“You are a bit of a chameleon in your looks,” he admitted.  “I wasn’t expecting that.  But what about your family?”  He asked.  “Do you see them much?  Travel back to wherever home is sometimes during your journeys?”

I shrugged again.  “No family, no friends, no complications that way.”

“Compli – family isn’t complications,” his tone was almost scolding, but his expression also looked compassionate.  “Don’t you get lonely?  It seems like it might be nice to have some roots somewhere to come back to, someone to talk to in between the, uh, floating.”

“I’m not a fairy, dude,” I informed him.  “Family doesn’t mean as much to me.  Plus mine have been gone a long time, I’m used to it.  And friends – friends are too much of a bother.  I don’t want to get stuck in one place.  I get to talk to people online, hang out in person occasionally when I do consults like this – I don’t really need anything more than that.”

He leaned against the kennel, still concerned.  “Couldn’t you just – have long-distance friends?  Use your computer to keep in touch, but someone who actually knows you and cares.”

“Pfft,” I snorted.  “Yeah, very funny.  Look, I don’t know why you’re so worried about my social life, but I’m fine.”

He looked at me with almost worried eyes.  “I just hate to think of people being lonely,” he murmured.  “It seems sad.”

“Well, I’m not, so don’t be sad,” I informed him.  “I do, however,” I glanced at my watch, “need to be getting back.  Mysterious disappearance to solve and all.  Thanks for the collar, Mr. Vet.  Still not sure if I want to see you again, but I might allow it.”

I marched out without waiting for his response, breezing through the waiting room and deliberately ignoring the questioning eyes of the receptionist and customers – who were clearly about to gossip about why I’d been in there so long – and got back on my scooter.

It wasn’t until I was halfway back to the police station that I let myself think about how much that conversation rattled me.  It shouldn’t have.  People had asked about why I didn’t have friends or family before, he certainly wasn’t he first and he wouldn’t be the last.  Was it because he so clearly didn’t care about me until he heard I didn’t have anyone in my life at all?  It seemed strange that he’d pity the girl he’d clearly disliked yesterday and hadn’t exactly made a great impression on him today, either.  Also, I didn’t need his pity.  I was fine alone.

I always had been.  I always would be.

I was fine alone.

~~~~

3 years, 2 months ago

I opened up my email and blinked at the name signed at the bottom.  What the hell?  What was this about?

I carefully read the email twice, trying to determine if there was some hidden meaning.

Claire,

Captain Dennis gave me your contact information.  I know you’ve moved on since your part in the case was done, but I thought you might want to keep in contact.  I can keep you updated as to how the case is going and maybe even give you the chance to have a long-distance friend, while we’re at it.  If you’re willing to be friends with me, that is.  I know we didn’t exactly start out on great terms but you’re quite an impressive person and it seems all the worse that you’re always alone, even if you say you’re fine.  Just…humor my fairy social needs, okay?

As far as the case goes, there hasn’t been any real progress.  Captain Dennis is trying to figure out if there’s a way to track down more information about the obscure movies the victims liked to watch, but it still seems like there’s no overlap other than genre.  If somehow these movies are being used to “call” the people to wherever they’re going, presumably their death, Dad pointed out that this would take some amount of filming, potentially on a regular basis since this has been going on at least six years.  Granted, they’re tiny-budget films, but at least it’s something to try to pursue.

Baxter’s been rehomed to a family who have taken in several hospice dogs in the past.  It seemed clear after a month holding out was almost certainly hopeless and Baxter was suffering as a result.  They’re a good family, they know how to deal with dogs that have serious medical issues, and they love each and every dog they take in.  I think he’ll be happy there for the years he has left.

I figured if I’m trying to convince you to let me be your long-distance friend that keeps in contact, I should probably tell you some more about myself.  Obviously, I’m a vet.  I love animals and probably relax more around them than people.  I’m the oldest of three siblings and have always felt responsible to protect them – Mom says that’s why I get so distrustful around things that aren’t “normal,” and she’s probably right.  I’m always watching out for something that isn’t what it seems so I can make sure my siblings are safe.  It’s not realistic, really, now – they’re both grown and in college and med school – but it’s hard to bury the impulse, I guess.  I probably need to learn to do that, though, since I ended up offending you because of that and probably will affect relationship with other people, too.  I’m trying to work on it, but sometimes I’m not sure how.

By the way, I asked my Dad about techno vampires since he’s been around for a long time and knows about so many species.  Turns out he does know about your species, but it just never came up in conversation.  He was surprised I’d actually met one since you’re so rare – less than 1% chance in a relationship that occurs in probably 1/600 witches?  He guessed there’s probably less than 1000 of you in existence, at best, most likely in the low hundreds, but he said there’s not a lot of info about techno vampires because you all tend to be fairly reclusive and don’t join most supernatural communities.  I suppose you probably know all of this and that the reason for the reclusiveness is the same you were telling me – not wanting to be tied down.  Still, not being tied down and being isolated are not the same thing.  You could still have friends, even while you live how you want.

Sorry, back to trying to talk you into a friendship.  I guess it’s hard to picture being happy in a life alone, but that’s me, and maybe I’m being too presumptuous.  Still, if you want to have someone to talk to every now and then – I’m here.

~Sorrel Woodson

This was probably the strangest letter I’d ever gotten.  First, an actual letter, not just like a “hey will you come consult with us” thing.  I hadn’t gotten a real letter in…ever?  Second, it was from the fairy vet who I thought really disliked me.  Third, he was trying to talk me into being friends with him?  And fourth, he was telling me stuff about himself.  Like, not surface level stuff.  People didn’t tell me that kind of stuff, but maybe it was just because I never let relationships go beyond the surface so they never had a chance.

I hesitated, then clicked out of email and went back to what I was working on.  I needed to think about how to respond to that email – if I responded at all.  I had a feeling that if I did respond, he’d take it as permission to keep emailing me.  Would I be okay with that?  He wasn’t the kind of person I’d have ever picked as a friend if I’d decided to go find friends, but he was the only one offering.

Uggh.  Life was simpler when I didn’t care about this kind of stuff, didn’t think about it.  I didn’t want to be tied down – but…he wasn’t trying to tie me down, I did have to admit that.  He was trying to offer me a pinpoint on a map where I could be comfortable, but I never had to go there if I wanted.  A friend I never had to see again.

Maybe it’d be nice to have one person in my life I could talk to regularly, complain to about stuff, tell what was going on.  And upside of that person being fairy vet?  I wouldn’t have to worry about getting unnecessary emotions.  We weren’t exactly compatible – even as friends it seemed like a bit of a stretch.  Although, realistically, it wasn’t like techno vampires ever got involved with a significant other, so not really something I should even think about.  But at least I wouldn’t be tempted, since we were so different.

Maybe – maybe I could try having a friend for once.  If it didn’t work out, no harm done.  But it might be nice to try.

I opened up my email again and typed a quick response.

You’re strange, you know that?  Deciding to be friends with some random person you barely know and didn’t exactly get along with when you did talk, and then deciding to spill your guts about random stuff that might be considered personal.  You’re not exactly normal, but I guess that works.  If I was going to have a friend, it’d have to be someone strange.

Actually, Cap Dennis asked me to try and put a search trace up for any new obscure foreign films in case one pops up.  If it does, I can potentially track who sees it and police can try to keep a detail on them or something.  Not exactly perfect, because it could mean several potential victims – a dozen for that one, potentially even more with other films.  I’m more curious about how six people who are all big energy producers in techno vampire terms all just happen to be interested in obscure foreign films.  Seems like if that’s being used as a way to target them and lure them somewhere, first they’d have to become interested in that specific genre.  Your dad got any ideas how to make someone think they like a genre without them knowing and then a specific film somehow hiding a message only targeted victims see or hear?  If I could watch the film, I might have an idea, but they’ve all been taken down before I got a chance.

Glad the scruffball has a new home.  You get that attached to all your patients?  Seems like it would be emotionally draining, but hey, I’m not the best one to speak on getting attached to things.

Gotta run, I’m supposed to finish cracking this thing for some shifter group that they think will lead them to some Hunters, so probably need to deal with that asap, really.

~Claire

~~~~

2 years, 5 months ago

My phone buzzed and I could have screamed.  I should not have given Sorrel my phone number.  He kept sending me random memes and pictures of animals he thought were cute and silly jokes he’d found.  Not at all what I’d have expected from the fairy when I first met him, yet now he felt the need to message me several times a day.  I mean, sure, I could technically block him and end all this, but I didn’t want to do that – I just wanted him to stop messaging me quite so much.

We still emailed, some.  If it was longer or more serious conversations, email was the preferred route.  Messaging was now the primary communication for everything else, though.  Which apparently included a bunch of silly, random stuff all through the day.

Maybe he thought I’d like them since I trolled the internet all the time anyway and memes and cat pics are big on the internet, right?  Or maybe he just thought I’d like them since I usually responded with a smiley emoticon.  Yeah…that, um, that could be it.  I actually thought it was silly that hostile and standoff-ish fairy dude was sending me jokes and silly pictures.

Over the past several months, I had learned that Sorrel had a goofy side.  It didn’t come out easily, but apparently texting had actually allowed it out more.  I learned that he cared deeply about his family and friends.  I learned more about his family, from his dad who ran a clinic and was apparently highly respected worldwide, to his mom who was influential to Avenglade’s council, to his sister who had recently started med school, to his youngest brother who was studying photography.  I learned that he felt anguished over discovering that his best friend was in love with him, even though that feeling couldn’t be returned – unlike most fairies, apparently, Sorrel was straight, and his best friend was a male.  Sorrel felt terrible about it, wanted to try to help him move on and even asked me for advice on whether he needed to try to back out of his friend’s life.

Naturally, I’m the best person to ask that based on my many, many successful relationships.  I could only tell him I thought his friend was responsible for his own choices – if his friend wanted to stay close even knowing Sorrel couldn’t feel that way about him, that was up to his friend, right?  Though Sorrel would still feel bad about it, even knowing that, so…I really had no idea what was best in that situation.

However, none of that was important now.  I was sitting across the table from two people who were clearly not amused by my phone buzzing so much.  They thought I was rude, it was written across their face.  Granted, they had already thought that when I showed up in a bohemian ensemble that didn’t really go with the quiet, serious, and super professional vibe of the restaurant we were meeting in.

I barely touched my phone with my fingertip, silencing it at the same moment as letting Sorrel’s texts into my head.  More funny stuff, nothing vital.  He could be ignored until after this.

“If you want my help,” I told them as if nothing had happened, “those are my terms.”

They looked at each other, the man turning back to me with an insincere smile on his face.  “We’re aware that you’re particularly skilled in what you do, but that fee is…exorbitant.”

I crossed my legs and leaned back, shrugging carelessly.  “That’s the fee.  I charge what I want, and you either take it or leave it.  I can guarantee success if you hire me, but I don’t care one way or the other if you don’t.  Doesn’t affect me.”  It wasn’t like I needed the money.  I did jobs like this more for the entertainment value, for the opportunity to travel to new places.

“Actually,” the woman said, her eyes flicking to someone off behind me, “I think it will affect you.  And I think we need to renegotiate the fee.”

Lovely, fools who thought they could use violence to force me into doing what they wanted.  What they never understood was just because I wasn’t any good at physically fighting didn’t mean I was helpless in a fight.

Never underestimate the power of every siren in the building going off at the same time as the sprinkler flips on and the lights go off.  By the time they could even process what had happened, I was long gone.