Some Piece of Mind

No big jobs have been posted recently giving the group some downtime for once to take care of things around the office. Denny paid a visit to let them know about a few things that may be coming down the pipe in the next couple of weeks but with nothing really active at the moment, his information was moot. Juliet did some cleaning and organizing around the office. Adam was just a bum. He showed up, read his required reading from Hanson, then would laze around the office all day. It was a nice change of pace from the panic and mayhem they seemed to go around the place.

Hunter still keeps to himself in the downtime. He doesn't lock himself in his office anymore. The door is open and the light is on so people can walk by and poke their head in. He's either on his computer doing something or watching the TV in the corner. Some habits never changed with him giving the others some sense of normalcy. It was Tuesday after they returned from South Burlington that Hanson called Juliet into his office. His mind was hatching a plan to help Hunter possibly recover who he was entirely before his incident at the museum. "Lady Juliet, I need your opinion. There is a remedy house in Florida that boasts some of the best practices for their visitors including therapeutic regimens for bone and muscle treatment including therapy for better memory and recovery. We may be able to get the young master to be somewhat of his old self if this really works. If not, then we all get a weekend vacation." Juliet seemed torn on the idea. "Ah…" She started but stopped herself. She looked all around the room looking for the words to say. "Hanson, the last time I recommended a vacation we all about died on it. I will let you know that I like it, however, I am not sure if my opinion should be considered in this case."

Hanson began to play dirty, "This may be the thing he needs to remember your real name and who you are, Lady Juliet." It was an unfair blow to her esteem. "I hate that you can play me like that." That was her "yes" to the idea. He was right though. The worst thing that happens is that they get a weekend free from the nonsense that happens around the office. Hanson pitched the idea to Hunter the next day. It struck well enough that Hunter agreed to go 50/50 with Hanson to give the entire building the time off from Thursday to Monday morning and the hotel plus spa for the weekend for their field agents.

As with many of their adventures, their bags get packed but this time with some notice. On Friday morning they are scheduled to leave and everyone meets at the airfield. Hanson drove Juliet and Adam from their respective apartment. Cooper took the bus to the airport while Hunter drove himself. They all met at the gate where they boarded their plane surprising their pilots with their own weekend vacation. Everything lines up perfectly when they landed in the mid-afternoon in Miami Beach, FL. Their hotel was only minutes from the airport where the resort picked them up in a shuttle. Everyone was given their own room on the top floor.

Walking in they each had the same reaction to the two-thousand-foot space with a second floor with their king-size bed and master bath all to themselves. The glass wall overlooked the beach and the ocean providing the greatest view they could get along with blackout curtains so the rising son does not disturb them in the morning. The balcony had its own hot tub that could fit at least six people comfortably along with a glass pool right next to it that hung out over the hotel. The water was clear enough that you could see straight down into part of the spa and the larger hotel pool below. The floors are solid stone cleaned to a shine with furniture large enough to host a party of 20 or 30 people comfortably. The bar stationed under the overhang for the second floor was stocked with fresh unopened bottles that the resident had full access to as long as they paid for the opened bottles. The TV mounted to the wall was almost as large as the wall itself. This was a high-class suit that cost a pretty penny but for the weekend this was home.

Hunter got settled in just by throwing his bag onto the bed upstairs. He took a look around the room to get used to the accommodations before he set out for what he wanted to do. Everyone got to schedule their own weekend to do what they wanted except for Hunter. His was built for him with cooperation from Hanson and Juliet as their gift to him. His first thing wasn't for another couple of hours. He was to go to the spa area for a deep tissue massage. Being in the type of work that he was in, he would be one of the most coveted types coming from the skilled technique of a Slime. A lot of monsters were employed here but only a select clientele got to see them as they were.

Juliet seemed to disappear almost immediately. Hanson took his time changing from his usual business attire to something he considered more vacation wear. Sandals were his footwear of choice along with a light button-up shirt with simple shorts of a plain color. Being Florida and sunny, he topped himself with a sun hat. No one really knew what he had planned but this weekend was for him to enjoy as he saw fit. Knowing him, he would have some nightlife activities planned like shows or a movie before coming back and heading to bed for another day of relaxation. This was looking to be a great weekend.

Hunter managed to kill time by looking around the grounds, looking at where everything was located, and making notes of where he needed to be and at what time according to the itinerary he was given. He showed up to where he needed to be about five minutes before he was supposed to. The area was hidden by a tall fence of fake bamboo with a hut hidden in the middle. A woman wearing plain white clothing entered after him, shocked by his being there, "Oh! I'm sorry!" Hunter turned around to see that she was dressed to be working there, "No, no, you're fine. I think I'm supposed to be here."

"You must be my 3 o'clock then. I am Sasha, pleased to meet you."

"Pleasure is mine."

"If you just give me a few moments I will call you in when I am ready for you."

"Take your time."

With a quick smile, she passed him entering the hut, He took to leaning against the fence for a few minutes before he heard her call for him. The lights were dim, and a couple of candles were lit with a CD player playing a relaxing loop. "If you would please disrobe and lay down. If you want the sound changed, just let me know." She turned her back to him while he obeyed. He laid down on the large table placing his head on the rest. "Ok, I just need you to relax and let me do all the work." He felt something get up on the table before straddling his hips. He felt what felt like soft skin against him. It was strange until she began talking, "Ok, now just relax as I do." The feeling of skin turned into a liquid that slowly began crawling up his back until it hit his shoulders. It coated his arms, lifting and moving them to the ideal spot for the muscles to be worked. The cold feeling of water changed to being engulfed in a warm bath. Some slight pressure was applied to his spine slowly working from top to bottom cracking the disks in between. He heard his attendant, "Oh wow, you are really stiff." The pressure slowly increased as it began to spread to other parts of his back, to his shoulders, and down to his arms.

In a slight fit, he shuffled himself slightly lifting his head up and cracking his own neck just enough to help relax. As he did he caught the slight reflection of something before putting his head back down. His eyes tried to process what he saw. Something was just a mass of blue then it finally clicked. The feeling of water on him. This lady was a blue slime. Instead of a normal human being that uses their joints, a slime can use its entire body and put pressure by changing its density in places. Being almost liquid they can cover a wider area. This woman knew what she was doing. The pressure was a slow roll from spot to spot, nothing too sharp, but perfect for loosening the muscles.

Her gelatinous body was able to freely move around him, moving his arms just slightly getting him into the perfect spots to get around certain muscles and into the deep tissue. The entire time there was no pain. The soft texture of her gel was so much different from the joints of a person. It's more of a cushion than a sharp stab. As she rolled across his shoulder blades he heard her ask, "How are you feeling?" He couldn't get words to form. "Good, then by the end of this, you should feel like a slime, loose and like goo." He mumbled again giving her the best thumbs up that he could.

It was a solid 50 minutes of this before she slowly rolled off. "You should lay there for the last 10 minutes to let your body recover before you try walking again. I also recommend that you sit in your hot tub for about 30 minutes before you go to bed." His arms flailed a little bit trying to communicate. His eyes opened looking at the floor with a deep sigh. A blue puddle rolled under him forming somewhat of a face, "Feel better?"

"Uh-huh."

"Glad you enjoyed it. Ever have a slime rub work your back before?"

"Nuh-uh."

"It's something, isn't it?"

The pool disappeared off to the side. Hunter forced himself to roll onto his side and then into his back to get air to his body that had been up against the leather table. He gave one deep inhale before sitting up to find a translucent blue woman standing with a towel covering her. He looked away while she solidified herself into her clothes. His were found at the end of the table neatly folded waiting for him. He gave himself another five minutes before he was able to stand up on his own and get dressed. His legs gave out only once before they were able to hold him up. Once dressed he reached into his wallet handing the woman a $100 bill. "I don't know if you take tips but you earned this."

"Typically when people give me tips it's because they want me to 'service' them differently."

"As awesome as I'm sure that is, no. That's not ok to ask of your masseuse."

"Such a gentleman. Take care of yourself. I had to put a lot of work into getting you that relaxed."

Hunter had a few hours before his next planned stop. Something called "Saltwater Thought Revitalization". Sounded weird but then again, he just had a slime woman roll on him for almost an hour. He took the downtime to relax in the hotel lobby where he got to see Adam wander around. He seemed to be enjoying his vacation in a more digital fashion. He had some computer gear in his hands heading towards another wing of the hotel. "I wonder what everyone else is doing." The chair felt like he was floating after the massage.

There were still parts of the hotel he didn't get to visit yet. Once he was able to get himself up from the chair he headed down a larger hallway. He passed a heated indoor pool that looked to be Olympic-sized. It stretched on for quite a way before dropping to 20' deep. There were plenty of people having fun in the water. The next room over was a workout room with the usual equipment. The windows looked out to the pool with a few TVs scattered around for entertainment. There was a jukebox plugged into the wall that pumped music through the room for those willing to pay for a song. A few rooms were scattered in between the weight room and a business center. The small window let in a little light to see computers set up in rows. They looked very plain, just on the line of functionality for what people may need.

The hallway split off to another common area where he found where Adam had run off to. He was setting up his laptop on a table with a few other people doing the same. He seemed to have managed to find a few people who had brought theirs with him and were willing to play a few games. They were getting ready for a LAN party in the hotel. There was also a room sectioned off with larger arcade machines. That seemed like enough for him though. He had to get to his next spot which he still had not found yet.

The main desk directed him down another hallway and let him know that he would know when he got there. The wallpaper changed when he turned a corner darkening the hallway he followed it down to a set of double doors that read "Spa Lounge #3". He opened the doors to an expansive room. It looked similar to the area he went to get his message in except indoors this time. There were fake bamboo fences separating different areas. They each had a number to which area they were. The lady that was attending the entrance was able to look up his appointment time and give him a number. 23 was his. Apparently, this was near the back and seldom used as it was reserved for those who booked a special session, meaning monsters only. He found his knocking first. With no answer, he stepped in to see what looked like a small hot tub set to a light bubble. He hung up his shirt before looking around.

There was a sign on the wall with instructions for those entering. "Disrobe and enter the water. Your thought specialist will be with you when you are ready. Does that mean someone is watching me?" He looked around but from the fence, he couldn't see anything. There were no cameras that stuck out to him. No balconies that overlooked the fence. Maybe the person in charge knew? Either way, he booked her for two hours so he would have to make the best of it. His clothes were left in the clothing box before he slipped into the water himself. It was a weird temperature. It wasn't warm but it wasn't cold. It felt kind of gritty against his skin yet was soothing.

He sunk into a spot that was etched out of the stone to fit a person. He heard the door behind him close followed by footsteps. With his back to the door, he felt uneasy enough to look behind him. She was a shorter woman about 5' 8" dressed in a pure white bikini holding a towel, a mat, and some weird headrest. She greeted him with a smile on her face, "You must be Hunter. My name is Samantha but you can call me Sammy." She seemed like a really sweet girl. Her blonde hair was pulled up near the top back of her head and again near the end by the small of her back. Her ears were pointed more than a human with a little bit longer shape to them.

She wandered around the area getting her things together while letting the water work its magic. It seemed to help relax him with a rhythmic burst from the jets in the water. He heard the mat against the concrete behind him. Looking back Samantha was getting on her knees setting herself up for his session. "Have you ever done this before?"

"I have not."

"Ok, then here's what this entails. You just relax, placing your head against this."

She tapped the headrest against the back of his neck hinting for him to lean back. The foam molded to his head holding it in just the right spot for him to let his muscles go numb. It was braced against her knees just behind him. "What I am going to do is, while you relax, pull some of your happiest memories and create a new story for you to enjoy. You'll know this is a story just for you but you will also know that it's not real. Think of it like a good movie. I just need you to relax and open your mind for me." He could feel her shuffling behind her. With his head in the groove, he looked left and right to see her hands next to him but not in contact. "Um, question. What are you?"

"Hmm?"

She leaned over so he could look up at her. "Like, I can tell you're not human but I can pinpoint what species you are." She smiled at him, "I am a fairy. Most of these types of sessions are done by fairies because we can tune ourselves to the person we focus on." He nodded what little he could, "Ok, and you just need me to relax?"

"Yes, relax and open your mind."

"Ok."

He put his hands on his legs under the water letting his head fall back. The groove in the soft stone kept him in place while his muscles worked with the water to relax. "Open my mind…" Hunter did what he felt was natural and cleared his mind. He could almost feel a warm sensation from ear to ear. The image of Juliet came to his mind. She walked around him wearing her usual business attire and looking at him. He could hear Samantha's voice, "She is beautiful, isn't she? Tell me, who is she?" His mouth never opened but he answered, "That's Juliet."

"That's a pretty name. Who is she?"

"She works with me."

"Oh, office romance then?" She giggled, "I kid. She seems like someone important to you though."

"Yea, she's helped me a lot."

"What is it that you do?"

"We're contractors."

His office appeared around Juliet as she stopped in front of him. She grabbed his hand pulling him through the front lobby to the stairs instead of the elevator. Samantha asked, "Where are we now?"

"This is my office."

"This is a nice place."

"Thank you. I worked very hard for it."

The two stop on the second floor where Hunter's office is. He peers inside looking at his empty office. The next one down is Hanson's. Looking inside Hanson is sitting at his desk working diligently. "Who's that fine gentleman?"

"That's Hanson. He's like my assistant but more."

"Diligent worker?"

"Wouldn't have made it without him."

Juliet waves to Hanson as he works before pulling Hunter to the conference room. There, sitting at the table is Adam playing a game on his laptop over the projector. "Who are we meeting here?"

"That's Adam."

"He seems awfully young. Does he help?"

"He's 15 and learning. A sad victim of circumstances."

"But you took him in?"

"Kind of. He works for us but we make sure he gets by."

Juliet takes Hunter back to the stairs where they head up to the third floor. They run into a gentleman as they exit. "Watch out! Don't want to hit him."

"It's only Cooper. He can take it."

"Must be new if you're griefing him."

"He just started and already proved his worth."

Juliet takes Hunter back into the hallway up to the roof. She lets go as the sun hits him dashing out onto the open roof. With her arms out she absorbs the sunlight into her skin enjoying the warmth. She turns back with a smile on her face. She seems really happy at this moment. As she sways herself back to him her work clothes change to a white and yellow sundress with a wicker sun hat. She lifts the front of the sun hat showing her face with the shadow pattern on her face. "Hunter, tell me. Do you remember my name now?"

"Yea, it's His…"

Hunter lurches forward heaving heavily into the water. With a deep inhale he catches his breath but continues breathing heavily trying to catch his breath. He feels a hand on his back as he's still leaning forward. With a quick jump, he flings himself into the water missing his step and falling under the surface of the water. Emerging he sees Samantha with her hands against her chest. Her face is filled with concern for him. Hunter stands as best he can, regaining his bearings. With a deep exhale he dunks his head again before emerging. He pulls his hair back with the water before taking his spot in the seat again. Samantha moves to his side putting her feet in the water to get to the edge, "I am so sorry. I have no idea what happened there."

"You… You saw that?"

"Yes, you started to say something then it felt like something kicked me out. We can try again or you can just relax for the rest of your time."

He seemed rather focused, "But I remembered her name."

"Yes, Thought Revitalization is known for pulling old memories that bring happiness. For you, it seemed like this woman was a source of happiness for you."

"I mean, yeah, maybe."

His breathing finally seemed to calm down enough he was able to lean back and relax again. The cushion slipped a little without the person behind it but it was enough. With one deep breath Hunter let her know, "Ok, we can continue."

"Are you sure? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. I'm pretty sure this was set up because I've been having some issues remembering things."

"Amnesia?"

"No, just a lot of time in between where things were lost."

"You can't be any older than…" She stopped to remember who her clientele is, "Nevermind, if you're ready."

He nodded, "I am."

"Ok, relax and open your mind."

Hunter let the water pulses take over his body while Samantha got herself situated behind him again. They two adjusted until they were both comfortable enough to stay in the same position for a while. As Hunter relaxed but before she could do her magic he had to ask, "How long have you been doing this?"

"Oh, a couple years now."

"Have you ever found something unpleasant in someone's mind?"

"Everyone has unhappy moments in their life but I help rewrite them so they can let go of that unhappiness."

"Interesting…"

His mind began to drift before fading to white. Juliet appeared before him. "Oh, she's back." She was wearing her more casual clothes this time. Slightly torn jeans, print t-shirt with the words "World Class" written on it at a slant. The world around them faded turning into Hunter's home. "This is a nice place. Where are we now?"

"We are at my home."

"It's very nice. Has she been here before?"

"Once."

"Ooh, scandalous with your co-worker?"

"Hehe, no. She helped me with a project in exchange for…"

"Exchange for?"

"A free day… I had forgotten."

"A free day? What do you mean?"

"She's bound by the collar on her neck."

Juliet backed off holding her hands on the silver collar around her neck putting a light tug on it. "I still owe her a free day for helping her."

"Now it's my turn, what is she?"

"She's a succubus. Her powers are restricted by the collar."

"Better give her that free day."

"Yea. I need to do that."

"What did she do to help you?"

"She…"

The house turned dark quickly. There was a hazy black mist over the house diluting everything that could be seen. "Hunter, what's happening?"

"It's coming…"

Samantha's voice turned to panic, "What's coming?"

"It's coming."

"Hunter, I need you to think of a happy thought. Anything. I need a happy thought right now!"

Juliet was swallowed by the darkness turning everything black. Samantha's voice echoed in the void, "Hunter? Where are you?" There was no response. "Hunter, I can't let go. I need you to let go." A gold outline appeared in the distance slowly coming closer. As it got closer more and more light was cast on it. It appeared to be a sarcophagus with the face of a dog. It got closer, stopping a few feet away from them. "Hunter, what is that?" Her question fell on deaf ears. "Hunter!" Her echo was drowned out by a low growl that got louder shaking her to the bone. The sarcophagus opened to only a darker black. Samantha began to panic as she stared into the abyss in front of her. Nothing seemed to move. "Hunter?" There was a loud screech with a flash of a face she could not discern from his memories.

Her head was jarred back as she felt someone's hand over her mouth. The tears that had built up in her eyes began rolling down her face. The hand that had her was palm up with the thumb under her chin grabbing her by the bone. The pinky was right next to her eye. Looking over she could see a gold ring with a ruby gem encrusted into the metal. The thumb pressed on a pressure point controlling her head to look down. Below her, it was Hunter looking up with a tear running down the side of his face. Samantha's body finally gave out causing her to grab herself with her arms. With such a simple grip she was totally under his control.

She tried to make a noise but nothing could escape. His eyes looked to be in pain yet with no emotion. "Samantha, did you see it?" She muffled out what she could while shaking her head as much as she could. "Sammy, I know when you are lying." Her eyes widened as she tried harder to shake her head. "I'm sorry, Sammy." His grip tightened on her jaw as he spoke, "You can't know. No one can know. No one should know." She could feel the air from her lungs escaping leaving her breathless. She couldn't fight as she stared into his eyes.

He watched as she began to convulse in his hand. Her skin turned pale as snow and her eyes began to roll back. Her body let out one last twitch before ceasing to function. He released her jaw letting her head fall to the concrete. A small black puff of smoke escaped her mouth as she lay face down on the concrete with her lower body still sitting. He took off the rings, throwing them into the saltwater bath and watching them sink. They distorted into the reflections of the water and could no longer be found. Leaning back into the groove in the stone Hunter sighs to himself. He covers his eyes, rubbing them trying to remember more but everything else is just fuzzy.

He looked back at the body next to him. She was such a pretty woman. Was it fate that killed her? Well, no time to ask a lot of questions. He had a whole hour and a half left for his session. Looking up towards the ceiling he closed his eyes, talking loudly, "Hey. Hey! Are you ok?! Hey someone! She needs help!" His cries echoed through the room as he rolled over in the water looking at her. There were a few footsteps that were heading his way. He coughed once before placing his hand on her shoulder. As the door opened he began to nudge her, talking loudly, "Hey! Can you hear me?!" One of the responders gasped, turning around and talking into a radio. The other dashed over getting next to her and rolling her over onto her back. "I was released and she fell over shaking on the ground! I don't know what happened!" The responder checked for a pulse and heartbeat but found nothing. "Sir, please get your things. We will call you if we have questions."

"Yes, please do."

Hunter grabbed his clothes out of the box to quickly dress without drying off. He passed the person on the radio. As he left the area he passed their medical crew heading in. He grabbed the first elevator he could to the top floor of his room. He carded himself in heading towards the bar throwing his keycard on the counter. Looking through the bottles he found the one he was looking for. A brown liquor that the price tag underneath had $229 written on it. He unscrewed the cap pouring himself a full glass with no ice. With a heavy glug, he finished half the glass followed by one hard cough. "Oh, I missed you."

With a half-full glass, he grabbed the notepad of paper on the bar. He folded it in half writing "Juliet" on the outside. He took the elevator down to the lobby where he addressed the attendant at the desk, "Hey, can I get a second key card for my room?"

"Did you lose yours?"

"No, there is someone who I want to have just in case something happens. She's staying on the same floor."

"Ah, yes. Let me get that for you."

It was just a couple seconds and he was handed another card. "Thank you, can I also get a piece of tape?" With a nod, he handed him a small piece of clear tape. "Thank you again."

"Take care, sir."

Back in the elevator, he taped the card to the lower half of the paper. Back on the top floor, he found the room Juliet was staying in shoving the piece of paper under the door. Heading back to his room he grabbed the half-full glass and the bottle heading out to the balcony. It was still fairly early but he had nothing else planned for him for the rest of the day. He discarded his clothes on the deck, folded them onto one of the chairs refilled his glass, and began waiting for his guest to arrive.

Juliet's massage session ended around five but ran a bit long. It was a mud bath to help soften skin and help keep a youthful appearance. The next thing on her list was to shower to clean herself up before relaxing for the evening in her room until bedtime. Her door clicked as she swiped her card to let herself in. She stepped on a small piece of paper. Looking down she saw that it had her name on it. She picked it up quickly looking inside, seeing a spare key card. She read the note as she walked up the stairs to the second floor to head to the bathroom to shower.

She kept her shower short as she read through the note over and over in her mind.

When you have a moment,

please come visit.

She was 99% sure she knew who put that there and she was oddly excited about it. She kept doing a little happy dance in the shower as she kept wondering what he had planned. Normally if it was work, he would have met her face-to-face to break the bad news. This was a lot different from his usual methods. Something was up. Typically she would be very cautious but this was the vacation she was hoping for. The shower was quick but now came the hard part, what was she going to wear? It may be her boss but this also seemed to be a private invitation. If he wanted everyone he would have called everyone at once. The clothes she bought were picked just for this trip but she needed something that would be perfect. "Why am I so giddy?" Even though she asked this of herself she was still nervous.

Almost everything she had was thrown out on the bed and partially on the floor. She looked over everything wondering what would be the best but one thing caught her eye. Simple, yet something special. With some slight adjustments, she shaped her body just for this. She tucked the card key under one of the rings holding up the bikini bottom. With a huff, she was ready for anything. Her final pick was a designer white bikini piece. Gold rings were placed on each hip, one in the middle of her chest, and one on the back that could adjust to fit her chest with no neck straps. She altered her body just the slightest bit to make the most of it.

The hallway was empty giving her the freedom to move how she wanted. She really exaggerated her hip movement to pump herself up for anything. The card clicked the door, opening to the wide-open area very similar to her room. Looking around there seemed to be no one around. A quick breeze came through the room that smelled of ocean water. The door to the balcony was open. Looking out there seemed to be someone sitting in the hot tub. She strutted her stuff walking across the floor towards the open door. Sitting in the hot tub with a glass in hand was the one who left her the invitation. She leaned up against the glass making sure to look as good as she could, "Why hello there stranger." He didn't look but offered her a spot, "Care to join me for a spell?"

Her advance was ignored but she still had plenty of chances. She had to be very careful though. Too much and she was going to be shocked. As slowly as she could she put her leg into the water slowly dipping herself to where she could sit on the edge. With a shimmy, she moved her butt into the water only a couple inches away from him. Hunter passed her an empty wine glass. She took it by the stem slightly confused until he brought over the bottle to go with it. It struck her as oddly familiar. With a gentleman's smile, he offered, "Would you like a glass, miss?" She smiled, playing along, "If you insist." She let out a light laugh as Hunter pulled the cork. With a quick pour, she had half a glass. The bottle was placed in between them so either could grab them. She took a sip before looking out over the balcony into the blue ocean. A few clouds here and there really painted a scene.

Hunter took another quick sip from his glass with a slight cough. The ice rattled against the glass as he placed it next to him. Juliet was settling in nicely, "So, to what do I owe this invitation?" Hunter looked over before looking back out over the ocean, "I kind of feel bad and wanted to start making it better." Looking around, she wondered what he was talking about, "What's on your mind, Hunter?"

"A lot, actually. A lot more than before."

She was slightly confused. She tried to read him but really couldn't. The wine was only a distraction at this point so it was placed off to the side. She leaned a little closer, "Does this have to do with before? Or is it something else?" Hunter shifted his head back and forth, "It's before but really before for me."

"Did you do the Thought Rejuvenation?"

"I did."

"How… Do…" She tried to word this correctly without coming off too strong, "How did it go?"

"I think it went alright."

"That's good to hear."

Hunter fiddled with the glass doing what he could to avoid looking at her. She, on the other hand, moved around trying to do everything she could to attract his attention without using her seduction. He continued to look away while trying very hard to figure out how to word this all correctly, "I owe you an apology." This struck her as strange. He continued, "I really am sorry that I forgot about you for a while. It… It probably hurts that someone who you've dedicated so much to just lost everything they had about you." She quickly moved to the center of the hot tub to get into his view, "No. No, no, no, no, no, no." She placed a hand on his chest forcing him to look at her. Her eyes were soft and forgiving, "Hunter, what happened was totally out of your control. Listen to me. I would do anything to help you, you know this. If that means having patience when you're in a time of trouble then I can easily do that."

She gave a reassuring smile as she settled herself comfortably on one knee. He could only smile back sniffling, "I appreciate that. But, can I do something to help make you feel better?"

"Uh." She was thrown off a bit, "W-what is it?"

"Lift your chin up for me."

She did as she was told, exposing her neck to him. She could feel his hands brush against her skin. It sent a chill down her body causing goosebumps to form. She could feel Hunter getting closer. His being close was enough to make her uneasy but not nervous. She felt his hands stop on the back of her neck. She heard him exhale before he spoke again, "Under our agreement, I hereby release you from your bond for 24 hours as I invoke your name." Her eyes shot open in pure shock. With one more breath, he said it, the one thing she wanted to hear, "Hisari." The collar released in his hands allowing it to be removed. She could feel her natural energy flowing through her again sending a chill across her body. Her face screamed that she was in ecstasy from the sudden release of her power. She fell back against the wall of the hot tub panting heavily.

Sweat quickly covered her face as he tried to calm herself. It took a while but with a heavy gulp, she was able to control herself again. She used her wet hands to help wipe the sweat from her face. She was still unable to speak however, which was ok because Hunter didn't look to be finished yet, "This is not the free day we agreed on for you helping me. This is so you can enjoy your vacation to the fullest but you have to keep yourself under control otherwise it goes back on." She continued panting, shaking her head while gulping. It was a long while before she was able to recover. Once she did though, she was full of vigor. Her skin looked so different from before. It was a pure peach color that seemed to shine just right with the light reflecting from the water. Her face seemed to be just radiant as she leaned back still catching her breath. She finally was able to grab the glass of wine again, quenching some of her thirst.

With a deep sigh, she was able to relax up to her shoulders in the water. Hunter kept quiet just watching her as he slowly worked on his drink. She seemed to be a lot better. With a smile, he placed her hand on her cheek moving the little bit of her now blonde hair out of the way. As she did the rest of her brunette color faded to blonde. Her hair began to lengthen to the shoulder blades on her back. Her body continued to change into what her true self looked like. With one last deep breath, she was able to relax as herself. She began to giggle, "My nose tickles. I'm not used to this anymore."

"That seemed a little extreme."

"It's been… what? Like, eight, nine, 10 months since we met?"

"Close to."

"That's a long time to be pent up like I have."

Hunter tipped his glass to her before finishing it. His body was no longer used to the strength of his drink so he ended up coughing a bit, "Oh god. I think this will be my last one." Today had all kinds of surprises for her. Hunter gave her a day off from everything and really did cut down on his drinking. She could only smile at the man before her, "I'm glad to see you're on your way back."

"On my way back? I feel pretty good considering."

She cocked her head to the side, "Yea, there's more of you still there that I see needs to be released."

"Really? Like what?"

"I'm not 100% sure but you still feel different. I think there is still something buried in you."

For all he knew, she may be right. Instead of fighting it he just let it go. He started feeling better about himself or maybe that was the drinks starting to catch up with him. He stared at the glass and the bottle next to it wondering if he could do another one. Today was a good day. He decided against it. He pushed the glass against the bottle looking at the playful woman across from him. She was looking at her hands, playing with her hair, and touching her body as she got used to herself again. It was like watching a kid with a new toy. He felt good about it though. She was clearly as happy as she could be right now. His own reason for having her here would have to wait. Or so he thought. "Hunter, what's wrong?" She could read him better than before.

With his best poker face he tried to give it his all, "Yea, I'm just glad you're happy." His smile was genuine but his words were soft as though they were trying to cover up a hard truth. "Hunter, I can see something's up. Tell me. It's the least I can do for you." He was found out. Even though he may have changed so much since his time away there were still a few things about him that never changed. With him starting to regain most of himself it may be harder for him to hide. It became clear that he was not going to win this so instead, he decided on something else, "I'll make you a deal. Tomorrow when you come back for the collar I'll tell you then. How about that?" She was mildly concerned yet understanding, "If you feel you can't tell me right now that's ok. I'll listen to what you have to say tomorrow."

They came to a mutual agreement. Hunter would let her enjoy her freedom while he worked on himself a bit more. She put her mind at ease going back to looking at herself. With a squee she stood up getting out of the water, "Sorry, I have to go find a mirror. It's been a long time since I've gotten to see myself." She dashed out dripping water over the floor. Hunter watched as she ran up the stairs to the second-floor bathroom. Looking over he grabbed the glass and the bottle of liquor by the hot tub. Standing up he grabbed a towel placed by the door covering himself. Walking in he could hear her upstairs giggling and laughing to herself. He placed the glass on the bar counter before throwing back the bottle one more time and taking as many swigs as he could before the burn got to him. The bottle landed on the counter with him exhaling in a burning tone. "Ho boy, that still stings." One quiet cough and he had the cap back on leaving it there for the evening. He headed back out grabbing her glass and wine bottle next to his.

He walked around the lower level waiting for her to return but she seemed rather interested in herself right now. He grabbed his clothing from the balcony looking down at the area below them. Looking over he watched as people walked around below him enjoying their time there. Leaning up against the railing he continued to people-watch for just a little while before something caught the corner of his eye. He watched as an ambulance pulled out of the hotel lot. They seemed to try sticking to a back road instead of going through the front. It struck him as strange. He watched it until it took a turn disappearing behind another building. He heard a clicking sound behind him. Looking back he found it to be the sound of bare feet against the floors. Juliet was standing by the door with her hip cocked and her eyes on Hunter, "Hey you."

He smiled back, "Hey what?"

"Thank you again."

His wide smile turned into more of a smirk, "You're welcome. Don't waste it though. You probably won't get a chance like this very often with me so you better go enjoy it while you can."

"I will have to."

She strutted over to him, handing him his room card. He put his hand stopping her, "You'll need that tomorrow when you need to come back for your collar." The metal collar sat near the chair in the corner of the balcony. She looked back, catching it before looking back. It was a bit of a downer that her freedom was only for a set time. She put it behind her though. She was going to have a good night doing all that she could within the still-placed limits. She didn't need Hunter having to take her down again.

She tucked the keycard into the ring at her hip again before leaning in towards Hunter. She gave him a peck on the cheek whispering, "That's one from my list." With a wry smile, she turned around heading to the door. She could feel him watching her so she gave him a little bit of a show as she walked away as her thanks. Once to the door though she was free. With a gleeful squee, she began running down the hallway towards the elevators to go out and have fun. The door opened with Hanson inside. He stopped at the woman in front of him. She walked around him as they traded spots. Before the door closed he heard her say, "Goodnight Hanson!" He snapped back, unable to get a second look at her. "Um, goodnight?" He looked back down the hall trying to remember if he had seen her before. Something seemed similar but very different about her. It being almost six he was ready for a quiet evening watching a movie before heading to bed.

Hunter stuck around his room for a couple hours before finally changing into something more dressy. He kept his light blue shirt untucked from his dress pants. He rolled the sleeves up to the elbow making sure they were secure and not going to unroll. His plan was simply to see what the nightlife was like. He had a few ideas of what he wanted to do but there was one spot that he had in mind. It had been a long time since he had been there so it was a good chance for him to show himself again. He grabbed a taxi from the front of the hotel as it dropped someone else off. They headed to a small little place called "The Classics". It was a darkly lit place that screamed strange. Hunter tipped the driver pretty well.

The building was kind of dingy from the entryway to the main room. The lady behind the counter didn't seem to care much about who entered either. Everything about the front of this place just looked like a pit but once you got to the back room with the spiral staircase down, everything changed. The further down you went the more bass you could hear being pumped through the walls. Roaming down the dimly lit hallway more sounds started to come in clearer. At the end of the hall stood a rather large man blocking the thumping door. As Hunter approached him he huffed, "Humans are not welcome here." Hunter stopped as the man huffed his chest to look bigger. He didn't back down though, "An Oxman such as yourself could understand that contractors are allowed, yes?" He snarled again, "Business or pleasure?"

With a smile, Hunter responded, "Pleasure for once."

The man moved off to the side, "Don't cause trouble." He opened one of the doors releasing the sounds from the inside. The dark blue light flooded out into the hallway drowning it. Stepping in the door shut behind him with great force. The bass was rattling through his very core as the speakers placed throughout the place were thumping. The floor was laid out in three different levels. On the higher level were tables sunken into the floor and into the walls for people to eat, drink, and socialize. The next level was three steps down into a narrow walkway for people to move about outside of the last level, the dance floor. Another step-down, it was the largest of the three taking up a good 2/3rds of the floor's total space. There were a lot of people and monsters on the floor enjoying the music. The man in the DJ booth looked to be having a good time himself.

Hunter took the walkway next to the DJ's set up walking past into the further back room. It was set up a little bit differently than the front. There was no dance floor but the music still flowed in but much more quietly. The bar was located back here with three people keeping busy making and serving drinks to the patrons sitting at the bar and those who ordered them to be delivered to the tables. Hunter took a seat near the middle where no one seemed to want to sit looking at the short menu they had laid out. One of the ladies walked up to him, "Pretty rare to see a human in here. What can I get for you, sweetie?" They had a lot of bright-colored and flashy drinks that seemed to be made just for the party scene but Hunter was here for something else, "I would like to order off the menu." The lady's ears perked up from her hair into the large fox ears that she hid. Hunter looked at her, "I am looking for Black Label Bourbon."

She looked back and forth up and down the bar to make sure the people she was working with were covered. Returning to him she pulled a key out of her pocket, "We keep it stocked in room seven." She slid the key across the counter. With a smile, he retrieved it hiding it in his pocket. Heading back out he passed the dance floor heading out the main door. He made it a couple steps before he stopped turning to the large man who was guarding it, "Is your name Bruno by some chance?" He snarled again, "Yea, what of it?" Even with his brash attitude Hunter kept himself pleasant, "It's been a long time since I've seen you. Glad to see you're keeping out of trouble." The Oxman stared at him with a scowl. To him, the stranger did seem familiar but he could not tell from where."

Hunter continued his own way passing the spiral staircase. He made it to the end of the hallway where it hit a dead end with a door to his left and one over his right shoulder just behind him. With the key in his hand, he popped the lock to the door on his left entering. Soft music was playing under a mix of blue and red lights. There was a scent in the air that relaxed his body. A rather large round bed sat in the middle with a few furnishings on the outside. A couple chairs, a table, nothing fancy. A mirror was inlaid into the ceiling above the bed with some thin drapery surrounding it that changed with the colors of the room.

A voice seemed to echo around the room as he stepped toward the center. It had a sensual allure to it as she spoke, "Welcome, do make yourself comfortable." Hunter took a seat on the bed closest to the door. He stared at the door waiting for the voice to show itself. It wasn't long before it was behind him. Her tone was soft but it carried, "I'm happy to be chosen. My name is Marie and I will be helping you this evening." Hunter smiled as he sat up straight. Standing up he turned to the voice. The woman had long black hair that reached to her waist that seemed to have a shine to it. Her body was covered with a light see-through purple satin hanging from her shoulders. Hunter turned to face her in full, "Hello Camila. Doing well I see."

The woman twinged at the sound of her true name being spoken. Her sultry tone quickly changed to a minor panic, "Uh, m-master. W-w-what are you doing here?" Hunter stepped forward as she stood herself up, "It's been a long time, hasn't it. What has it been? About eight years now?" She let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, about that long. W-what can I do for you?"

"I just came to visit since I was in town. Thought I would come to say hi while I was here."

His smile seemed slightly off. She could feel his overwhelming presence beginning to surround her, "That's kind of you. How have you been?" She was trying everything that she could to keep herself calm. His hand reached up causing her to flinch. There was no contact with her though. Her eyes were tight, and she gritted her teeth as hard as she could but what she was expecting never came. As she opened her eyes slightly she saw his hand balled up in front of her. With a quick release, his middle finger flicked her forehead with enough power that her outer appearance rapidly changed. She shrank to about 5' 1" with her dark hair changing to a dirty blonde. Her body changed from a voluptuous woman into a 14-year-old. Even her clothes changed. The see-through silt turned into a purple dress to match her size. As her body stopped changing she squirmed in a high-pitched voice, "I hate it when you do that!" Hunter just laughed as he turned around to sit in a chair at the table.

She walked across the room having to jump up to sit with him, "You're so cruel. Why do you always do that?"

"I'm not sure myself. Maybe it's because I just can't see you as you change yourself."

"It's going to take me hours to change back!"

"You'll be fine Marie."

She began to pout in her seat as she leaned against her arm supported by the table, "You only come here when you want something. What is it?" Hunter leaned back repositioning himself in the high bar chair, "Like I said, just here to say hi."

"That's how it starts then? You flick me, I turn into a teenager again, and then you ask me for something, about something, or to do something."

"I don't do that."

She dropped her voice mimicking him, "Hey Marie, seduce this guy to find out what he knows about this thing. Hey Marie, I need you to pick up this thing. Hey Marie, have you heard anything about this thing? Hey Marie. Hey Marie. Hey Marie."

"Ok, ok, I get it."

"Uhg, I give you crap but I'm a sucker for you and would do it anyway."

"I'm glad you're reliable."

His smile gave her comfort, "Ok you." She snapped her fingers turning off the neon lights and turning on the white bulbs slowly. "Which one fall under this time?"

"I need information."

She rolled her eyes, "Of course you do. On what?"

"Succubus."

"Another one? The brothel that runs around town has been pretty tame since you last rolled in with an iron fist."

"No, not them. Succubus in general."

She had to pause, "Wait, wait, there's something about creatures that you don't know about?"

"There's always something I don't know."

"You'll have to give me a minute."

She turned around in her chair taking a deep breath in before exhaling rather forcefully. She looked back at him before laughing again. Once collected she faced him again, "I've had my moment go on."

"And you call me cruel." Hunter positioned himself better to be square with her, "I need your honest information on this because this is well out of my area of expertise. How do relationships between succubus work?"

"Like succubus and an incubus?"

"Yeah, along those lines."

"Well, that's kinda different for you." She hummed thinking it over, "I mean, there are a lot of similarities between how humans choose their mate. I guess I would say that I would be more motivated to find someone who would produce good offspring more than someone I care about on a personal level but that's still there. My dad's an incubus but my mom's human so that's a lot different. I'm not really sure it's much deeper than what I look for but to each their own."

"Interesting."

"Indeed, however. It's my turn to ask you a question. Why do you want to know?"

"I'm working with a succubus and it feels like I'm missing something about her."

A devious glint hit her eye, "Oh, ho ho ho. Could it be that the infamous Invisible Man has a heart after all?"

"Invisible Man?"

She rolled her neck getting herself ready, "Now you have to tell me. Who is she? What's she like? Wait… could it be a he?"

"Back up, Invisible Man?"

"Is she good-looking? Of course she is. Who am I kidding? Tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me."

"Marie, calm yourself."

"I will. Once you tell me about this woman."

Hunter put his hands up, "This is… No, stop. It's not like that."

"You say but remember, I worked with you for a couple years. Are you going to bring her here too?"

Hunter raised his hand with his middle finger locked under his thumb ready to flick her again, "I will knock you back to six years old." She went back to her nervous laugh, "Ok, ok, too far. I got it." The smile on her face was jagged as she leaned back from him. He put his hand down on the table letting her relax. "She must be someone special though. What is it that you're concerned about?" Hunter sighed. It was tough for him, "Currently she's under contract with me. I picked her up in Texas as her brothel's feeding got out of hand." She quickly interrupted, "Somehow, I just knew that it was you that did that. Please, continue."

"So she's been working with me for some few months now and we've been through almost literal hell together. I feel that the end of her contract with me is going to be up soon and she'll earn her freedom back but I want to make sure that while she works for me that she has enough freedom to feel like she's not just constricted to me."

"I'm trying to follow but I'm a little lost."

"A good analogy, someone commits a crime and is sent to jail. They pay their debt, they take courses while inside, and then when they get out into the world they are labeled a criminal and what they learned doesn't help them. I want to give her something she can use without the being held back portion. Does that make sense?"

"Very little but let me do this instead."

She dropped from her chair standing in the middle of the room looking back at him, "Nine years ago, you and Hanson took the job to find me. Once I was taken off the grid Hanson worked with me to make sure that I would not be a problem again, that I would be able to take care of myself, and still be able to have a certain freedom so he put me here. Four years later Hanson released me and I stayed because I had found something that I knew fit what I wanted to do. For the most part anyway. I'm still here and Hanson still treats me like a person like he did while I was restricted here. To me, it sounds like you already do that. What do you have her doing now?"

Hunter had to think of everything, "She helps around the office, helps on jobs, puts in her fair share when it gets rough, and even volunteers for some of the harder jobs."

"Right there! You have her doing what you want her to do but she also has the freedom to help as she sees fit. I have a feeling that when she pays back her contract she's going to probably stick with you and continue helping while living her own life without the restrictions you currently have on her. You're already on the right track there."

Hunter was still iffy, "You think so?"

"I know so." She walked up to him standing up to about his knees in the chair using him to lean on, "More so if Hanson taught you."

She stepped backward keeping her eyes on him, "To answer your original question though, I'm pretty sure that succubus and incubus pick a mate they stay with for life. But they can't feed off one another so they still have to do what they do." He began to understand it a little bit better. The new information was enough to get by for now. One thing still bothered him though, "Invisible Man, explain." Her face jerked at the demand, "Ah, yes, that. Um, well. I don't know how to put it." She was trying to avoid it as best she could but he remembered. "Camila." He used her real name, "What are you hiding from me?"

"Heh, heh, uh, would you believe that it's because, uh, that no one believes that you exist?"

Hunter stood up from his chair walking over to her, "And why might that be?"

"I… I may have…"

His hand landed on her head holding her still, "You may have what?"

His smile chilled her to the bone. She squealed as she tried to form words. "Camila. We can make this easy or difficult."

"I may have told a few people that you were my boyfriend at one point."

His silence was terrifying. His eyes locked onto her unblinking waiting for her to continue. She started to sweat as she continued, "Well, since you were never around you couldn't deny it so~ people started calling you the Invisible Man because they never saw you." Hunter's grip tightened just a bit as she continued to try and laugh it off. With a deep sigh, he released her from his grip, "Just fix it.." She fell to her knees panting from her nerves giving out. Hunter stopped before turning to hop himself back into his chair turning around, "You're such a drama queen."

"Why do you and Hanson pick on me?"

"I think it's what we do."

She pulled herself together getting back to her chair, "I think it's the body I'm in. I feel more confident with my more adult-orientated body." She crawled her way back up the chair taking her seat again. She seemed to be calming back down, "Besides, you guys still scare me."

"Well if you hadn't fought us so hard maybe you wouldn't be."

It was a long and complicated story between the two that almost ended badly for everyone. Hunter's inexperience at the time almost got him killed while Hanson's drive to protect him while completing the job almost ended her. Almost a decade later and she still has that bad taste in her mouth. She shivered as she tried to get herself collected again. Hunter sat looking around the room while she did so. She finally got herself somewhat together, "Sorry about that."

"I may have overreacted myself."

They were on good terms even with the rough cross they had. Marie resettled herself looking at him, "Honestly answer me this though, and I need you to be transparent. This succubus of yours, what does she mean to you?" She touched on this before but now it seemed she wanted to assist. Hunter tried to come up with something but was having some issues, "I'm… I'm not sure myself." She grabbed his hand on the table catching his full attention, "Then let me just tell you this. Not a lot of humans can handle being with someone who isn't human as well. There are a lot of cultural differences, a lot of incompatibilities, and a lot of stigmas. But there are stories out there of those who make it. Whatever you choose to do, be ready to fight." She let go of her hand sliding it back to her. She really meant it with her words carrying the weight of experience even though it was strange coming from a seemingly 14-year-old young woman. "I know you have things to do. Tell Hanson to not be a stranger when you see him. A lot of his people here miss him and would like a chance to talk with him again."

"I can do that."

Hunter stood up to leave. He got his hand on the door before he heard Marie again, "You still have like an hour and a half. You sure you don't want to take advantage of this?" He turned around to see her with her hands on her hips and a sly face. "Oh my god, no. I can't even. Just no, stop." She began laughing hysterically, "I know! I know. And you know I can't help myself when it comes to messing with you."

"That's so wrong."

"Oh c'mon. I look young but I'm 40 and you know it."

"Still no, just… no. I can't look at you that way even if you didn't look 14."

"What a gentleman. Get out of here. Come visit more often. I'll hook you up with another girl who can rock your world if you give me some heads up."

Hunter walked out with his head up laughing. The hallway was made to absorb noise so it didn't carry much further than from the door. With a click behind him, he shook his head as he headed towards the stairs back up. Looking down the hallway, Bruno was still standing at his post watching him. He gave a wave with no expectation of anything in return. Through the grimey upper floor, he returned to the street calling another taxi to pick him up. When his ride arrived the sun had set but the night was still young. What better way to lose track of time than spend it indoors in a secluded place with a group of strangers. With a playful bark, they began towards a local casino to spend the evening losing time and money.

Hunter returned around three AM with his shirt unbuttoned smelling of alcohol from the people around him. He was in a state of tired drunk as he staggered through the hallway to his room making one quick stop at Hanson's room. He had to knock pretty loudly but the door opened to Hanson being slightly groggy from the disturbance, "Sir? What can I do for you?"

"Nothing." Hunter handed him two stacks of bounded bills, "We split the costs so we'll split the winnings on this trip."

He gave Hanson a smile as he handed him $20,000 in $100's. It wasn't enough to cover the entire trip and amenities but it was a good chunk. Hanson took it from him, throwing it on the bar by the door. Hunter stood himself back up stretching and cracking his bag with a deep breath. "Sorry for waking you up but I figured that and the message I have for you would make it ok."

"A message for me?"

"Yea, before we leave you should go visit Marie while you're here. She kinda misses you."

Hanson paused for a second, "Ah, Marie. I'm not sure I should."

"Hanson, you really should. I had a good talk with her."

"OK then, I shall go visit her before we leave."

"Thatta boy. Alright, go back to bed. Sorry for waking you."

"Sleep well, sir."

Hanson shut the door returning to his slumber while Hunter staggered himself to his room. Once the door unlocked his shirt was thrown onto the floor by the bar. As he hit the bed he immediately closed his eyes. Within minutes he was out. It was a restful night for him. The comfy bed. Being alone. He was in a perfect state to relax until morning came again bringing his agenda for the day. It was going to be a full day tomorrow. He had things planned out for him almost from noon till five with very few free stops in between. For now though, that didn't matter. The quiet of the night was all he needed right now.

The sun rose over the balcony flooding the room with light. It peered in over the railing hiding the bed acting as Hunter's alarm clock. Rolling over he sat himself up trying to adjust to the reflections of the water from the ocean, pool, and hot tub all glaring in his face. Standing up was hard enough. His late night did a number on him but he somehow managed to get himself downstairs to the bar. The coffee maker that they provided was hidden under the counter with a selection of quick cups to make. It was one of those smarter machines that used small pods instead of a filter. The top lifted up, and he popped in the pod. Once he closed it the water it pulled from the water line into it started bubbling to the perfect temperature before it began brewing. The smell was enough to help get him to wake up just enough to get the coffee.

He wandered his way to the balcony opening the door to a cool ocean breeze hitting him. Sitting in the chair he began working on the brew in his hand as he looked out watching others begin to start their day. A few people were already on the beach with more arriving. Below him, the spa workers were getting themselves set up for the day. Everything was running like clockwork. They had the full day today, another tomorrow, then they would leave Monday morning after one last night here. Best for him to make the most of it while he could. With a standing stretch and pop his day begins. The lobby was pretty empty but there were still a few people walking around doing their own thing. One of the faces he recognized. Hanson was looking down at his phone scrolling through something that seemed to really have his attention.

Hunter approached him with a usual greeting, "Hanson, good morning." He looked up at Hunter approaching him, locking his phone, and putting it away in his pocket, "Good morning, sir. How did you sleep?"

"Decent. Was up a little late but it was a good night. Again, I apologize for waking you up so late."

"Not at all. I actually appreciate it. I got a hold of Marie this morning and she and I are going to get breakfast this morning."

Something good came out of it. Hanson got the chance to meet with an old friend today. Hanson is always so deeply involved in work that he rarely gets any time to do what he wants. This weekend was a good chance to do that and for him, it only got better. Marie was one of the first jobs that Hunter got to do with Hanson and it turned into one of the toughest they had to do for someone of his skill. Hunter was only in his teens at the time only adding to his infamy.

It quickly came to him that with Hanson gone, Juliet was free to do her own thing, for the first time in a long time he would be on his own. To wander around as he sees fit. The only problem? Until his first scheduled activity at 2, he had nothing to do. He wandered the ground yesterday for a while getting the scenery. He even went off into the city for a quick trip before enjoying himself at the casino. Simply put, he was bored out of his mind. On the flip side, he had all the time he wanted to lay back and relax. His empty room was waiting for him with open arms and a warm hot tub. With a quick change to some throw-away shorts and he sank himself in the tub for a good half hour to relax his muscles before returning to the comfort of his bed for some well-deserved extra sleep.

Hanson arranged a ride to take him to the dingy building to pick up his "date" for breakfast. The taxi ride was rather quiet. Neither said anything until they arrived at the restaurant they would be eating at. Hanson was the first out and began his way around to the other side to get her door but she was already outside standing. She could only laugh. He was such a gentleman but she was able to take care of herself. She did, however, take his arm when he offered it to her. The two walked in to be greeted by the server with a smile. She grabbed them from a table looking at the finely dressed man with a perplexed expression. Hanson really was overdressed for a place like this. He was well aware of where they were going yet he still dressed himself up to present in a suit jacket, nice pants, and a collared shirt. He did decide to go laxer by skipping a tie.

Their waitress came over to get their drink order. Marie stuck with water while Hanson decided to go with coffee. She would return to get their food order once the coffee was ready. The two sat in silence until Marie started the conversation, "You're looking good, Hanson. You've done a good job taking care of yourself." He cracked a smile, "I try to keep up with the young ones but I see myself being left behind more than I used to. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"I have. I appreciate your concern."

They went back to the quiet while they looked over the menu. Their waitress returned with a glass of water, and a mug for the pot of coffee in her other hand. They shuffled everything around on the table making room before they were asked what they wanted to eat. Hanson looked over his menu, "Ladies first." She shook her head, "Such a gentleman. I will go with eggs, bacon, and sausage." Hanson folded up his menu, "The English breakfast sounds lovely." With an affirmative nod, she put her notepad back in her apron taking the menus with her.

Hanson poured his first cup of coffee taking a deep whiff before a quick sip. It was still too warm but it was fine. Marie started up again, "Thank you for meeting with me this morning. It means a lot to see you again." With his hands still wrapped around the warm mug, Hanson closed his eyes, "It has been a long time hasn't it?" His mind began to wander looking back into the darkness of the coffee. As the ripples smoothed out his mind became clear thinking of a time that had long since passed.