"You don't tolerate attitude, do you?" He asks her and she simply smiles at him. While she's cleaning the shot glasses, Victor approaches and takes a seat on one of the bar stools getting her attention.
"Can I have a bourbon, neat?" He asks and she nods as she prepares it then hands it to him.
"You don't talk much." He says thinking out loud causing a small smile to appear on her lips as she shakes her head 'no'.
"What happened to your arm?" He asks, causing her to stop cleaning the glass in her hand. She looks him in the eyes and gives him a cold smile as she moves on to serve another customer.
"Can we have a simple conversation?" He asks when she returns.
"Depends on what you ask and your manners." She replies, causing him to laugh.
"Fine then. Nothing personal." He says and she nods in agreement.
"You go to school?" He asks.
"Yes, but they let us out for a break." She says.
"How long until you graduate?" He asks.
"Three more months then I'm gone." She says with a casual shrug of her shoulders and he looks at her curiously.
"By gone, you mean?" He asks, causing her to smile at him.
"That's a personal question, Vic." She says as she refills his glass then moves away leaving him with a smile on his face at his nickname from her. As she passes Jemma, she gives her and her customer a smile just as a troll takes a seat at the bar and Sean approaches, ready to serve her.
Once finished with my half-hour break I begin heading back to the bar when I hear car doors opening and closing along with muffled screams and whispered cursing along with the employee door halfway open.
I head out and I'm immediately shot in my shoulder and dodge the other two shots swiftly. It stings like a bitch but I don't let it slow me down. I quickly assess the situation and the unconscious female troll from earlier unconscious and Jemma struggling to get free.
Three guys are approaching me intent on taking me but I'll not be having it. I flash them a smile before I deal with them then head to help Jemma as she struggles to stay out of the waiting black van. It doesn't take long for me to knock out the guy holding her but the guys that are safely in the van waste no time escaping while I'm distracted leaving their friends to whatever fate awaits them. The employee door opens again and I turn to see Sean, Victor, and our boss.
"H….how are you able to move so fast?" Jemma asks, getting my attention only to see her looking at me with fear and wonder in her eyes.
"You're welcome." I simply say in response as I move away from her.
"You're hurt." Victor says and I roll my eyes.
"I'll be fine." I say to him.
"Looks like we'll be calling FAU." I let out a deep sigh.
"What's that?" Jemma asks.
"Federal Agency of the Underworld." Our boss responds.
"James, are you sure you want to get them involved?" Sean asks the boss.
"We don't have a choice." He says in response as he stares at him and I clench my jaw and the stinging sensation returns.
"Are you ok, Astrid?" Sean asks, concerned.
"Not really." I say in response as I let out a slow breath allowing the stinging sensation to become more manageable.
"I think it would be better if we go to them instead." Sean suggests while staring at me and I shake my head 'no' then head back inside the club.
Once in the employee room, I immediately strip off my jacket and take a look at my shoulder. It's just a flesh wound so I just need to take the bullet out and let my faster than average human healing do the rest.
Before she can reach for the first aid kit, a knock sounds on the locked door snapping her out of her thoughts. She contemplates for a moment if she wants to let anyone in then finally comes to a compromise in her head.
"Who is it?" She asks.
"It's Sean. Can I come in?" He asks.
"Do you have to?" She asks him.
"I wanna help unless you can manage your dealing with your wound with one hand." He states and she lets out a breathless laugh. She's been in many instances before and managed just fine but I suppose having a little help at this time won't hurt. She unlocks the door and lets him in. He takes a look at her flesh wound, surprised that she's not panicking at all. He goes for the first aid kit and takes out the tweezers then gestures to the stool for her to sit. Once she takes a seat, he approaches her then gently extracts the bullet from her wound.
"Thank you." She says as she takes a deep breath and Sean watches in amazement as her wound slowly heals until it heals completely.
"What happened to your arm?" He asks, staring at her left hand.
"Not up for discussion.' She simply replies and he puts his hands up in mock surrender then he leaves the room.
She wipes away the blood remains from her shoulder but keeps her jacket off knowing she has to stitch up the hole. She puts on her glasses then follows him out the room. Once out back in the main area of the club, she notices Victor with his sire Henry, Professor Jones, and her best friend Ralph.
As she approaches them she ignores Henry's stare but one Ralph notices her, his familiar warm, welcoming smile lights up his face.
"Dewdrop!" He exclaims, causing me to laugh as I leap into his waiting arms as he joins in the laughter.
"I thought you still had school." He states as he puts me down.
"I was just let out for break. Right, Professor." I say as I look at Professor Jones.
"Yes. That's right." He says and I smile semi-coldly at him.
"What are you doing here then?" He asks, still embracing me in a hug.
"I work here." I say and he eyes me with a familiar question in his eyes.
"I'm fine, Ralph. I can handle myself." I say and he smiles.
"How do you two know each other?" Jones asks, curious to find out.
"We've been through a lot together." Ralph simply states in a tone that means it's not a topic that will be up for discussion. The door to the meeting room opens revealing a white-haired vampire known as Director Erica Walker who has a balance of danger and grace evident in her posture.
"Who do I have to thank for the four suspects in custody?" She asks.
Jemma slowly raises her hand but glances at Amber who keeps her hand down as though she's not interested in answering the question.
"What's your name dear?" She asks Jemma.
"Jemma." She responds still staring at Astrid who's still embraced by Ralph who has his nose buried in her hair and arms around her waist.
"And who are you?" She asks looking at Astrid who avoids her gaze.
"Astrid" She says not offering any more information.
"Am I to assume you helped in detailing the suspects?" She asks.
"I suppose." Astrid replies, earning a laugh from Ralph.
"Hmm." She says as her gaze stays on Astrid a little longer than necessary.
"Well, let me thank you from all of us here." She says and Astrid nods in response to her thanks.
She looks at Victor then Professor Jones then her gaze lands on Ralph still holding Amber close to him as he buries his nose in her hair.
"Have you found anything?" She asks Jones and he shakes his head 'no'.
"All the sites have been examined and none have anything unusual." Jones says.
"Maybe Astrid can help." Ralph says getting everyone's attention along with Amber's glare as she turns to face him.
"What do you mean?" Director Walker asks.
"Astrid, please?" Ralph asks, ignoring just this once her preference to be invisible and keep to herself, only opening up to people extremely close to her.
"I have the ability of psychometry though I haven't used it in years." She simply says not looking at anyone in particular.
"Impressive. That is an extremely rare ability, the same as being born with the sight to see past the glamour." Henry says, voicing what is on everyone's mind.
"Are the sites still off-limits to the public?" Amber asks.
"Yes, they are." Jones replies.
"What is the period between the kidnappings?" Amber asks.
"Two-three days." Jones replies and Amber nods thoughts elsewhere as she processes the information.
"How long has it been since the last kidnapping?" She asks.
"Two days ago." Jones says not understanding where she's going with her questions.
"I'll go to the various kidnapping sites and try to see what happened. If I find anything useful, I'll tell you, that is if you still want my help." Astrid says, looking at Director Walker.
"Thank you, Astrid." She says with a slight smile on her face.
"No need for thanks." Astrid replies with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I'll take you." Ralph says, tightening his hold on her briefly.
"Ok." She says not in the mood to argue that she can handle it herself.
"I gotta get home. I'll see y'all tomorrow." Astrid says then places a gentle kiss on Ralph's cheek then leaves FAU Headquarters beginning her journey home.
Upon entry into her apartment, she's greeted by a sleepy Ollie who gently nudges her leg causing her to smile. She lets out a sigh of relief as the coldness of her apartment engulfs her, making her feel safe.
"Come on boy, let's get ready for bed." she says as she pets his head gently as they head to her room. Ollie hops onto her bed while she goes to have a bath. Once finished she changes into a baby blue silk nightie and lays next to Ollie on the bed. It doesn't take long for her to fall asleep.