone back to its natural dark brown. It was like she’d been remade better somehow. She sat on the commode and pulled the leg of her pjs up. Her scars were gone. Not faded and white, they were just not there.

Holy crap what had happened to her?? She reached up and checked herself. The wherewolf claw marks were gone from her side as was the small crescent scar Ezra had given her when he’d abused her. She blinked and looked at the mirror. Had her father had a vampire bite her in the night and she just couldn’t remember it?? She got off the toilet and ran towards the windows. Throwing open the curtains she half expected to be set on fire or something equally dramatic, but nothing but warmth met her face. Shaking slightly she made herself finish getting ready. It unnerved her to no end that this had happened to her.

Once she was presentable she moved to the public set of rooms she owned and called her father. He was waiting there reading a newspaper. He’d heard all the commotion coming from her thoughts and looked up at her with a thoughtful gaze. Setting the paper down, he approached her, and then circled her, his gaze assessing her silently as if she was a prize mare. She folded her hands in front of her chest and instinctively hunched down a bit and he laughed as he approached closer.

"Well well well…something has happened to you.” He said as he touched her face lightly with the side of his hand and then tilted her head this way and that much like Anneliese had done weeks before. His eyes went to her face and he looked into her eyes a moment before leaning in and sniffing at her neck, nuzzling near her ear with a light brush. His hand went to her hair and he ran his hand through it, it was the same color as his and had a slight curl to it, “Daddy…” she said, her eyes getting wider as he chuckled low.

“Hold still.” He commanded as he lifted her wrists gently and smelled at her pulse point and she did so now that he wasn’t quite so close. She still was scared, her stomach in knots as she felt him go around to the back of her. Heat radiated from him and she felt him move her neck now and lift her hair up. A finger traced the back of her neck lightly and she shivered as she felt her stomach go sour on her.

“Well my dear it would seem you have gotten the better end of the deal by kissing Brentel after all, Kudos.” He let her hair drop and let his hand drift down her back slowly before pulling away.

“Daddy?” she whispered softly, her eyes were large and she felt like she was going to faint. “What happened to me?”

“Well I think its obvious you’ve changed, and for the better I might add. Not that you were ever ugly before, after all I do not have homely children.” He said with confidence as he sat down across from her and smirked, “You have finally come into your power my dear.” He said with a soft chuckle, “I'd hug you but you probably wouldn’t like that.” He laughed knowingly.

“What are you talking about? I developed my powers at puberty.” She sighed and leaned forward; massaging her temples as she sat down in a chair. This was just not what she expected. She was still disabled, but the marks were gone. Her balance was a little better, but that was because she wasn’t bruised all to hell and back.

“You came into the secondary family powers. Suffice it to say that you finally awoke your heritage and that’s what happened.” He rose and walked closer to her chair looking her in the eyes, “I suggest for your own safety you not go anywhere without Trenton the next few days. Your pheromones are going to drive most humans and supernatural creatures a bit wild till you balance out a bit. You’re lucky I’ve got restraint girl. Very lucky indeed.” With that he looked into her eyes and she stared back, “I’m letting your instructors know you’re ill. You’re staying home for your own protection the next few days till your gifts settle out.” She still didn’t know what he was nattering on about and the fact that he was so close was freaking her out more than a little. She held still for fear that pulling back would entice him further and held her breath.

Reginald’s gaze grew heated a moment as he met her eyes. He saw the fear there and chuckled, “Relax, child. No matter how good you smell I wouldn’t risk breaking your power with how unstable it is right now. Sex is the last thing you need. Indeed if my thoughts are correct, sex would just confuse the issue.” He smiled slowly at her, “Think of this as a game of cat and mouse. The cat bats at the mouse to see if it will run. If the mouse gets used to the first level, the game goes to the next; each one leading to another step in the game. The trick is in figuring out whether I’m going to pounce or…” he leaned in and blew softly in her ear, “Whether you’re getting used to it, and like being chased. You’d better run if you don’t want me to catch you.”

She looked at him horrified as he moved away and she bolted and shoved past him to her rooms where she locked the doors. It wouldn’t keep him out if he wanted in but it was the principle of the thing. She barely made it to the bathroom before she started vomiting and she heard his mental laughter in her head.

“One day child the thought won’t make you sick. And after what has happened to you. I can be patient and wait. It’s not like you’re going to grow old any time soon.”[/i] She rested her head on the side of the porcelain bowl and gasped her stomach in knots. What had happened to her? Was it kissing Rodney that had done it? She didn’t know.

"Even if it was, I doubt Trenton will mind given what transpired. Its worth a peck on the lips for perfection don’t you think?” her father’s voice echoed in her mind and he continued to laugh, “I think the game just got a lot more interesting, darling. I’ll call Trenton and we’ll plan some time for you to meet up and see what he says.” He made it sound so professional, and for him it was. The weird fact was that he seemed more relaxed and less manic than before, as if what had happened to her had revitalized him.

It was just weird. She expected him to be pissed, “You forget, darling I just didn’t want you to grow old and suffer. While I can’t guarantee you won’t do either something tells me it’s been pushed back a little bit. The rest, I can wait for. After all, it’s not like you’ve got a lot of offers that you can take. Your options are very limited. I’d be insulted that you didn’t have men knocking down your door but that just means less competition.” he thought into her mind.

She went back to her room and sighed, “Dad says I’ve got surgery and can’t go out till I’m healed up.” She texted Rodney, “Can you get my homework assignments? You can give them to Trenton. Maybe you two can talk then?” she asked as she flopped back on her bed and sighed. There at least now she had an excuse for looking like a fashion model when she got back. She pulled up Logan’s number and texted him, “I won’t be needing that surgery. Evidently Dad found a healer while I was sleeping or something but I woke up and the scars were gone.”

She texted Trenton quietly and let him know something weird had happened and that she thought it had to deal with the love spell. She sighed softly and texted that she missed him and hoped they could meet up as her father had forbidden her to go out without Trenton being there. “Miss you, Trent. Don’t hesitate to call, okay?”

[Daryl Matthew Carter]

Even though Daryl he knew he could be somewhat obsessive, he still took his job very seriously. So there he had been, behind his desk in his office, concentrating at the matter at hand, some of the files and case reports if you could even call them that with how they ended, about Marina Sinclaire that he had come to know about through Mike. He'd heard enough to instantly catch his attention, make him angry even, but he still wanted to read through it, but that only made that angry feeling worse, it was obvious from all of it how she was being treated, just that this guy that was her father apparently seemed to squirm his way out of trouble because of it every time.

So Daryl was decisive that he wasn't just going to shove the files away and ignore it like obviously almost everybody else had done, at least he wanted to pay a visit there, if only it was to show his face, gather some intel, and see it from there what he could do, maybe next to that at least let her know that someone wasn't just going to stand by as all of this happened. So as soon as he had finished reading everything, he had gathered it together again in the right order and put it in the drawer of his desk before locking it, you could never be too safe of course, that was also why he had some different safes at different places in his house himself, he trusted his pack for the most part, but also in that case, you could never be too safe.

Once he had made his way out of the LAPD office and took his car toward the mansion she lived at, he got out of his car, closed the door behind him while he let his eyes look around the grounds, because he could tell the house should almost pulse of the intention it had, to make people impressed and/or intimidated by it. It took him a moment to walk to the front door and as he walked up to it, again his eyes scanned around him while he sharpened his hearing if he heard something that caught his attention, but not just yet he noticed then. He focused his eyes back in front of him as he raised one of his arms and then knocked on the door calmly still, yet making sure it was clearly heard inside anyway. Now it was just a matter of waiting until the door was opened, he would just have to wait and see too what was waiting for him behind it and how he could best play this.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

The home was gothic looking and even with inviting architecture and expansive gardens it still was designed to intimidate. A guard met him as he drove up and after a few moments on a phone the guard nodded. He looked at him with a combination of sympathy and quiet resolve.

When he knocked at the door a butler answered calmly enough, he seemed to be rather tall and a bit gangly as he peered at the man, "Master Reginald is out but his daughter is in. Let me see if she's permitted to have visitors." he beckoned him into the interior of the mansion which matched the exterior perfectly. There house gave off a spooky feel to it and although there was the usual sound of servants milling about it was very quiet. The butler lead him to a series of hallways and then stopped in front of what looked like a huge wooden door that had been outfitted with high security features. Next to it was a phone and after pressing a few keys and muttering a series of passwords the butler nodded and hung up.

"Master Reginald left instructions that she is not to leave the grounds or her quarters. He did not leave instructions about her receiving guests however. Provided you do not leave the grounds I think Miss Marina can see you. I'll open the doors and the security guards will escort you to the rooms you may visit. I strongly advise not wandering, Detective. Its not welcome here and is likely to get Miss Marina in trouble." the butler didn't say anything but the look on his face said it all. Any infraction on Darryl's part would be visited on Marina.

"She was napping so it may take a bit. While I don't like to speculate I think its a case of emotional exhaustion so please try not to over tax her, Sir." the butler was not a cruel man by any means and he had been here for years, "Its not my place, Sir but after her eldest brother assaulted her when she was a child well...we staff look out for her as best we can." he confided in him before his face slipped back to its proper neutral look. He bent down lightly and placed his palm on a scanner before standing just so in front of a light that took his retinal scan. Once that was done he placed his finger in what looked like a glucose reader and let it take a drop of blood. The scanner hummed for a bit and then a green light went off and he scanned a key card. Finally he turned the knob of the door and it opened with a woosh as air was allowed to escape. Beckoning he led the where wolf to the beginning of Marina's quarters where a security guard met him and escorted him down a lengthy hallway.

"Greetings, Sir. Miss Marina is resting she'll be with you momentarily." the female guard said quietly. The butler had been the last male that Darryl was to see. From her on the only staff were women and many looked like they could more than handle any threat to her. The feel of the rooms began to change and indeed so did the furnishings. Where the rest of the house was dark and a bit foreboding this part of it seemed filled with light and took a direct change in design. Where her father had pushed for a Gothic feel, Marina's was more Victorian in nature. Ornate woodwork with roses and vinework graced the hall along with delicate wainscoting and bright wallpapers. Clearly her taste did not stem from the same horror films her dad watched. While the windows were tiny due to the build of the house every effort had been made to illuminate the space and bring in light. Mirrors were placed here and there to help bring in more light to give the rooms a completely different feel from the rest of the house.

Darryl was lead to a room where a female servant offered him tea and some light refreshments on delicate china, "The Mistress will be along presently, Sir. She's just tidying herself up a bit and instructed me to make sure you were comfortable. Poor dear's been a bit ill lately. Sleeping these last two days straight. I was afraid we were going to have to call Dr. Holem in to look at her when she woke up this morning. He's such a nice young man. Making sure she gets out and all when Mr. Moore isn't able to." the woman sounded like a Scottish version of Mrs. Pots from Beauty and the Beast and warmth radiate off of her from every pour. "Oh its a miracle, Sir. She woke up today and it was like the heavens shined down on her. I've never seen such a thing in my life, Sir. Well...its hard to explain but its clear the good lord is shining his blessings on her. About time too with all thats happened. Her brothers being dead and all. Never did like that lot and some of them I'd have put in the ground myself if Master Reginald hadn't done so. I know its not proper for me to say such but the things that some of them did to Miss Marina was shameful just shameful."

Marina in the meantime, had been slowly drifting off to sleep again and didn't try to fight it. Her stomach was awful and she took an extra long time brushing her teeth again. It was during her straightening up that she heard she had a detective visiting her. Putting her hair in some semblance of order she looked in the mirror, Her hair was in a nice french braid with a white ribbon woven through it and it showed off the dark color to good effect. Her dress was light and airy and didn't seem to show that she'd dozed off in it. Giving it a bit of a shake to make sure it fell properly she made her way to the room that the detective was staying in. The echo of her footsteps showed her uneven gait well before they came into view with how the echoed. As she made her way over to the sitting room the matronly woman made her way over and fussed, "You have a seat right here, Miss and I'll get you something more substantial than biscuits." she hurried off to give them some space and Marina blushed crimson.

"I hope you weren't waiting long, Detective. This place is a maze. Any day now I expect my dad to stick a minotaur in here to eat unsuspecting trespassers. I hope you don't think this place is too weird. Security is...extensive." She stepped forward and offered a hand, "I'm Marina Sinclaire. Forgive me if I'm a bit sleepy still. I don't recall calling the police recently and I've not heard from Detective Corbett is there something I can help you with?"

He was a where wolf and the warnings of her father rang in her ears so she kept the handshake brief. Even going so far as to sit a bit away from him as they spoke. A black Labrador retriever witha service dog vest padded out and set his head on her knee as she spoke and she petted him gently. "Maurice here is harmless, Detective." she assured him as she ruffled his ears gently and he woffed at her. He seemed not to mind Darryl overly much in any case as he wagged his tail.

[Daryl Matthew Carter]

One of the first reactions from Daryl, after everything he had seen of the protection of the house and around it, he couldn't help but pull up his eyebrows in a mostly concealed display of despise when the butler so plainly said he was going to check if "Master Reginald's" daughter had permission to have visitors. But still he barely kept all of his comments and other looks in as he folded his arms in front of him and examined everything around him as he could still mostly follow the conversation the butler was having on the phone next to the huge wooden door with heavy outfitted security, but something inside Daryl told him that this wasn't even the start of the overkill security protocols and systems here in place most likely.

'Then I hope "Master" Reginald has at least given her a toilet in her room.' Daryl muttered to himself when the butler told him that Reginald had left instructions that Mari wasn't to leave the grounds or even her quarters for that matter. But still he kept the rest of what was going through his head for himself when he heard what the butler said and the insinuation in it for causing Mari trouble, which totally wasn't what he wanted and/or why he was here after all. 'I'll remember that.' He told the butler with a very slight but good enough smile in his opinion to let him know he wasn't here to cause Mari any more trouble than Daryl found himself thinking she was already in.

'I can tell, but believe me that I'm here for the opposite of causing her anymore problems.' Daryl said simply to the butler who let him know that he and the staff looked out for her, he didn't want to go too much into it, he wasn't here for that, he didn't want to waste time with that either, the longer he ad to talk with Mari about all of this and what he had read without her creep of a dad, the better.

As he followed the butler to where he was leading him, but especially everything he was doing to get past every security precaution, was just something that caught Daryl's attention, this just wasn't normal, not anywhere near it, he had heard of protective fathers, and even that could annoy him sometimes with how bad those parents could be for their kids, but this was just... He'd also heard in the years of werewolves that kept trophy wives or girls just for themselves, but that had never been Daryl's thing, especially not since he got to the point of no return with any good in him, and turned straight around to make up for as much as he could, to be a good as person as he could be, but all of this? It just made Daryl feel sick and furious inside of him at the same time.

'She doesn't have to rush, especially if she's not feeling that well.' Daryl eventually told the female security guard that had taken the work off of the butlers hands of taking Daryl to see Mari, but judging by the guards that he saw, he knew exactly the reason why, he still just couldn't really believe a father would treat his daughter like this, no matter what the reason or species even, it didn't change anything in his opinion of how crazy and absurd this was. At least he noticed soon after as he looked around again that it made him feel a bit more comfortable as the style and colors of the house changed in this part, to a way that he mostly liked more, but that could also be in this case because of how much creepier it made this whole ordeal, a house like how it was for the most part apparently.

Eventually he sat down, took the tea he got offered into his hands and nodded as a thanks for letting him know and that he would wait here for Mari to show up. He only gave a thoughtful look at the female servant he now had to deal with, and he didn't want to make that sound too negative, but all this dealing with other people wasn't why he was here, and it also put more emphasis on what he already thought, this all was just crazy, to keep her locked up like this. 'I'll keep it simple.' He said, again just barely being able to prevent himself from asking if "Master Reginald" really was so much better, just like the comment he had in his mind just before that which would have made him ask too if it wasn't just shameful as the woman said how Mari was kept locked away like this, it was like dealing with a living Mona Lisa, although, probably if he went through all the security stuff that he had noticed, that wasn't even as well protected and guarded as Mari seemingly was.

When eventually Mari showed up, which he had heard the footsteps coming closer way before she actually came within the usual hearing range, even with the echo, he looked up and smiled calmly as he took her hand and shook it in greeting as he gave her one of his most friendly looks to let him know from the start that his intentions were far from hostile. 'It's not like I had much of a choice.' Daryl said simply about him waiting long, in a way that also kind of said that he didn't blame her in case she thought that. 'No that's right, you didn't.' Daryl then started simply but seriously as he looked at her and showed his badge for a moment when she said she hadn't called the police recently, or that she hadn't heard from Detective Corbett. 'But I did get your case files from him, I'm Detective Daryl Carter, and I apologize in advance for being so blunt but... I thought and think we should talk.' He said as he still looked seriously at her, hinting somewhat in his look he thought that he knew more or less what she was, at least that she was psychic, but from the moment he had come close to her, there was also another vibe that had taken him a few seconds to actually start ignoring.

As Mari kept the handshake brief, and Daryl noticed she also took some distance from him when she sat down again, which he then followed by sitting down himself again too, he kind of had the feeling right there and then that Mari had the same idea about him, that she knew what he was, and that only proved the psychic part in his opinion which made him pick up his tea, take a small sip carefully, put it down and as he sat more comfortably he looked at Mari, still smiling somewhat. 'Please, you can call me Daryl.' He said at first when she called him Detective again when she talked about the dog, Maurice which he gave a look for a moment and then looked back at her with the same calm but serious smile again. 'I don't doubt it.' He said simply to let her know that he wasn't really worried about that. 'Besides...' He started off again then, now leaning slightly forward to her while still keeping the most comfortable position he could sit in right now. 'I'm sure you know what I am.' He said direct and straight to the point then, to let her know some more about what he knew about her, and also that he wasn't here to keep secrets and be mysterious or something, he wanted it to be clear he wasn't going to lie to her and that he was here to help.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She shifted lightly in the wingback chair that she sat in and watched Darryl through unreadible eyes. She'd learned to hide her emotions from her father and she wasn't sure that he was just as evil as the man that had sired her. She hadn't lived as long as she had by trusting other supernaturals. Her new change in appearance and powers had made her edgy and nervous. That was why she brought Maurice. He helped calm her down and gave her a reason to stay and not bolt for her rooms and hide. She nodded to security and the matronly woman who had provided food and after the woman had placed a meal in front of her she nodded and they left the room. It was certain that they were close at hand as they closed the door silently behind them.

Raising her hand to her hair she brushed it out of her eyes. Her father liked it when she was blonde and she'd always wanted to keep it its natural color. She was glad her clothing choices were flexible enough to go with such a drastic change. She wondered what Darryl could want. her own gaze taking in his features to try to discern something from his face that might give her a clue. She remembered his name and kept it in the back of her mind in case anything happened.

She went white when he mentioned her case files. Being molested, nearly strangled, and nearly being drowned when she hadn't been the prey of various hunting games. Games that she'd nearly lost or died over and yet here she was. And then there were the bruises and lash marks. Even if her skin didn't bear any of it now her mind was still recovering. She flushed red with shame. She wanted to crawl under her chair and die right there. But fate had been cruel and she still stood there even as she struggled for words, "They said they'd lost them." she shook her head as she felt her eyes well up, "It doesn't matter. The statute of limitations ran out on most of that stuff years ago. My brothers are dead in any case so its really pointless." her shoulders sagged and she blinked to keep tears at bay, "Not like normal justice is going to keep my father in prison long. He always slips away." she dashed a tear away, "Doesn't matter, all the marks are gone now. No one would believe me anyway. They never do." she whispered softly at him as she grabbed for a Kleenex and dabbed at her eyes before her makeup became a train wreck and she lost coherency for his real reason for being here.

She looked up at Darryl and nodded as she got permission to use his first name, "Darryl...I...don't understand what it has to do with what you are...?" she didn't know what his reaction would be and while she could sense he was of good intent she didn't know his reasons for bringing it out in the open like this, "You're an Alpha Werewolf but I'm not sure what that has to do with anything regarding my case files." She rubbed the back of her neck and continued to pet Maurice almost rhythmically to keep from wanting to hide. This was against everything her father had instilled in her and while it was easy to be brave outside these walls, surrounded by things that her father had given her, in these rooms, where the echoes of his steps rang in her mind it was a totally different thing. The silver cross Trent had given her gleamed brightly in the light and she took some inward comfort from it. She moved her hand down to rest gently in her lap. Her right hand never was as strong as her left and she didn't like using it as much.

"Why are you here, Darryl?" she asked him softly as she forced herself to reach for her food. It was finger food and she felt her stomach growl loudly as she looked to him apologetically, "Are you hungry? I can have a plate made for you. I have been asleep for a while." she admitted before taking a bite of a cucumber sandwich.

[Daryl Matthew Carter]

As soon as Daryl saw how white Mari went when he talked about her case files, he knew it was something that kind of shocked her, probably that they were still around, or maybe that someone actually came back on them, but it wasn't even specifically why he was here, it just helped him decide to do it. Once she said she thought they lost them, he shrugged lightly and smiled that way too. 'That probably has multiple reasons, but they're still around, and I'm not here to make you do something with it and trust the justice system or something like that, it just helped me make the choice to come here.' He said once he had let her finish with the things that came to mind because of this and the reasons why she couldn't do anything with it anyway.

Daryl still didn't really want to give too much away from his facial features or expression what his exact reasons for being here were, neither did he think about it exactly in his head, he wanted to judge how the conversation was going first and the reaction Mari would give to it. 'It has to do with what I am because of how I can understand your situation better than the usual people, and I'm not here to help you in the usual way, but I am here for just that, to help you, and maybe it'll help me a little, but that's not my reason, but especially looking at this place...' He stopped for a moment as his eyes went around and looked back at her while shaking his head. 'This isn't a way for you to live, it surprises me you're not yet locked in a tower.' He couldn't help but say sarcastically as he frowned a bit with that. 'You deserve more and better.' He added clearly before she could already god into it, he didn't think it would be really easy anyway.

Daryl hadn't really directly responded to what she said about how she knew he was an Alpha Werewolf, because he didn't really think that was necessary, even though he didn't want to be as most others like him he'd seen, most of them didn't give a crap about anything but themselves. 'The case files and what Mike told me, who by the way gave me them, wasn't the first time I knew about your situation, I pick up things here and there.' He started explaining calmly, still smiling and throwing a quick glance at Maurice before back at her because of her question why he was here. 'Because you can help me with your abilities, if your... Change, hasn't changed that, and that way you can get out more.' He explained pretty simply now, before continuing. 'Next to that, I might not be the psychic here, but I'm pretty sure you could use someone to talk to.'

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Rubbing her temples she resisted the urge to face palm and sighed very softly, "The records were buried because my dad has a reason to do so, Darryl. Digging them up will just cause problems. You'd be better served burning them and erasing the records in the computer database. The less you let those out the less likely my father is to want answers." she said softly to him with a worried look in her eyes, "I know you're an Alpha and you can handle yourself but my father is an incubus and he's dangerous." she whispered softly to him.

"I'm not in a tower because its hard for me to walk up stairs; otherwise I would be." she said dryly as she looked at him and sighed softly, "I don't deserve anything. I've seen people die and no one believes me because its hard to prove anything when all that is left behind is dust from your father feeding on people." she folded her hands together and closed her eyes, her head bowed as her hair obscured her face. "I didn't stop it. I tried and I couldn't but it doesn't mean its not my fault. He's my dad and he hurts people and I can't stop it. I deserve it if he hurts me." she curled into a ball and gracefully put her legs under her. Her movements more refined with all the changes she'd undergone.

"My dad does tend to get around a lot. Its not surprise you heard about me. The woman who helped raise me is a vampire my bodyguard is a vampire. I'm not surprised the werewolves would keep abreast of the situation. I assure you though, I stay out of the politics. I don't interfere and I don't know anything."

"You're asking me to help you with my powers?" she asked softly. Her eyebrows raised as she looked at him, "I see ghosts. Darryl. They tell me things." she admitted as she looks at him with a quiet shrug of her shoulders, "If you think it will help I can try. I usually just try to send them into the light but if its a normal human that does the crime it can give you insights." she exhaled softly, "I'm an empath. I can tell if someone isn't being honest. But...you're right I could use a friend and getting out would be good. I do need to know what the changes in me are first though." she admitted sheepishly as she looked up and smiled softly. "I like helping people."

[Daryl Matthew Carter]

Daryl frowned for a moment because of what Mari continued about her files and then shook his head as he gave her a look that said he was quite surprised by what she said to him and about the files. 'You really think that if I have them or had them I would keep them where everyone could find out that I had them? Believe me, I've been around long enough to know how to hide something that would obviously cause problems.' He told her as he looked at her, then sighed, lowered his head for a few seconds before looking at her again. 'I know.' He said simply when she told him that she knew he was an Alpha but that her father was dangerous and a incubus. 'And because something is dangerous or unwise it shouldn't be attempted? I'm here to help, and I'm not going to let the danger of your father deter me from that.' He said simply and very much convinced about that too.

Daryl smiled softly and slightly when he heard what she said about the tower, but his expression soon became a lot more serious again when she said she didn't deserve anything, and started explaining why not. He shook his head and looked at her with a look full of disbelief. 'You can't honestly believe that? Your father is the one that does those things! And I'm sure that if you had the ability to stop him, you might even have done it, but sometimes the power isn't in our hands...' He bit his lip and looked down, thinking of his own past, the things he had done himself. 'I tore people to shreds, I turned people before I even knew it, I ruined lives of people that don't deserve to have this curse on them... But does that mean that I don't deserve to try and at least redeem myself as much as possible? I don't believe for even a second that you agree with anything that happens here, with anything that your father does, but how can you try and deserve anything if you already write yourself off? Some things are unforgivable and... Even if certain people forgive you, there's always a chance you won't forgive yourself, but it's not laying down our arms and giving up that defines us, it's learning from out past and mistakes and what we do with them that defines who we are.' He said as he looked straight at her again as he told her that.

Daryl smiled sympathetically when she talked about how her father got around and how the woman that had raised her was a vampire and her bodyguard was a vampire too, so that it didn't surprise her that the werewolves would keep up with the situation. 'Good point, although I have to admit that I don't have much interaction with other werewolves, except the ones that are in my pack.' He told her before he smiled slightly and shrugged with his shoulders. 'I have certain rules that they have to abide to, not that they always do or... That I can myself... But I still do my best.' He told her honestly, also thinking out loud as he said that. 'But that way I don't get too much to do with the politics either, that's frustrating enough with the job.' He joked lightly with a small laugh shortly too.

'Well yeah, basically it does come down to that, although with this "change" of yours... I'm not really sure if there's anything else I need to know about that could be of use?' He asked her, not really sure if she even knew herself or not. He nodded in understanding with what she told about how she saw ghosts and how they told her things, but also about how she mostly sent them into the light, but that if it could help and all that, she probably would, at least that was what he got out of it, thus he smiled calmly and nodded. 'If we get more of a grip on the human crime, it would make a lot more easier.' He said because that was one reason, but also like he said that she could get out more. 'So do I.' He said simply but again with a slight smile when she said she liked helping people, but then looked questioning for a moment. 'Well you tel me then, am I being honest?' He asked her seriously but curiously mostly too.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She met his gaze quietly, "I appreciate that, Darryl. I'm sorry if I've been a bit of a doubting Thomas. I just never expected anyone to actually help." she said softly as she looked up at him and smiled softly.

"I would never blame you, Darryl. Being a werewolf is such a difficult thing. I had a boyfriend who was one. He tried to live a good life." she reached over and patted his hand to offer comfort. Projecting reassurance, "I've not given up its just my ethics are at war with my faith. Its hard to explain. I don't...I don't like hurting people and its hard to see how to deal with my father without harming him. So you see my difficulty?" she exhaled gently, "My father has been trying to get me to do bad things for years. I've not done anything bad but I don't want friends getting hurt. I've already had a human friend risking his life by challenging my father for what he'd done to me. His life is in danger now and he doesn't understand what my father is." she exhaled and put her hands together, "Please, Darryl be careful." she said softly.

She looked at him with relief, "I was worried that you were going to ask me about something." she said softly as she looked up at him with a gentle smile. The worry was starting to ease off as she looked at him.

She rose softly and stretched before she beckoned him to follow her. She made her way to her library and after glancing over a computer console she typed in some keyword searches then went over to a bookshelf. Pushing a keypad caused the bookcase to lower into the floor and she reached over for an old book with a bar code on it. Flipping through it she moved back to her sitting room, "I'm not certain but this is my family heritage...." she ran her eyes over the listings, squinting slightly then flipping through to the back, "If this is right...it says I'll develop Empathic healing, and Soul healing...evidently it says I'm a cupid...have you heard anything about those?" she looked up at him and sighed softly, "I guess I'm just a healer of the mind and a healer of broken hearts. That explains the pheromone rush..." she murmured as she left the book open and leaned back into her chair, "If you want me to work on healing someones mind or patch a broken heart I could probably do that. Other than that, I've got connections in the supernatural community that might help.

When he asked her if she could tell if he was telling the truth she closed her eyes, "You've been telling the truth as far as I know. Now whether it is or not depends on how well you can convince yourself that it is the truth. Someone good at projecting fake emotions might be able to fool me but...." she looked at him, "You'd know before I did because you could smell the minute change in sweat and see body posture shifts." she said with a chuckle as she looked at him.

[Daryl Matthew Carter]

Daryl smiled and he nodded calmly to what she explained about her doubts toward him and how she hadn't expected someone to actually want to help. 'If you've lost trust in people than how else would you get over that than that someone would actually step up to help?' He asked her with a sympathetic smile on his face to let her know that he understood her distrust.

Daryl closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head before he smiled slightly. 'I know that you might not blame me... But I do blame myself, if I don't, I can never expect to atone to them.' He said honestly as he looked at Mari seriously again and bit his lip as he felt her pat his hand and what she did. Again a smile appeared on Daryl's features as he heard how Mari explained how conflicted she was, especially with the actions of her father. 'Of course I understand the difficulty, it might be different for you because it's your parent, but I know how it is to want to fight against something dark but... That it's a lot harder than it seems.' He said before he shrugged again and then laughed softly, also in an attempt to lighten the mood a little. 'Don't get me wrong though, I'm not a completely innocent person all the time.' He joked although it was true that he could still, on only a few occasions, could party pretty well too.

He had only given her a look that said that he was sure he knew what he was doing after which he also only gave her a questioning look for a few seconds about the relief she showed and said she was afraid he was going to ask her something, which made him wonder exactly what she had in mind with that.

Daryl followed her when she got up and again he was surprised by some of the secrets and secret compartments in this place, but didn't say anything about it and nodded when he noticed the old book she pulled out and told him that she wasn't completely sure, but that it was her family heritage, so he stayed quiet to listen to what she began to tell him. 'Cupid huh? Well what I remember I can only get the picture of a baby in diapers in front of me with a bow and arrow.' He said before laughing slightly and shrugging afterward. He stayed quiet again after that, letting her say what she wanted and how she pointed out eventually that for as far as she knew, he was telling the truth. 'There's no reason for me to fool you so don't worry about that.' He guaranteed her first before smiling and tilting his head slightly to the side. 'So, to be clear, I'm offering you a job to help me with solving cases, helping people, getting out of the house and... Who knows what else?' He asked clearly now and he thought she would figure that sometimes she might have to work alone with a simple something, or even with someone else, he didn't always have the time or the case that it was about of course.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

"Its just been so long I figured once the statute of limitations ran out on what had happened it was just over. Well that and my brothers are dead so it wasn't like you could punish them." she said with a soft shrug of her shoulders.

Squeezing his hand she looked into his eyes, "Every day you do something good you come closer to your ideal. Don't forget that, Darryl. You told me not to be hard on myself and it would hardly be right for me to let you beat yourself up. Leave the penance for the hang over the next morning at least." she winked and chuckled at him. Slowly coming out of her shell and showing her true nature as she felt more comfortable.

Mari snorted lightly, "According to this the bow and arrow are a complete myth. We can know who should go together with whom but it is not something solved with violence. Seems like its my lot to need a body guard." she muttered softly to no one in particular as she looked at the pages and then back at him, "There are many tings love can do but it never won anything by force, Darryl." she murmured a bit distantly as she set the book down and then shook her head a bit, sitting down a bit more as she felt dizzy.

"A chance to help people would be wonderful, Darryl. I want to make a difference." she said softly as she stretched and looked at him with a gentle smile and pats his hand, "What do I need to do?" she murmurs softly as she looked at him. Suddenly her eyes went wide and she moved away from Darryl to go back to the opposite side of the room from him, clutching her book and shaking quietly.

[Trenton Dante Moore]

Trenton practically ran all the way towards Reginald's house, using every shaded place that he could find as well as shielding his body with a large cape. This must be how the Dracula legends got started, he thought to himself. But that did not matter. What mattered was getting to Marina's house. He had gotten a text from Marina stating that something weird had happened to her and to call when he got the chance. However, "weird" in their world was never good and it would be better to talk face-to-face. As he came closer, a familiar and unpleasant smell reached his nostrils. Werewolf. There was a werewolf in there. At first, Trenton wanted to race inside and rip the dog's head off. However, he did not smell any trace of fear or discomfort from Marina and decided not to be the cause of any negative emotions. He walked in, closing the door and then removing the cloak from his shoulders and tucking it under an arm.
"I'm here. You said we needed to talk?" he asked, ignoring the man she was talking to. The man's scent became stronger and he realized that he was the werewolf he had smelled.

Trenton growled softly, letting his fangs elongate slightly as he took a place in front of Marina protectively, but angled himself in such a way that he was able to watch both at the same time. It was not a challenge, but a warning. He was not going to let Marina be harmed.

Suddenly, a new smell from Marina permeated his senses. He raised his head slightly as he turned to her.
"You smell a bit different. Is everything okay?" he queried in concern.

[Daryl Matthew Carter]

Daryl nodded in understanding to show her that he understood that way of thought about her, but he wasn't really here necessarily in his job as a cop, as he was here in a showing of friendship and that someone still actually cared and did his best to find a way to help her. 'I know, but that's not exactly the reason I'm here, it was just an extra push to do so.' He said as he gave her a calm and friendly smile again.

He looked down with a slight smile as he heard Mari tell him that he told her not to be too hard on herself, so that it wouldn't be right to let him do the same and then shrugged with his shoulders to show that he kind of thought that she had a point there, but he didn't want to go too much into it. 'You're right, but I've just learned through the years that it's best for me to hold onto it, that way I don't forget why I changed myself in the first place, once I actually realized all the things I had done.' He told her honestly, but gave her a clear look that told her that he didn't want to go too much into it after that, but that he also didn't wallow in the guilt, he just gave it a place in himself, he just trusted himself more that way too.

Daryl had still showed her a small laugh when he saw and heard her chuckle and noticed the wink that she'd given him, but with that how she was getting out of her shell too, so that was always a good thing of course. Still he kept quiet as he listened to her carefully as she started about the bow and arrow and how according to that, it was a complete myth, which he only gave a nod to with a look that showed he was going to keep that in mind. His eyebrows raised in an automatic response when he heard her words about knowing who should go together with whom, but it would have to be something he would come back to later on, especially when a smell soon entered his nose, but the presence that most likely came with it, wasn't in the same room yet at least. 'I've never tried to get love with force.' He said, as a quick thought went to Shannelle, and how he hadn't followed her so much for one, and tried to give her the space especially after what happened between them, the kiss... And what happened after, which did honestly give him hope, and the idea she had feelings for him too, but he couldn't force those either so that meant time, but he shook the thoughts off, realizing this wasn't the moment right now, especially with the incoming person, a vampire the way he noticed it...

'Good, then we have a deal?' Daryl asked her when Mari told him how she would like the idea and how she wanted to make a difference too. He wanted to answer her, but yet again he was disturbed from it when Mari backed off and he saw the wide-eyed look on her face and bit his lip while pulling up his eyebrows in a questioning manner. 'What's wrong?' He asked her, surprised clearly and not really getting yet what made her react like this.

In a way he had expected it to be her father, which would be the most logical thing and reaction from her in that case, but it wasn't and it was the vampire he had smelled earlier, it was something he had done often enough through the years, especially before he had turned himself around from not caring about anything, but that had quickly caught up with him and once he had realized that back then and embraced it, worked on and became the person he was now, and was still working on getting even better, making a difference too, a good difference. He only gave Mari a quick look, with a question in his eyes once again that asked her if this was the reason why she acted like that suddenly, although he didn't really think so the more he thought about it, realizing she had told him that she had a vampire bodyguard.

After that look and question in it to Mari, Daryl's eyes went back to Trenton, following him carefully, but keeping his facial features simple and on his guard, but mostly trying to relay the message that if Trenton was trying to intimidate him with showing his fangs and growling softly, he was greatly mistaken. As he crossed his arms in front of his chest, he kept his eyes locked on Trenton, and the leather of the jacket Daryl was still wearing, was clearly heard with that motion, but he didn't care about that. 'And you don't act like this to her father?' He eventually after a silence remarked sarcastically and while shaking his head disagreeing. 'Calm now boy, I'm sure Mari would let you know if you need to play guard dog.' He couldn't help but say sarcastically again, not being able to help it that the violence that Trenton was showing toward him now was affecting him a little for the vampire to so quickly have drawn his conclusions about him it seemed.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

When he commented about never forcing love she got a sense that there was more there than met the eye. Not that she understood what she was feeling, "Love takes a long time to grow and needs to be nurished. I never said you were the type to force love..." she said this gently as she looked at him and tilted her head before shrugging her shoulders. She didn't know what was going on and didn't have enough information to work with. She was trying to stay on lighter subjects.


"Trenton!" She moved over to the vampire and looked at him with a bit of confusion, "I figured we could discuss it over coffee." she admitted softly as she felt self conscious, "It wasn't worth almost catching on fire for, Trent." she said softly.

"There is no need to growl I'm fine, Trenton. Detective Carter came to speak with me about hiring me to work on some cases as a psychic. And yes, Darryl we are in agreement about the job. It will be a good chance for me to get out of the house like you said. It was very thoughtful of you and Detective Corbett to think of me." she placed her hand on Trenton's shoulder, "Please? Just stand down a moment? I've been talking to him for a while and he's been perfectly respectful."

"I had my body change. I woke up and suddenly I was different. My dad said I came into my mom's powers finally." she said softly to him as she tried to calm both males down before things got ugly. When Darryl quipped at Trenton she sighed. "Gentlemen!!! Both of you behave yourself or I will have no qualms with scolding both of you worse than I am now. I respect you both so please stop fighting. Its not proper decorum and if my father picks up on this I will be the one to get in trouble not either of you." Her hand was still on Trenton's shoulder and she tried to sooth him by rubbing it gently, "Trent, please? You're both on the same page. Don't fight each other when you're trying to make me feel better and look out for me." she turned herself to face him, pleading in her eyes that he would see that she really was trying to keep things calmer.

[wickedmagik]

Cramming his hands into his jacket pockets, Wes sighed as he made his way up their stupid rich people walkway, as he considered it. It was long, obnoxious for no reason, and he had only come because Mari invited him to lunch. Normally he would have made up some excuse as to why he couldn't go, but his family was riding him pretty hard to get a decent job. This was the daughter of Reginald Sinclaire, they made it abundantly clear what they thought if he turned this "opportunity" down. Kicking a rock pretty hard, it hit a vase that shattered into pieces, spilling flowers out. "Woops." he muttered quietly as he knocked on the door.

Greeted by a pair of creepy guys in suits, it seemed like what you could expect. There was more security in this place than a bank, what could be that important? Shrugging his shoulders, Wes made his way towards where they pointed him, they made a very keen point telling him not to stray or wander here. Like he really wanted to? Wes didn't even really want to be here, but it was the polite thing to do he was told. In his mind, all he could think about was what happened the other week with Claire, about how Kyra would react.

On top of that, there was the whole thing with Jace that needed to be sorted out. They would come to that later however, as right now he had many other things to focus on. On his way towards the voices, Wes stopped for a moment to admire some sort of antique box. Admire was not the correct word, more like, examine it due to the fact that he thought he was going nuts. On the box there was the figure of a woman in a top hat, who he swore he could have seen wink at him. Touching the box there was a feeling of electricity that passed over his skin, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up straight.

That was when he felt a small shock, causing him to withdraw his hand quickly. "What the shit was that?" he muttered his breath as he waved his hand, trying to lessen the pain. This place was starting to become more trouble than it was worth, so in the true spirit of his mood today he made his way towards the voices. Inside the room he found two men, Marina trying to stand between them, and one of them was unmistakably an authority figure. Wes had a keen sense when it came to these things, and knowing when he was about to walk into a potential warzone.

"Growl? What is he a dog?" Wes asked, there was a smug smirk on his face as he entered the room. Offering a shrug of his shoulders, he kept his hands in his jacket pockets as he watched the little exchange. "Crazy dog men, what will Sinclaire industries think of next?" he asked, leaning against the door frame. "It's not going to be turning into a lunch party, is it? I can come back if you want." he offered. He could be polite and get himself a free ticket out of here, this place was not his sort of place. There was so much tension in the room that he could practically feel himself being smothered by it, but there was something else wrong with this, being here.

In the back of his head he felt like he was hearing whispers, that feeling like he was being watched wouldn't go away. This was starting to go all Twilight Zone on him, or maybe he just needed to sleep more.