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Post by elvenimp on May 12, 2015 21:55:22 GMT -5
Howell Acanite|James Farrow
The three grocery bags were growing heavier in Taejin’s left arm as he stared, tight lipped at the woman staring back at him from his phone screen, one pale blue ear bud hanging from an ear.
“But mother…Why does me getting married matter so much? Both TaeKwon and TaeSeo already have married into prestigious families. I—“ He spoke in his native tongue, however, his mother cut him off. Her sharp gaze and hair cut short and fierce gave him the feeling that he was speaking to a tigress rather than a kind and loving mother. “Taejin. Your father is threatening to disown you again and this time I do not think I can persuade him otherwise unless you meet some of his terms.” She spoke while nodding her head. Taejin swallowed hard and glanced over his shoulder as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. “Terms? Is this a family or a business?” TaeJin replied to his mother, however it was halfhearted as his eyes were on a pretty young girl who had been following him ever since he had been at the grocery store. If she was trying to tail him, she was doing a pretty poor job. “TaeJin! Pay attention when I am speaking to you, TaeJin” His mother’s voice broke through his thoughts and he spun his head around and looked almost sheepishly at his mother’s face. He didn’t say anything and his mother continued as TaeJin slowed his pace. “Now, I believe I have persuaded him to give you a month to find a suitable match out of the selection I will be sending to your email.” She paused as the look on his face was incredulous. “What? Do you not think a month will be enough?” She questioned him, her tone taking on a dangerous edge. TaeJin laughed, though it was much too loud to be anything like humor. “No of course not of course…I mean there is one slight issue.” His mind tried to think quickly of a way to get out of this and still continue to mooch of his family. If it wasn’t for his families backing than he was going to be in some trouble and not just financially. Still his mother gave him a stern look with one eyebrow arched to perfection. “And what might that be?” She asked, her look one that seemed to know that her son was trying to find a way out. TaeJin quickly made up his mind and stopped walking, turning around and marching straight up to the girl that had been following him. “The problem is that I’m already engaged.” He stated simply before holding his phone away from him and grabbing the girl by the shoulder. “Wave, smile, and play along and I promise I won’t be angry when you explain why you have been following me for the past few blocks, nor will I report you for stalking.” He whispered in her ear before pulling her close to him in a side embrace and smiling. He held his phone up and saw his mother’s shocked expression. “I know she’s not what you two had in mind, but I’m sure you will be pleased enough. Does this count or must I break up with my love to join some unfortunate woman in a loveless marriage?” His words were almost like a threat but he was once again speaking his natural tongue. Taejin squeezed the girl’s shoulder some in an attempt to get her to at least wave or something. His mother’s lips were pursed for a moment before she smiled gently and a sense of relief flooded Taejin’s being. She had fallen for it. “How wonderful!” His mother cooed before her smile took on a dangerous glint that made Taejin’s momentary relief vanish and his blood run cold. “I will be most excited to meet this young lady when I visit in two weeks. I will speak with you later, TaeJin.” His mother dropped a bomb shell that ruined his plan of escape and his eyes were wide with unfiltered shock.” “Mother….Mother!” He said loudly, having let go of the girl so as to hold his phone closer to his face but it was too late, his mother had already disconnected. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a few curses in various languages before ripping his earbuds out and taking a deep breath. He let the air out in a sigh and turned to look at the girl, his eyes looking dangerous from the news he had just received. He waved her towards him and stood, looking much less threatening because of the grocery bags on one arm (one of which was threatening to break open). “You, explain why you were following me.” He didn’t ask, he demanded and then continued walking, expecting the girl to follow if she really was curious about him. Not much time passed before he stopped in front of a small house, nestled between duplexes. It’s landscaping needed work but the concrete molded building was sturdy and not what one would expect in the historic district. He knocked on the door and the knocked again louder when no one answered. Frowning at first he chuckled some and dug in his pockets for his keys. When he realized he must have left them at his office he shrugged and turned to the girl who he had, for the most part, ignored. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He instructed a mischievous glint in his eyes. He observed the door closely for a moment before stepping back and then swinging his leg in a kick. The locked door easily popped open but with a rather loud noise. He entered the building, leaving the girl on the front door. So far, he had gathered that she wouldn’t leave because she wanted something from him. Why else would she follow? A little while later, they both exited the building, TaeJin closing the now mess of a door and looking much worse for wear. The bags of groceries were now gone but he was looking at the girl more intently and with a hint of playfulness. “Shall we continue this conversation in my office? Say—three?” He questioned and nodded at her response. He would have to find out more about this girl later and maybe he would be able to figure out a way to fix this mess with his family…
~~~ The room was dark but for the cool artificial light of three computer monitors and the much warmer glow of a Bunsen burner flame flickering gently. The light cast contrasting shadows on the face of a man whose black hair was mussed as though he had just awoken from a deep slumber. His green eyes were covered by a pair of thick brown rimmed glasses and focused intently on the small metal tongs he was holding. Between the tongs was a strand of synthetic fiber, dampened by something as it glinted in the light. His tongue was poking between his teeth as he grinned with a wrinkled nose, not in joy or happiness but in concentration. It had taken him quite some time to get the mixture right but if his calculations proved to be correct, as they usually were, than he would finally be able to see the results of the last few day’s hard work. Sleepless nights and lack of any real sustenance was something he was used to, however, he was nearing the point where he would have to rest his body. His hand trembled ever so slightly and he cursed the weakness of the human body, wishing he didn’t need to eat or drink or sleep. It would make his work so much simpler—easier. He turned to face the Bunsen burner, its flame flickering and licking the bottom of a glass vial filled with a clear substance that was beginning to simmer. He just needed to dip the very tip of the fiber into the liquid. As he brought the glistening strand closer, he licked his lips, mouth feeling full of cotton from lack of water. A bottle sitting on a table covered with papers and a computer monitor was empty and had been for quite a few hours. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten and honestly, he didn’t care. This was much too important. Closer…He was getting very close. The tip of the synthetic fiber entered the glass. He was holding his breath and about to dip the very end when— BANG!
The sound of a door slamming open broke through his concentration and the entirety of the synthetic fiber along with half of his tongs fell into the vial, breaking it open. A thick plume of smoke and pungent smelling vapor puffed up as the flame was put out and the liquid mixed with the metal and coating on the synthetic fiber. His work…It was…it was gone… He just stood there and blinked a few times before he just closed his eyes and held his face in his hands, one of which covered in a black carbon substance that smudged his face. He was trying to stay calm but… “James!” A male voice yelled from the floor above him. He lowered his hands from his face as a blood chilling glare formed on his face. Footsteps from above began to get closer and eventually began to make their way down stairs, towards him. “James! You down here, dude?” The voice called out again and his nose twitched at the sound of the name…He hated that name. “It’s Howell!” He growled loudly, his voice a bit hoarse and his tone seething. The footsteps stopped right before the door to Howell’s lab and the faint sound of a whispered curse could be heard. The door was opened though and a scruff of dark hair could be seen but it quickly receded behind the door as it slammed closed right before a beaker full of a light blue liquid exploded against the metal surface. Howell’s expression was one of pure anger and he picked up another object to throw as the door was thrown open again. This time the man dodged a pair of tongs and nearly missed a knife to his chest shortly after. “James! Stop it!” The intruder shouted urgency evident by his intonation. His slanted eyes and perfectly manicured hair gave him away as Howell’s only friend, not that he would admit to it out loud. “I said my name is HOW—“ Howell was cut off as his friend charged into him, his back slamming into another table, papers scattering and his empty water bottle clattering on the concrete floor. A shout of anger came from Howell and he pulled at his friend’s hair, trying to get him off. “At least James Farrow is a—OUCH—better name than Howell Aconite. Since it’s—SONOFA—what’s on the lease for this place!” His friend replied in a sarcastic manner while having his hair pulled and avoiding a punch to the face. He ducked and Howell reached after him, a mistake on his part as his friend used his weight to flip him onto the ground, his back slamming rather uncomfortably onto the cold concrete floor. Howell grunted, arching his back as he looked up at the Korean man looking down on him. “So says the man who wishes to be called by the name of a repulsive alcoholic beverage.” Howell grit his teeth through this situation, his anger waning but his irritation still very much present. He kicked out a leg towards the shins of the other man who easily jumped over it. “Don’t knock it till you try it.” The man laughed but it was clipped short as Howell sit up quickly and grabbed the man’s airborne legs and pulled him down towards the ground. The man attempted to catch himself with a shout but Howell pulled again, however the weight of the man caused him to pull a little too hard. As the man’s shoe hit him in the face, the rest of his body weight came crashing down onto his lap. The only sounds that could be heard for the next few moments was the steady dripping of some liquid splattering on the ground and the two men breathing heavily. The silence was broken by Howell whose tone seemed utterly unamused and exhausted. “I have. It was not enjoyable.”Laughter erupted from Howell’s friend and the spell of anger was completely broken. Howell snorted and groaned as he sat himself up on his elbows, his friend still lying on the ground with a smile on his laughing features. His light brown eyes were closed and his usually perfectly groomed hair was a mess. The charcoal grey button down shirt the man was wearing had come untucked from his dark wash jeans and some soot from Howell’s hands had smudged across his forehead. As the laughter was dying down, Howell cocked a brown and looked inquisitively at the clearly amused man. “Why are you hear TaeJin?” He questioned and TaeJin clucked his tongue in disapproval. “Not cool dude. Not. Cool. You know I prefer Jin…Just Jin.” He grinned as he was saying it but Howell just blinked. “You kept calling me James.” Was his response and TaeJin licked his lips in a bit of a nervous habit before just shrugging. “You promised that you would come and be a guest lecturer at my class this afternoon.” He stated simply, a rather boyish grin plastered on his lips, bright white teeth showing. Howell just blinked, his lips pressed thinly together. “I do not recall—“ Taejin cut him off with a wave of his hand and an exaggerated exasperated tone. “Fine. Not you. James.” Howell’s eyes narrowed some at the news, a small spark of his anger threatening to return. It seemed that TaeJin sensed this and sat up, scrambling to get his legs untangled from Howell’s. “Look, when was the last time you ate? How about slept or even bathed for that matter? Howell, you stink man.” TaeJin rationalized with Howell and the anger in his green eyes faded some. This made TaeJin smile and he stood, offering a hand down to help Howell up. As he stood, Howell picked his glasses, which had fallen off at some point earlier, off of the ground and dusted them off before putting them precariously on. He opened his mouth to speak but the sound of floorboards creaking above them made him stop. “Dr. Hyun? Is everything okay?” A voice called from above and TaeJin frowned some. “Yea, I’ll be up in a moment!” He yelled and rolled his eyes, muttering something about ‘waiting outside’ and ‘too curious for their own good.’ TaeJin clapped Howell on the shoulder and began walking past him, stopping in the doorway and looking back. “Go take a show, eat, and get some rest. My class starts at two. Don’t be late” He flashed a toothy smile and left before Howell could really reply. He heard the sound of people walking above him and voices and finally his door slamming shut. His body felt weak and he leaned up against a table, one shaky arm hold his weight while the other hand slid under his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. He begrudgingly made his way upstairs, stopping to look at himself in the mirror of his bathroom and wrinkling his nose in annoyance. He looked like complete hell with his face covered in soot and his hair nearly standing on end. As he entered the kitchen, he saw three bags full of groceries sitting on the table and an appreciative smile briefly formed on his lips, however, he quickly found something to be annoyed about when he felt a light bought of dizziness try to make him sit down. His fingers were clenched tightly on the ledge of the kitchen sink. He closed his eyes in a realization that he would have to go to sleep before the lecture. That was a problem because he wasn’t sure he was going to be the one to wake up… ~~~ The screeching sound of an alarm caused him to sit straight up in bed. He fumbled with his phone, managing to turn the annoying sound off. His heart was beating like crazy and his breathing came way to quick. He grabbed his chest, nearly dry hair still feeling cool from the breeze his bedroom ran was causing. He looked to his bedside table where a yellow post it note was stuck to the lamp. It read: 2 PM Lecture
He nibbled on his lip, frowning slightly until the memory came to him. Jin had asked him to be a guest lecturer at one of his classes next week. Was that today? His eyes widened and he looked at his phone, this time taking note of the date and time. It was one in the afternoon so he had a little time to get ready but what his eyes were lingering on and the reason why a sickening feeling was forming in the pit of his stomach was the date. It was the twenty-second, four days since he could last remember. He grabbed his head and held tightly, anger searing through him that was hot enough to make his eyes tear up. Howell had once again stolen more time from him. He wasn’t going to just sit around though when he had a schedule to keep and so he brushed away his anger before hopping out of bed and heading to his closet. If he was going to be a guest lecturer for one of Jin’s classes then he was going to go in style. His outfit consisted of slim grey suit pants and a navy button down shirt, rolled up to his elbows. He kept his top two buttons undone and headed towards the bathroom. A pair of blue eyes stared back at him and he grinned, running product through is hair to sweep it back in just the right motion. He wasn’t going to stand up in front of a class with bedhead. With a half-hour to spare, he grabbed his car keys and headed out to the University. Of course, picking up coffee on the way there was a must. The University was bustling with students walking to and from class. It almost made him feel a sense of nostalgia to be where he had spent so many of his younger years. From the time he was sixteen to the time he was twenty six, this university had been his home. It was to be expected though when your mind was too keen and you carried a burdensome secret. The bitter sweet taste of the latte on his tongue brought him back to reality. He could feel his flashcards and USB drive tucked away in his back pocket. Luckily he had prepared a presentation the day after Jin had asked for his assistance otherwise he would have had to go by the seat of his pants. The thought that Howell had stolen four days of time sparked another bought of childish irritation but with another sip of his warm caffeinated beverage, all was soothed away. He entered the lecture hall ten minutes before the class was scheduled to start. His friend Jin was standing at the front speaking with a girl, presumably one of his students. There were other students sitting about the elevated seating, more filtering in as the time went by. There would be at least eighty individuals in this class judging by the space of the room. Jin caught sight of him and waved him down. Most students paid him no mind as he walked down the stairs towards Jin, however, the female he was with eyed him a little too closely for his liking. Jin ushered her away and gave a bright smile. “How—James!” He said cheerfully, changing names midway through. There was a look of relief that had crossed his features some and James smiled. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you. Howell was especially pissy this morning.” Jin muttered as they walked over to the professor’s computer in the back corner of the room. James chuckled some and shrugged his shoulders. “Yea, I was pretty pissy myself when I woke up to be honest…” He trailed off and both looked towards the top of the room where a particularly rambunctious group of students entered. Jin seemed to look peeved at their presence but their expression didn’t last long. This was a first level Physics course anyways so James knew as well as Jin that many of these students were just taking this course so as to get a science out of the way for their major. Unfortunately the student’s ages could range from just out of high school to one more year till graduating with my bachelors. A variety of ages meant a variety of behaviors and expectations. The class was nearly full and it was just about time for it to start when Jin loaded up his beginning power point. James was standing next to him, eying the large class before him, nearing on one-hundred in number. He rarely spoke to such a large group. “Getting nervous about your astro presentation?” Jin questioned in a hushed but teasing manner. James chuckled. “No, I—wait. Astrophysics?” James quit chuckling and an expression of dread appeared on his features. “I thought you said Quantum.” He added in a rather high pitched whisper. Jin’s expression had soured and his eyes were wide with worry. “My specialty is quantum. Why would I have someone else come and lecture about it?” Jin replied in a whisper that was getting louder. “I don’t know!” James said in a normal voice but glanced at the students and lowered back down to a whisper. “I did quantum with you. Howell specialized in astro!” James’ lips were parted in disbelief, Jin’s expression nearly a mirror image, though he quickly palmed his face with a frustrated growl. “Sorry. Sometimes I get it mixed up.” Jin’s tone was dejected and James tried to think of some way to try and fix this. He nibbled on his lower lip but noticed the class was getting restless. It seemed that it was time to begin. “Go. Go. I’ll figure it out before you introduce me.” James shoed Jin towards the class but his friend looked concerned. “You have an idea?” He questioned the blue eyed man. James smiled in response, the expression rather dangerous. “Don’t I always.” ~~~ James’ lecture went down rather smoothly. He spent most of it with a video he had quickly scrounged up and then answered student’s questions to the best of his abilities and sometimes in a rather round about manner that left the student with more questions that he refused to answer. All in all, it could have been worse. He closed out the class and found that Jin had already left. He knew where he would be though. He found Jin’s office and entered without knocking, however, he was greeted by Jin and another individual. He smiled awkwardly, apologized and went to back out, however, Jin stopped him and waved him in. “We were done anyways.” Jin replied and James just raised both eyebrows in reply, stepping in and taking a look at the person he had interrupted. “My guest is actually pretty interested in some of your works.” “Oh, my novels?” He flashed a smile to the individual he had not seen before and stretched out a hand, his smile a tad bit shy as he wasn’t very fond of new people. “My name is James Farrow. It’s a pleasure to meet you, —“ He trailed off, not having a name. He did glance around at TaeJin’s office and noted a stack of three books from James’ newest series was displayed on his desk proudly. It made James feel good to know he had a friend who not only had his back but supported him with his work too. TaeJin Hyun
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Post by kimcora on May 21, 2015 16:40:51 GMT -5
Evelyn held onto her coffee, looking over the file she had been given by her office, eyes narrowing as she tried to make sense of the papers inside before finally giving up with a huff. Who was she kidding? She was no scientist and could make as little sense of this research as a child trying to figure out trigonometry. But as their chief said...she had no time to mess around. A month, a stinking month was all she had before she was stuck working for the rest of her life as a desk clerk...Of course, team general Hutchinson was going to be an ass about all of this. He always had been since she first joined the unit. She knew just as well as anyone that her employment was no mistake. The fact she got a job that required high qualifications in the bureau with no experience spelled volumes of her, not for her achievements at all. No she had a different connection. She was the department head's daughter...As with any child with privilege, that gave her a leg up over men that had been waiting for a promotion or good investigators that were top notch that better deserved this position...She is liked to think of it as motivation, despite the glares she got and annoying cat calls, the jokes or sarcastic remarks. She was worth more than they realized, dedicated and ready to prove herself. That's why this case so important, why she wanted to find this odd scientist before things escalated. Then she could tell the idiots shove it and have some teeth to back up her argument that she was a good investigator. The iffy part of it all was that there was nothing for her to go off of, only a few dead leads and hear say from the community. Honestly, this would not be a concern had this anonymous scientist just stayed underground, but as with most people, they get cocky. To the unsuspecting eye, it was research, simple as that. But dig into the details and you could see that in fact it was dangerous, ethically wrong in the sense it mentioned human experimentation. Something straight out of a Frankenstein nightmare. It was hazardous to the public and needed to be looked into since it was actually breaking laws. That was where she came in. Find this freak and get them before a jury, close the case. That should have been easy or at least feasible, that is if this person kept their trail so clean it was almost impossible. Even the tech department couldn't get a trail on this, government level agents puzzled by just how a normal civilian figured something like this out. Well that was beyond her division....She was focusing on intel at the moment anyways and honestly that was a bit more difficult than it seemed. She was going to have to speak to some expert to help her out on that front and thankfully a good friend of hers was able to dig up a few names in the area. Oddly enough they were professors. Even stranger was one that had been on their radar once before. It wasn't in this case, but the promise this man showed in his field had made some suspicious. A rather attractive, young foreigner from South Korea, she assumed it was his impressive family connections and intelligence that got him on some list of people to watch. Not enough to actually enforce it however, since it seemed from someone's notes, who ever had this case before her had scratched his name out. But Evelyn wasn't taking any chances, she didn't like to when it came to things she was invested in. That was why she had been dialing him for the last hour or so, just keeping tabs on taking him off a list if he really wasn't involved. And that was also why she was currently trapped in a coffee shop waiting for him to finish his grocery shopping. She eased back in her chair at the coffee shop, listening for a moment to some indie kid trying to make it big wailing into a microphone. She winced at his sharp high note and for a moment glanced outside at just how nice the weather was. Lo and behold however, she was met with a familiar face. She smirked some at the man leaving the grocery store, getting up out of her chair to follow. Seems he was on the phone, which gave her le-way to be a bit more liberal in her pursuit. She hardly expected him to turn around, let alone actually approach her with eyes intent, like he actually noticed her. The sad part was, he had. The ridiculous part was Evelyn wasn't sure how to process him suddenly latching onto her, his words in her ear making her go rigid. Really had she been that obvious in following him? She could have sworn she covered all the things she learned in training--However his threat was real enough that she shut her mouth from protesting when he suddenly started prattling off in what she guess was Korean to a woman on the phone. She blinked when she was suddenly in the video, her lips pulling into a smile that was strained and awkward, a small finger wave gracing the camera as if she were shy when really she had no idea what the hell was going on. For all she knew she could be talking with his wife or something, so she was trying to be polite. When the woman suddenly got off the phone and he was done shouting at a black screen, she blinked at him. "Wh-What was all that?" She muttered, her brows knitting as she thought for a moment about hightailing it out of there. Instead she got called out of her confused daze by TaeJin, him demanding her to explain herself. She winced, realizing she wasn't getting out of this and would have to explain herself in the best way she could. That got a bit difficult under secret investigations that necessarily weren't available for her to share....But if she had nay hopes of not being reported to her bureau as incompetent she had to roll with this punch and try another tactic. "Mr.--I mean Dr. Hyun. My name is Evelyn Turner, I'm an investigator that's looking into something I could use your insight on." She began, not even going into why she followed him because well it would be dumb to tell a possible suspect they were being implicated or thought about....She gave him her best business smile, hoping to just sell him on her idea that spur of the moment she was trying to work out to save her ass. "It's over a few scientific posts that I have no prior knowledge into fully understanding. You were recommended to me by a former student actually, a colleague of mine that said you might be able to help. You see its about this--"Before she could finish they reached his home it seemed, but the door was locked. She frowned, almost offering to hold a bag or two for him but instead he did something unexpected and kicked the door in. She jumped, her eyes battering at the loud noise it made. She was told to stay and stay she did, though her nosier side got in the way and she peeked in. The house at least looked lived in, well furnished and rather new. She wished her flat had that kind of real-estate, but it was hard to find places that were nice for rent that allowed animals in the city. Evelyn rocked back on her heels, waiting a while before checking her phone. She groaned when she saw a missed call from Katie, her sister. Right, she was supposed to meet her for dinner that night at her place. Well if things worked out the way she wanted them to, she wouldn't be in this mess. Damage control might take her longer than she intended. She opened the voicemail and heard her sister's chipper voice on the other line. "Hey sis! Wanted to call and check what time you were thinking of dropping by. The kids are excited that Aunty Evee is coming over--Thomas put that down now!!!--ahaha Anyways Grace wants you to bring those donuts you found at the bakery--Oh and Daniel said he'll be home by 8 and that we could start without him. Love you! And please dear god don't forget those donuts." The phone clicked letting her know the message was done, making Evelyn smirk a bit. Her niece and nephew were adorable and she loved her sister to death, but lord knows they had a chaotic household. Daniel was a bit of an ass, but she could take him in small doses. As long as Katie was happy, she was happy for her. Suddenly a muffled thump echod through the house, followed by what sounded like things breaking. She reached at her side where her gun was, eyes intent on the door way. "Dr. Hyun? Is everything okay?" She called out, unsure if maybe he was doing something shifty or if something was up. Soon the man was back, leaving her to attest the noises to maybe something odd or at least something she was going to note down for later....His look towards her made her smile in his direction, looking less threatening than an agent should. "Uh sure. That sounds great. Could I get the number for your office and then I can leave you to whatever it is your doing. Right...." She took the office number and took her leave, making for the parking garage where her car was. When it was time to meet with TaeJin later that day, she went to his office and found him there, seemingly expecting no one at the moment. "Hello Dr. Hyun, forgive the earlier odd introduction, but we can't be too careful nowadays with follow ups to cases. Now anyways, I was going to ask you earlier if you thought about my proposal to look over a few of these and at least tell me your opinion. You see this man or woman has been a topic of interest these days and the government want to work closely with the scientific community to make sure they are aware of it or have any leads." She offered him a file full of few of the published studies done under a pen name, the ones in question that were a bit more shocking than the others, without waiting for an answer, keeping her's close to her person. After he accepted it probably to look over, she eased back, looking over a few books on his desk. She noticed the author and smiled some, her more social nature taking over before her professional side could catch up. "Ah Farrow. I'm actually reading one of his books now. It's interesting, exciting almost." She said but before she could finish, someone opened the door. She looked back, her face easing some when she saw a man there that looked to be a bit older than herself. She noticed his blue eyes were a nice color and she always envied people with blue eyes. She loved the color but didn't think she could really pull it off. When TaeJin mentioned that they were pretty much done there and that she liked his books, her eyes batted some in surprise. So this man was James Farrow, the writer? Wow that was a coincidence.... She took the outstretched hand with confidence, her attention on his face and not shying away. "Evelyn Turner. It's nice to meet you, Dr. Farrow." She said before releasing his hand and motioned back to the books. "Yes actually I'm reading one now. It's so good I'm having trouble pacing the reading actually. I tend to finish book a bit too quickly--" She stopped herself, realizing she was getting too personable and gave her a practiced smile as she mentally scolded herself. Sometimes she could be a bit spacey. She knew she needed to work on that, but it was hard when she actually liked a conversation she was having... She was about to say more along the lines of a goodbye but her hand knocked into the file in her arms and a few of the papers scattered on the floor. She quickly dropped to pick the up, trying to keep the pink from her cheeks at her mistake. "Sorry about that--Ah" She gathered what papers she saw, neglecting one that had slid under TaeJin's desk that had a list of names that she was to look over later. It was nothing to a normal person, but in conjunction with the file she gave him it was obvious they were a list of suspects. She stood, her eyes on TaeJIn now. "Anyways, um here is my card if you have any questions or comments or thoughts...I could really just use some insight into this and your help would be greatly appreciated Dr. Hyun." She said, trying to be political after her little mess up, extending her card out for him to take.
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Post by elvenimp on May 22, 2015 11:22:23 GMT -5
James shook Ms. Turner’s hand and released it with a nod of appreciation. He could tell by her words that she was more than just a casual reader of his works, at least, he would have to assume so for he didn’t blatantly advertise that he had a doctorate (several really but that was beside the point). He glanced at TaeJin who was looking between the two of them with a look of interest but the man turned his attention to the files that Ms. Turner had given him. As TaeJin thumbed through the files, briefly looking here and there, his expression deepened into a frown of concern. James, however, was brought back to the conversation he was having with his new acquaintance. She brought up reading one of his books and he smiled as she claimed to have trouble with reading it too fast. He supposed he could count that as a complement. He would have replied and asked which book she was reading; however, rather suddenly she knocked some of the papers out of her hand. James had to blink in an attempt to gauge just how much of a klutz one had to be to accomplish such a feat. He knelt down to try and help her pick up the papers she had missed, however, he only managed to hand her one without getting a good look at what was on it. He smiled politely as they both stood but then busied himself with looking around the room as he was really unsure what to stay in such a situation. TaeJin had felt something tap his shoe underneath of his desk when Ms. Turner decided it was an appropriate time to drop her papers. He had to hide his smirk behind his hands, pretending to have a thoughtful expression while stroking his chink. When she turned her attention to him, his lowered his hand and gave a toothy grin. She was holding out a card for him to take and he accepted it, glancing down before returning his gaze to her help. “I’ll take a look at all of this tonight. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to help with all of it but there might be a few things I could try and explain to you.” TaeJin replied in a very civil manner but James, having known his friend for years, could tell that his expression was stiff and that generally was a clue into TaeJin’s discomfort. “I’ll give you a call if I can figure something out.” He added after a moment and turned his gaze towards James who was purposely looking at a picture on the wall just to the left of TaeJin’s head. TaeJin cleared his throat some and Jame’s started slightly, rubbing the back of his head in a cute, sheepish manner. “If you want, Ms. Turner, I can give TaeJin a signed copy of my new book for the next time you come around. I always appreciate a fan.” He chuckled softly, his offer more an attempt to make himself feel more at ease since the waves of discomfort were emitting from TaeJin in his direction with a magnitude of force. They both said their goodbyes to the blond lady, watching as she left the office. There was a minute of silence before James turned to look at TaeJin who was looking back at him with an unreadable expression. “What was that about?” James questioned, his brow furrowing in thought as he moved a bit closer to TaeJin’s desk. TaeJin didn’t say anything but reached down and pulled the paper that had slipped underneath of his desk into the open and laid it flat. His light brown eyes skimmed over the list of names, finding his and a few others neatly crossed out in ink pen. James was now looking at the paper too, his expression one of obvious confusion. TaeJin sighed and pushed a few of the files given to him in James’ direction. “It looks like our mutual friend decided to get himself noticed…again.” TaeJin had his head in his hands as he said this, the thought of covering up Howell’s tracks this time causing a headache. James was flipping through the files, his confused expression turning into one of understanding and slowly, into one of horror. He felt sick when he saw some of what Howell had posted online. Usually he didn’t look much into Howell’s research, finding that it was best left to the imagination. TaeJin and him could cover up most of the tracks without knowing all of the details anyways, or so he had thought. James tossed the files back onto the table and sighed in frustration. His blue eyes turned to TaeJin and when their eyes met, it was obvious they were thinking the same thing. “We need to find out more about this Evelyn Turner.” James stated in a low tone. TaeJin smiled back at him and leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head casually. “We think alike my good friend.” ~~~ It was evening by the time they were both free and back at their living space. They were sitting in TaeJin’s room, the darkness illuminated by several computer monitors and glowing keyboards. James was sitting next to TaeJin with a bottle of water in one hand and the cap in the other. Their faces were the same yet completely different. Shock and horror were mirrored on their features as they looked at the middle computer screen, a picture of Evelyn Turner in the top left corner. A brief bio about her was listed; confidential markings around the page gave way that TaeJin had gotten into a very, very secure place. “Agent…” James whispered with his mouth feeling like a desert. “She’s a federal agent.” He added and TaeJin swallowed, a stream of curses he wanted to say floating around in his mind yet none of them were willing to come to the surface. When something relatively intelligent made it through, it was the opposite of optimistic. “Well…We’re fucked.” TaeJin said and James turned to him with an incredulous expression. So much for confidence… James took another closer look at the bio and something stood out to him that he hadn’t quite noticed earlier in his shock at the situation. “Look here, Jin. This says that she’s only been in her position for a year. I don’t see any prior listed experience.” James pointed at the screen and TaeJin took a closer look, a lopsided smile that belonged to the devil forming on his lips. James was right. She was a newbie. A warning blip came from the speakers and TaeJin clicked his tongue, his fingers starting to move quickly across his keyboard. The screen they were looking at vanished to be replaced by a simple search engine. Instead of being upset thought, TaeJin started laughing some. “She did seem a bit too green to be an investigator.” He said, the humor not dying in his voice. James shrugged his shoulders some, feeling more relaxed now. They could deal with an unexperienced girl…he was sure they could. All it would take was some misdirecting on TaeJin’s part and some lying low from Howell, though that little tidbit could prove difficult.
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Post by kimcora on May 23, 2015 0:20:22 GMT -5
Evelyn rang the doorbell, her hands around a box of fresh donuts from the Downtown Bakery. She tried diverting her mind from earlier, but she found herself thinking on the feeling she got from the room with the men. There was a shift in TaeJin, a strain she could feel somewhere, and James seemed a bit on edge. It could have been nerves or anger over what they were reading in that file, but she wasn't sold on that. If anything James made her more suspicious. She would have to look into him later, maybe see if he was someone to be concerned over. She had looked into who TaeJin roomed with, just to see if there was someone to question. He was an interesting person, aparently very intelligent with quite a few doctorates. Impressive for someone under 40. His offer of the book she had taken in good spirits however, his awkwardness was palpable. She didn't find herself intimidating, but it was curious to see men that weren't as forward as she was used to in her department. It was rather cute to her. "Thank you, that would be awesome, Dr. Farrow." Evelyn had said with a warm smile, thankful for his generosity since she was an avid reader. She was always that quiet girl in school that sat in the corner, her nose stuck in a book and her head in the clouds. She had the good grades and the time put in to succeeding, but she was the one that tended to be less social. Patrick was the oldest, socialite and Katie was the perfect home-maker. It was seen as odd that Evelyn couldn't be the bright smiling house mother, but she just didn't see herself just aspiring to be a mother. She did love children and wouldn't mind maybe one day settling down, but she just had too much going on at the moment and she had too much she wanted to do before she really made that leap. It was part of the reason the relationships she had been in were short or just got complicated. She preferred the less complicated route. Besides, she hadn't found a man yet that Mouse liked. The door opened to the sight of a woman holding a toddler on her waist, her hair perfectly curled and makeup completely on point. She looked like the photocopy of a woman from 'Mommy Magazine' all bright smiles and unlikely perfection. "Hey Katie." Evelyn said, holding up the donuts as if in a peace offering. Katie grinned, moving forward to wrap Evelyn in a one armed hug. "Evee, come on in. You just got here in time for dinner." As her sister pulled away, the toddler in her arms giggled with glee, a smile showing off her new teeth. "Aunty Evee!" She said with an odd lisp that made Evelyn smile. "Come here Grace." She offered to take her and Katie passed the little girl off, letting her hug Evelyn's neck close. The two went into the nice suburban home, complete with the modern appliances and almost cookie cutter home floor design furnishings. Evelyn had to kick a small car out of her way as she entered, receiving a loud 'hey' of protest from the couch in the living room that branched off the kitchen space by a counter. " Thomas , come give your Aunt a hug. Superman will be there when you get back, I promise." Katie called from the dinning room, drawing the little boy away from the tv. He went over to his aunt and gave her a half hearted hug before running into the kitchen. He was avoiding sentiments, since he told Evelyn he was now a big boy and big boys didn't do all that "mushy stuff". No doubt some sort of tough guy talk from his father, something that irked her but she would keep her mouth shut. They all sat down to dinner, the pasta being passed around for the evening meal that looked wonderful. Evelyn wished she could cook half as decent, but she tended to be a take out or attempt to make something edible kind of girl. It worked for her, what with being in this office constantly. But sometimes she would like to feel like Betty Crocker. Her sister was just about to start talking about something going on in the neighborhood when the door opened and the pair heard footsteps coming toward the dining room. There was no mistaking who the sound of expensive shoes on wood was coming from. Katie looked up and saw Daniel make his way into the room, a confident smile on his features that reminded her of his golden boy status at the department. He had done enough ass kissing to get where he was. The difference was people respected him for it in her office. "Glad y'all didn't start without me." He said, his Texan accent seeping in as he went over to Katie first, kissing her on the cheek before making his round with the kids. Gracie got a kiss on the head while Thomas's hair got ruffled. Evelyn even got a pat on the shoulder as he passed by to take his seat at the head of the table. "Hey Evelyn. I didn't remember hearing about you coming over." He said as he took a plate of pasta Katie had made for him. "I thought for sure the office would have your soul. What with being the newbie and all..." He gave her a smirk, one that irritated Evelyn to no end, but she let his cockiness pass her over like a stream. She could deal with him easily enough ... "Yeah well they do have me busy with a pretty important case now." She said, boasting a bit to get him off her back. He often liked to pick at her inexperience or liked to 'joke' about how this job was going to chew her up and spit her back out. She had learned early on that taking it to heart only caused problems and she didn't want problems with her family. She loved Katie too much for that. "Oh really?" He asked, brining a fork full of pasta to his mouth, "What case?" Katie was mid bite when he asked, giving her time to consider how to word her answer before she spoke. After all, she had to make this sound better than anything he was doing...which there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell it would be. "Well it's about that hack scientist. You know, the one the department is in a fit over?" She said, though her unsure tone made Katie raise a brow. "Scientists? Lord knows they are all a bunch of crazies. Just the other day, Janice and I were talking about how science is just a big mess." Thomas gave a grunt of approval, mashing his noodles with his fork and pretty much not really paying the conversation much mind. Daniel chuckled suddenly, seeming actually pretty humored at the news. "Ah that case? You mean the one that no one is even looking into. Seriously have you looked at the stats for even catching this guy? Just some underground crackpot I bet. Maybe doesn't even really exist." He snorted and Evelyn gave him a narrow of her eyes. Breathing through her nose, she continued after a shrug, deciding she would go out on a limb and try at least prove Daniel wrong, even if it was a weak lie. "Well, then I think they need to change the stats. I already have a lead." She said, which made Daniel pause, looking at her with curious look. "And that is?" He asked, eyebrow arching in an almost cocky way. Evelyn knew she had him, even if his suspicions were right and she was far from any actual leads. It just felt good to see the man squirm a little after all the grief he gave her in the office...."Classified." She said, taking a sip of the wine provided to her to hide her catty smirk. ~~~ She got home late, her feet aching and her body exhausted from playing with the kids and trying to keep up with Katie. She felt bad about not seeing her sister much even though they lived so close, but it was always tough to see her. Work kept her busy and when she wasn't the idea of laying underneath Daniel or visiting with Katie longer than an hour or two bothered her. Katie was always the concerned younger sister, constantly trying to be the control in her life, just like their mother. Usually the conversation always got switched back to running Evelyn's life, wether it be when she needed to get married, where she should move to, men for her to date, or advice to show that they thought the job she was taking was too dangerous for a woman. She rolled her eyes as she pushed the door to her flat open, exposing the small but cozy apartment. It was filled with furniture that wasn't exactly second hand but definitely had been used in college, what with the mismatched pillows and off color choices that oddly seemed to fit together in an eclectic way. She tossed her keys on the fake marble countertop, the noise drawing out her furry little roommate who seemed to have taken up napping beside the refrigerator to stay cool. She smiled when a mew came from the rather lanky cat, watching him weave between her feet for attention. " Mouse, hey baby." She picked him up in her arms, taking him with her to the back room where her bed was. Her room was a bit cluttered, but not with odd things. Instead with manuals of study, books overflowing a shelf in one corner and her bed a nest of an old quilt her grandmother had made and a blue sheet set. She placed Mouse down on his pillow so that he would be comfortable while she changed into a pair of old sweats and a beat up t-shirt that had seen better days. She always loved the night, mostly since it afforded her the ability to crawl into bed with one of her books and to just relax. She grabbed the book from her night stand, snuggling up next to Mouse and looked over the cover. James's name was posted on the front, a frown coming to her lips as she remembered his face and the knowledge that she would have to look into him as a possible accomplice. Sad as it was, she could at least enjoy his books till then...
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Post by elvenimp on May 27, 2015 12:46:14 GMT -5
The next day was full of the unexpected. Research gave way into James and TaeJin having to spend a few of their morning hours cleaning up the lab in the basement. They came across a half finished experiment on a polysynthetic fiber that was both fireproof and bulletproof while only beng as heavy as a cotton shirt (at least that was what Howell had been setting out to accomplish). James found it impressive while TaeJin questioned where he had managed to get all of the materials. There was also the issue of a very nasty rat in a cage wearing what looked to be a hand knit sweater... They were still debating on what to do with the creature. James was just happy he didn't have to clean up over a dozen dead animals like the last time Howell had stolen his time away.
After their escapade in the basement, TaeJin found that he had received and email from his mother with a list of five girls who could be his potential future wife, just in case it didn't work out with the perky, non-Korean blonde. She also gave him her arrival date and time. TaeJin had tried to pull out the alcohol but James had stopped him, reminding him that it was only eleven in the morning after all. They still had some time left in their day and while James ordered take out, TaeJin began to look at the files in more detail. There were many files he didn't fully grasp due to the nature of the science involved, however, there were a few he did. All in all, the majority of them were rather twisted and dark, far exceeding the realm of normal and ethical science. Still, some of what he was theorizing and experimenting...it was interesting to say the least and had many potential outcomes.
Three of the files were laid out on the wooden coffee table in front of TaeJin. He was sipping at a bottle of water, a look of serious contemplation on his features. James walked in with a smile on his face and a brown paper bag in his hands but blanched and stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the pictures in the center most file. TaeJin glanced up at his friend and smirked, flipping over the two pictures of skinned reptilian creatures. James swallowed and licked his lips, handing the paper bag to TaeJin.
"I don't think I'm hungry anymore." He muttered and TaeJin smiled broadly. James was not a fan of anything gory which thoroughly amused TaeJin.
"Yea, whatever. Sit down. I've got a few ideas on how we can try and point little miss fed in the wrong direction for a while." TaeJin dug around in the bag and pulled out a white box, passing it to James who hesitantly took. The look of mischief was back and that usually meant trouble.
~~~
James watched as TaeJin flipped the business card around in his fingers. The tight expression on his friend's features gave way to an easy smile as he chuckled earning him a look of confusion from James. TaeJin just smiles in reply, leaning up against the walk of their living room before dialing a number into his phone. The faint sound of ringing was just barely audible to James and he leaned back in his designer chair, bringing a bottle of cream soda to his lips. He was curious if their new acquaintance would pick up.
"Ah, Ms. Turner? It's Dr. Hyun. We met yesterday." TaeJin paused as a female voice spoke. James wasn't quite gifted enough to understand what was being said in the other end but TaeJin smiled with a light laugh. "Yes, I had a chance to look over those files and well, I must say there are some disturbing, ah, ideas at work here. I know you were asking for some input and I think I might be able to help you out." TaeJin was good at playing on the phone. He was quick thinking, James had watched him play his family for years, not to mention having been on the other end of one of TaeJin's conversations himself. "Meet? Of course. I'm free this afternoon. Where? Yes, I know of the place. See you then." The rest of TaeJin's conversation went smoothly and quickly, maybe Ms. Turner was excited about the prospect of getting intel. James wanted to make sure that TaeJin knew what he was doing but the second he opened his mouth, a balled up napkin was thrown in his face. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and you'll be there too." James smiled at TaeJin's confidence and his friend wrinkled his nose, rolling his eyes from James' feet to the top of his head. "You might want to wear some to Howell's stuff so that she doesn't recognize you though." TaeJin said and James frowned deeply. "But his clothes always smell like a laboratory!"
~~~
TaeJin entered the cafe where he agreed to meet Ms. Turner. He couldn't help but find it entirely humorous that it was within sights of his grocery store. He wonder if she had staked out here while he was shopping... Maybe he would have to press her about that information a little later. He ordered himself a cup of coffee, noting that James had taken to a table for two in a dark corner, his hair covered by a grey beanie and eyes Somewhat hidden by thick rimmed glasses. His outfit was loose and inconspicuous though TaeJin hoped he would stay put and that Ms. Turner wouldn't recognize him. He sat at a table next to a wall and within line of sight of the entry way. He placed his backpack on the seat next to him, eyeing the Manila colored folders that held the files which probably were classified in a sense. The idea gave him a shiver of excitement. There was also James' newest book, a signed autograph neatly scrawled with the name Evelyn Turner for a personalized touch on who the autograph was for. TaeJin's coffee was delivered to him in a white cup, the bitter scent teasing his appetite. Now all he had to do was wait for her to show.
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Post by kimcora on May 27, 2015 21:44:50 GMT -5
((Sorry James, Jenkins is now bae))
Evelyn sat behind her desk, eyes locked on the white board she had set up to mark down everything she needed. People passed by, generally ignoring her because she really didn't do much to stand out like the secretaries. Seems they liked their conversations to be with women who were primped and showing just enough chest to not get in trouble with management. She chewed on the end of her pen absent mindedly, eyes locked on the list of names she had seemed to misplaced so she just decided to write them again. TaeJin's name was no longer crossed off in this list, but instead held a branch of all the information she could list on him. Relations, degrees, places of employment, record available from childhood that special division translated for her. She had the works, including his lease signed under two names. TaeJin Hyun and James Farrow. Her attention went to the name there, her eyes narrowing at the name since it was odd to her that she had done digging on him and everything was clean. Too clean, like he had no record. Not even a fingerprint in the database for fellony or even a spot on his record in school. Just a list of degrees and some honorary note of excellence. Odd to say the least, but not enough for suspicion yet. She knew her theory that TaeJin was hiding something was an odd one, especially since she had little to nothing to go off of. However, she was sticking to something since the other names just didn't make sense. Tara Wissenhofer was a woman that dealt in biology research, yes, but her last recorded location was somewhere in Idaho with her husband and 5 kids. Not exactly giving her much time to be experimenting. The other names were possible suspects that she was looking at, all except one, a Jeremy Fischer that died yesterday by improper use of equipment. The details were too gory for her to look into honestly. So that left her closest suspect, the Korean international genius with the squeaky clean roommate. Fun fun... "Everything working out Turner?" A voice called to her, making her snap out of her daze with the pen still between her teeth. She spun her chair around and saw her friend in the office, an agent by the name of Anthony Barnum. He was a younger agent like herself, but was top of his class in the academy when he was with the police department. He was intelligent, even if he tended to not show it and had the looks of your stereotypical crimeshow cop with good locks and perfect hair. However, he was currently engaged to a good friend of hers and so the feelings between the pair were platonic and simply close from time spent around each other. "No. I'm following that lead you offered though." She said, since he was the ex student of TaeJin that had recommended his as an expert opinion. Anthony's brow shot up, his frown showing his confusion. "You mean, Dr. Hyun? Evee he isn't some mad scientist. Just a quirky professor that had half the female student population drooling in lecture." He said and Evelyn shook her head. "Nah. There has to be more than that. After all, why would a prior investigator look into him? There must have been something..." Anthony laughed a bit when she got sucked into her thoughts again, giving her a shake of his head. "What ever Evee. Just don't step in anything too deep. Also, we are going to Patrick's gig tonight with a group of friends from college. Hopefully we'll see you then?" Evelyn nodded, remembering that she was off to see Patrick preform at the local bar tonight, a sort of underground place for the young adult population that often had live talent from local places. Patrick was back in town from New York and she wouldn't miss seeing her brother after a good year of only Skyping. He was her best friend growing up and she really did want to spend time with him. A phone call woke her from her thoughts and she quickly went to answer it. To her surprise it was Dr. Hyun, introducing himself before she could ask who it was. Her heart fluttered with excitement when he told her he wanted to meet to discuss things, since she was excited to have something, anything to go on at this point. After telling him to meet her at the coffee shop, she gathered her things and headed out. She got there at the specified time, her jacket pulled tight over her light blue blouse paired with black slacks. She looked more professional than she felt at the moment, meeting some man at a coffee shop. It was the only place she could think of that was comfortable for her, one that most wouldn't be listening in on what was being said. And she also really wanted their caramel cappuccino...Okay maybe her motivation was the cappuccino....But she digressed. She found TaeJin easily and offered him a smile, making her way over, her heels clicking precisely on the old stained wood floors. "Good afternoon, Dr. Hyun. I'm glad to--Oh thank you--" She was interrupted after she shook his hand and tried to sit by a barista bringing her cappuccino over. She sat down and gave a bit of a sigh before continuing. "I'm glad you already have an observation for me. I have to admit I didn't expect such a quick response." She said, bringing the hot drink to her lips with the manners her mother pounded into her and her sister. She set the cup down after a small drink, smiling at the taste and offering him a raise of a manicured eyebrow. "So, what do you have?" She asked, wanting to get down to business and not beat around the bush, wasting her time and his. Not to mention, her senses told her someone was looking at them, not far off, but just close enough that she sensed they could hear what was being said. She batted her eyes and feigned not noticing, her attention staying of TaeJin since she felt the civilian wouldn't understand the conversation anyways.
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Post by elvenimp on Jun 1, 2015 19:16:51 GMT -5
James was sitting in a relaxed state, his one hand holding a book that he was barely reading while the other was stirring his cup of black tea with his pinky finger. The tea was steaming and his finger burned, the sensation making him remember that he was alive. He brought his littlest finger to his lips and sucked on the end, tasting the tea and soothing his agitated nerves. He was nervous by being here but he knew TaeJin wanted back up. They had planned on trying to find out more about this Fed but James wasn’t too sure that spying on her and then attempting to follow her after was such a good idea. Sure, James found it entertaining that TaeJin had caught her following him but that didn’t mean she was unobservant. Hell, if she caught him in here than that would just arouse more suspicion would it not? Alas, James was here and TaeJin had put up a rather believable argument that at the time had sounded like a good idea. Now, James wasn’t so sure that was the case. Still, he couldn’t just leave now that TaeJin had taken his place. Friends helped friends, right? ~~~ TaeJin’s eyes were surveying the people milling about the café. Some came and ordered and left. Others ordered and sat either by themselves or in small groups. He enjoyed watching how others interacted in the world. It caused him to realize that he wasn’t as awkward as he felt nor was he as obvious about his inner self. There were many things that people tried to hide be it an emotions, a secret, or a story. Some hid their scars well and others…not so much. Some scars were small and others too much for the mind to handle. He glanced over at James who looked to be busy reading and sipping on a cup of some warm beverage. His eyes slid around the patrons once more, landing on the front door as Ms. Turner entered. She smiled as she made her way towards him and he returned the expression. TaeJin took a sip of his coffee, eyes remaining on the woman. She was poised and professional looking, though by the looks of things, she knew her way around this little café. As the click-clack of her heels drew nearer, TaeJin stood and extended his hand. They shook and his smiled at her greeting, though she was interrupted. A barista brought a cup over, the scent of coffee giving away a tad bit about what was in the cup. He sat back down and adjusted his seat while Ms. Turner began to speak again. It was amusing that she thought he would take longer to dig through the files she had given to him. He chuckled some and cocked one eyebrow in a show of amused flattery. Her movements as she took a drink of her caffeinated beverage were quite practiced. He could tell easily that much for he had been born into a wealthy family where how you were viewed by others was everything. It almost made him want to laugh as he thought about what he had told his mother on the phone when they had first met. It seemed that she would at least be partially pleased with his pick in a “wife” if she knew how to handle herself. He knew, however, that he was going to be in quite a bit of trouble later when his mother found out that he had been lying through his teeth, not to mention the fact that Ms. Turner was not Korean. He doubted that it would be acceptable in his family’s eyes. Not unless they would gain something substantial from the union of families. TaeJin nodded when asked what he had for her. He grabbed his bag that had been lying next to his seat and rooted around in it for the files she had given him. After nudging his drink to the side to make room for the files which he would be opening during their conversation, he looked at the blonde haired woman and smiled. The expression was almost roguish due to the amount of self-confidence he was filtering through it. “As I am sure you’re already aware, my specialty is in Quantum Physics. A large portion of these…experiments, contain branches of biochemistry, neuroscience, and even botany oddly enough.” TaeJin explained but licked his lips and opened up the top file. He had expertly flipped it open so as to avoid showing the gory images of misshapen and dissected lab animals, instead turning it to face her so that she could see a few of the paragraphs, sentences, and words, that he had circled in red. “However, there was one experiment that did involve some more elaborate equations that I have worked with before. I cross checked with one of my colleagues and it seems to me that a lot of these equations are very obscure and generally thought of as only being used only among the scientist crackpots who think they have something they need to prove because well..” TaeJin smirked and didn’t finish his sentence, his tone and the fact that he rolled his eyes gave away the fact that he had been planning on saying something rather unprofessional. “Anyways, my knowledge does extend past Quantum Physics and have highlighted here some points in each file that I think correlate.” He pointed to the red markings he had made; penciled equations in the sidelines were also present from him trying to figure out what Howell was up to and what he could do to try and push Ms. Turner’s suspicion away from himself and by sheer association, James. He needed to get her looking elsewhere, at least for a little while as he tried to fix Howell’s mess—again. “You see, the strangest fact about these experiments is that at just first glance they seem to be completely unrelated. You have a file about how replacing enzymes of one species with another causes mutations, another with super growth fauna, and yet another with how the human mind reacts when exposed to high levels of epinephrine and specifically sequenced flashes of light.” With each file description, he opened the correlating file and showed it to Ms. Turner. He wasn’t going to outright lie to her but misdirection, now that he felt safe doing. “See, none of these seem to have any relation to the other but when looked at in combination, they all have an underlying theme. “ TaeJin’s voice conveyed his excitement on the manner, his expression as he looked at Ms. Turner was that of an eager child. His light brown eyes not hiding the desire for someone to applaud him for his connection of these facts; the desire to be recognized for his ability to follow the thoughts of a mad genius. His expression faded quickly as he caught up with his emotions and he cleared his throat since he figured he would have to explain it to the woman plain and simple. She could read his highlights on her own time and see where they led her. “They all, when looked at with a keen eye, show the signs of someone wanting to, in layman’s terms, grow another body in which to transfer the very consciences of the mind.” The words that came out were almost a whisper by the end as the very thought of Howell doing such a thing was absurd and had upset James greatly. Both James and TaeJin had discovered this little theory through the files that Ms. Turner had provided along with some of Howell’s notes they had dug around in. It was startling but honestly, not all that surprising. The most disturbing thing was the idea of what other horrific experiments Howell had come up with. “It a very obscure branch of thought that many, including myself, have thought about but only in a way as one might think about winning the lottery. It’s a fanciful wish of what ifs and if onlys.” TaeJin shrugged and leaned back in his seat, taking a sip of his nearly finished cup of coffee, his once refined mannerisms thrown to the wind, though that took more effort than he would like to have admitted. “I think you will want to look for someone with a very pronounced background in neuroscience and biology. They probably have other studies and articles published under their real name. I’m also betting that you have more experiments you haven’t shared with me, potentially involving more—horrific items such as cadavers. They might even have a bit of a criminal record. As for the gender, well they could be male or female but eh, statistically you would be looking for a male. “ TaeJin rattled off ideas, giving information so as to turn her away from anything that could really point her in the direction of Howell or James. Sure Howell had degrees in both neuroscience and biology, but he wasn’t one that participated in the scientific community unless he had to. “Do you have any questions?” TaeJin then asked with rather pleased expression on his lips.
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Post by kimcora on Jun 14, 2015 0:59:37 GMT -5
Evelyn watched TaeJin's body language, looking for any sign that the man was fazed by her presence or even in the slightest concerned with the information in the files. Any sort of emotion to replicate that small sign the other day he had shown her that something was up. Instead, he was well put together, his mannerism so eased that she almost began to wonder if she was completely wrong about all this. After all, what proof did she have to implicate him in any of this? Just a hunch that something wasn't right with him and his roommate, both incredibly intelligent men that would fit the bill for having the minds to devote to this sort of research...That wasn't enough to accuse someone of being a mad scientist, breaking more than a few laws. Just being odd wasn't even enough to even sneeze in the direction of a crime. She played off her uncertainty well, keeping it from her expression and folding her hands around her cup to make sure she didn't fiddle with them. She had a bad tell of playing with a ring on her finger, one of the pieces of jewelry she never left the house without. She liked the feel of having one on her index finger, mostly to fiddle with when she was bored, thinking or nervous. It was habit she needed to break if she intended to be a good investigator, but as with most things, it was a hard thing to change. Her eyes went to the files that TaeJin produced, a slight smile coming to her lips when he mentioned that she already knew his background. At least he knew she had been checking up on him, something that most people really didn't consider or mention if they did. So he thought he was the smooth, cool guy huh? She got that from a few minutes with him. It wasn't a bad thing necessarily. She knew that confident men had just as many flaws as unconfident ones. They were just better at hiding them. It just made her curious what it would would take to shake that confidence enough to see what beneath the handsome mask. She listened to him speak on the fields these experiments covered and she was surprised it wasn't under all one roof. Then again, she had an issue understanding it all in the first place. She liked to think she was intelligent, but science was never her strong suit in life. She preferred to leave that to the experts. That's why she was more than grateful to see he had circled things and made notes, something that no doubt would help for later deciphering. Her expression smoothed some when he began to talk of an equation used by "crackpots", forgiving the fact that he stopped himself from finishing the tangent. She was there to listen to his opinion after all...and to gauge exactly how he reacted to all of this. So far he was doing quite a good job playing this off or he was really an innocent bystander.... Ignoring the suspicious thoughts for the moment, she pulled her hands from the cup, folding her arms and allowing herself to lean on her elbows a bit to get a better look at what he pointed to. She was careful of his personal space, but her curiosity did make her want to follow along as best as possible. His next point sort of skimmed through her thoughts since the gist of all this was strange to her and her limited understanding. She nodded along when he said that they didn't seem related, since she had thought the same thing, attempting to read them the night after her assignment. Of course it was a harder process to do with Mouse playing with her hi lighters and batting her hair that slipped from the messy bun she usually dawned at night when reading. But she found that she at least made progress understanding the gist of why these experiments were a bad thing. She looked up at TaeJin at his tone shift, her eyes going to his as if the answer to what this theme was could be found in them. Instead she found an excitement there that was odd, but she assumed it was pride in figuring out some great secret behind all this. It intrigued her, so much so she almost wanted to tell him to just spit it out already. But she was more patient than that and she was glad that the man was showing something beyond the collected. She blinked and sat back in her chair when he finally told her what this theme was, her shock showing since no one had yet made that kind of connection in this case. The very idea itself was shocking, not to mention the idea that someone would actively attempt this was unfathomable to her. It was like listening to someone tell her they were building Frankenstein's monster, total fantasy. How could someone create a whole new person in a lab, let alone actually put another mind in a new body? That was wrong but...for what reason would someone want to do that in the first place? She was awoken from her thoughts by him going on about a profile, one she somewhat agreed on and was interested in hearing. She gave him a narrow of her eyes when he mentioned the files she was keeping from him. Yes, that was true, but that was because of them not being releasable to the public at the moment. Most were taken down from the sites they were on, but she was sure a copy or two was floating around in some chat room for these kinds of freaks... When he was finished, she took the files from him without asking since she was sure he wouldn't mind. She thumbed through them a moment, eyes scanning the pages in the silence between his final question and her answer of whether or not she had any questions. She had many, but most she wouldn't discuss with him, let alone in a public place. "Well, I have to say that understanding these definitely sheds a light on a few things. Thank you.” She said for starters, her eyes going from the page back to his face. Her expression was serious, her mind still reeling from the reveal that this was an attempt at body creation. She wasn't sure she was processing this correctly so she was trying t pace herself to allow for her thoughts to come to her correctly. "I don't even know how someone would come up with a motive for something like that? It seems...impossible." She said, before shutting the file and allowing a bit of her thoughts to reach her face, showing she was conflicted about something buzzing around in her head. “It's like you said. This kind of thing seems so variable... I can’t get over the fact that no one references this person directly or has any real leads. I mean, this sort of research is expensive, time consuming, and if true then people would be following it. This person has to have a lab, supplies, funding, room to work. A criminal record would be possible but...Their tracks can’t be that well covered that no one has any ideas of where and who they are. The scientific community is not that obscured or large to hide someone doing this sort of thing. I mean the comments on the forums this was posted on suggest he's been active a while...And yet the trail goes cold when you try to search it back to the source." She said, taking a moment to lift her coffee to her lips. Mostly it was a pause to gather her thoughts and allow herself the moment to think if she should continue with the next bit. Perhaps TaeJin would have his own thoughts on hers... "That means one of a few things. Either they don't exist, they are good at covering their tracks or they aren’t working alone. The last idea would be a bit strange since the lack of reserve in the documents hints that this person has an ego and is a borderline sociopath. But..." She almost continued but her phone buzzed in her purse, making her realize she was talking too much. She gave him a bit of a sheepish look, realizing she hadn't asked the question she had attempted in the first place. "Ah anyways, sorry for my rambling. What I meant to ask is, do you know anyone in the area that fits the bill. Anyone on the fringe of the community that seems a little off? They wouldn't be personable, instead rather meticulous, prone to outbursts that would make others uncomfortable, making this person anti-social for necessity?" She asked since usually people remembered the weird ones and that was always the place to start.
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Post by elvenimp on Sept 26, 2015 23:37:59 GMT -5
The shock that emanated clearly from Ms. Turner's face was both expected and also satisfying to TaeJin. He was pleased that she understood the gravity of the situation, however, he had expected as much due to her being a fed. She couldn't have been stupid, however, most people were far beneath his level of intelligence. It was a hugely controversial topic that he had broached by bringing together the different aspects of the three files she had given him. He knew it was risky giving her Howell's true objective but at the same time, he needed it to be believable and since legally Howell didn't exist, it made sense to just go with it and misdirect towards a different source. Her shock had faded into a serious expression. TaeJin was sure she was still surprised by his connections but she was smart and it seemed she had an agenda in her mind of what she needed to get done, keeping her mind on track despite the absurdity of where their conversation had led. He nodded his head at her thanks and listened to her words, her confusion evident in her tone and an expression that read of her conflicted thoughts evident. He was curious about what was going on in her mind but he simply frowned, tapping his lips with a long pointer finger. Her confusion as to the motive was evident and he could have given her the answer she wanted, but then that would just be giving everything away which was something he most definitely did not what to do. TaeJin let Ms. Turner speak, her words all true. It seemed to had honestly been thinking about this a lot and in a way it both worried and impressed him. It was evident to him that she was putting good effort into her investigation which was bad for both James and himself. He had been hoping she was only going through the motions like the last investigator given this assignment but it seemed as thought this woman actually had something she wanted to prove. If he was honest with himself, he felt a strong sense of pride that even the feds couldn't trace Howell's posts back to their source. He was damned good with computers and that was just simply a fact. He was a bit surprised at her skill in profiling Howell. Her description of character traits belonging to the suspect were a basic description of how one might view Howell, an outsiders view so to speak. His surprise did not surface on his features. He simply tapped his coffee cup with a nail and deepened his frown. Her asking him for a name or names was expected but he wasn't pleased that he was going to have to come up with something. He didn't want to lie to her but he felt comfortable since technically Howell did not exist. He was just another part of James who did not really show any of those traits except for perhaps the last of the list. TaeJin hummed some, feigning that he was thinking about her question and he leaned his head back, glancing at the ceiling. When he looked back to Ms. Turner, his expression was thoughtful. "The science community is full of odd, antisocial individuals, Ms. Turner." TaeJin began, his lips briefly curling into a lopsided smirk. "However, I can name a couple who might fit into those categories to one extent or another while still making sense when cross referencing them with the studies you showed me." He blinked long and sighed gently. "Marcus Richards, a biochemist who is known for his anger outbursts and fringe studies. I believe he is currently unemployed after punching one of his colleagues last month." He spoke in an almost amused tone, a quirk of his eyebrows suggesting that rumors often circulated quickly in the area. "There is also Viktor Boykov, though he really is a stretch. He doesn't speak very much but his mind is sharper than most. I believe your government gave him safe passage here after he 'accidently' caused half of the lab he was working into to explode. Apparently he has a fascination with neuroscience and pyromania…odd man that one." TaeJin shrugged some more and then offered the pretty blonde woman a casual smile. "I'm sorry I can't help you more but I hope I have given some insight to help you with--well whatever it is you are doing." Amusement flashed behind TaeJin's eyes but it was very subtle. He couldn't help but feel a thrill at the thought that he was thwarting a fed sanctioned investigation.
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Post by kimcora on Sept 27, 2015 0:22:23 GMT -5
Evelyn gave him his time to think, in the meantime she tried to finish up her coffee. That text to her phone no doubt was from her sister, probably trying to get in touch with her over her brother's even tonight at the bar. She still needed to head home and get ready for that, since she did at least want to look nice for something that was important to him. It had been almost two years since she had seen him face to face and not over a computer screen or talked to him over phone. She missed him quite a bit...But first she had to get done with work and find this guy...Now that the gravity of it all was in place, she knew that she needed to get to him soon before he caused quite a bit of harm from this research. Already it was illegal and dangerous, but now it was border lining threatening to humanity and laws of nature. She couldn't allow it to continue in good conscious or faith... She woke from her distraction when TaeJin spoke up, her expression showing a certain expectance for what he had to say. She offered him a brief smile at the comment about the science community being full of odd, antisocial people. She figured that, but that's why she was asking about the particularly off ones. Every group had their misfits if you looked hard enough. After all, her office had quite a few. She was happy to hear that he at least was aware of a few. She quickly grabbed a note pad from her bag, her pen clicking sharply as she readied herself to start writing down names. She wrote the names that TaeJin said, her expression slacking some when she heard the last one had government sanction. Those were always the difficult ones to deal with. Always felt they were so damn entitled... She breathed out a small sigh, happy for at least names on a page even though they seemed far and few in between. They fit the bill at least, even if that bill was only an educated guess from studying the case so far that she had done...She could always be wrong, but she hoped for their sake she was at least on the right track. His expression held more to be desired from him, but she at least found his hope for help sincere. He gave her more help than she had received from anyone, even senior analysts and tech experts that had been in the government for years. She was sure he was prideful for helping a poor little agent find her mark, else he wouldn't have contributed in the first place. He was being awful accommodating...But that might have been because he was the only expert she had ready access to. Whatever his motive, she was grateful for something more than confused looks, obstinance or laughs. Her peers seemed to think this was a lost cause. At least she now had something to show for her search so far to give to her superiors. Maybe this would get them off their haunches long enough to do something about this before it got out of hand. She placed her nearing empty coffee away from her, her expression softening to a pleasantry she often gave people around her. She wasn't an awful serious brick wall like most investigators tried to be. She felt people didn't respond to the cold, untouchable feds well. Besides, she was much to social to be rude enough to be cold with people around her. "No no, your help so far has been appreciated Dr. Hyun. I wish I could divulge more about just how much you've helped, but I have to be a stickler for the rules." She said before placing her note pad in her purse. As she opened it the familiar hmm of her phone let her know she had yet another message waiting for her, reminding her that it was getting later in the day. "I will be looking into your suggestions and giving this more consideration..." She said, more or less planning to wrap this up for his sake and hers. She knew he probably had something to do or papers to grade. Something that professors and researchers did with their free time... "I don't wish to hold you up further. Thank you again for agreeing to meet with me and taking the time to look the research over. If I have further questions, may I still contact you?" She asked, wanting of course to get permission before she just showed up at his door again. She was not exactly letting him off the hook...he earned brownie points at least...but something just didn't add up with him. She couldn't completely place it, but her senses were just waving a red flag. She couldn't act on it now, however, and that was why she had to bow out gracefully and go before she became a nuisance and drilled him with too many questions and scared him off.
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Post by elvenimp on Sept 29, 2015 20:17:31 GMT -5
Ms. Turner seemed pleased enough by TaeJin's names. Her facial expression seemed to soften into something a little less business like, though TaeJin couldn't help that he felt it to still be a practiced smile. Takes one to know one. Still, she was a rather pretty face, so much different from the women he knew his parents expected him to marry. Now that was a thought he had neglected this entire conversation. His nose twitched some when he remembered that he, at some point, would probably need to explain to the woman in front of him that she was now his fake fiancé. Maybe that could wait till later though? However, he could only hope that she wouldn't need him again. That would make things so much simpler. She began rounding up the conversation, making it obvious she intended to leave shortly. He nodded his head and then smiled with a practiced grace that could only come from being taught how to be a socialite from a young age. "No, Ms. Turner. Thank you for the opportunity. I am glad to help. You may contact me any time." He pulled a post it and a pen from his bag and wrote his cell number down, giving it to her as a show of good faith. Honestly she would be able to get it anyways and he was hoping she wouldn't use it. He really was just trying to make it look good at this point. He supposed she was pretty enough that he really wouldn't mind a phone call from her in the middle of the night but she didn't seem the type and honestly it would probably be more trouble than it was worth.
~~~
James had been listening to the whole conversation, slowly turning the pages of his book and drinking his tea with ease. He knew how to pretend one was a part of the crowd. Hell, he did it as a job half the time when being paid to gather information. He was almost surprised with how in-depth TaeJin was going with Howell's research, if one could call some of the horrific science projects research. He supposed his friend wanted to make it as realistic as possible but James feared that it would come back to bite them in their asses if they weren't careful. Still, he had to give it to him, TaeJin was quite skilled with his presentation of the subject matter. He only spared glances occasionally, marking mentally what the fed girl was wearing, how long her hair was, and what shoes she was wearing. It was important if he was going to try and tail her. TaeJin had the brilliant idea that they should try to find out more about this girl so as to better combat her in the future if needed and at the time, it had sounded like a great idea. Now, James was thinking it would have been better to just leave her be after this and hope to hell that she didn't bother them again. Damn TaeJin and his persuasive words. A soft sight shifted through James and he took a sip of his now very near cold tea. He wasn't going to not stick to the plan though. He would follow her as TaeJin asked. It wasn't like he had anything better to do--oh wait. He could be writing for his next novel whose deadline was fast approaching. Suddenly TaeJin's plan seemed a lot more appealing.
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Post by kimcora on Oct 11, 2015 0:10:50 GMT -5
Evelyn found his smile was at least pleasing and she had to admit he was good looking, though he knew it. She noticed the air of formality around him that she had experienced growing up. Her mother engrained it in all her children. They were to be formal, proper and in proper place when interacting with others. It was rather constricting, especially when she was forced to wear those frilly dresses and be in debutant mode for every dinner in middle school. She hated it, but found that she still repeated the customs often enough. When he agreed to let her contact him again she gave a bit of an grateful smile. "Thank you. I will try do so before just showing up like last time." She said as she got to her feet and gave a bit of an awkwardly placed wave before going for the door. Once out, she grabbed her phone from her bag and found she had a collection of texts from a few people, one such person being her sister and the other being from friend from the office, Anthony. She saw that he and his wife were able to go to the bar later, something she was very glad for since Patrick needed a familiar face there or two. As for her sister, Katie seemed to be busy with the kids, but she said that she may be able to make it. Evelyn hoped that was true for her sake but she had a feeling that Daniel had something to do with it. He never liked Patrick, but then again Patrick never liked him either. Evelyn once had to break the two up out of a fist fight when Daniel had been caught cheating on Katie. It wasn't talked about, her parents didn't even know. That was for Katie's sake as she requested. Only for her, Patrick and Evelyn had agreed to keep their mouths shut. She walked to her apartment, making a point to stop by the bookstore to grab a copy of the new book she wanted. Maybe that was her ultimate goal in taking the healthier route home...After, finding the book she wanted she went to her apartment. It wasn't anything special, mostly just the bargain brand cookie cutter building that most young professionals could afford in the city. She refused to allow her father to pay for anything after all. Though she did break down and let him donate furniture to her cause...She wasn't completely obstinate to a hand out after all... When she got inside Mouse was already at the door, weaving around her legs and purring loudly for her to feed him. She gave him an affectionate scratch on the head before going about her chores. The afternoon passed away quicker than she expected especially since she had to go about looking over some of the files she got from TaeJin. She eventually had to stop after the images got to her, leaving her more puzzled and worried than when she started. She hated to think that she didn't have a solid lead at the moment, let alone something solid to show her boss but theories...She tried to trust her feelings and intuition, but it kept pointing to someone that had done a very good job of at least proving they could be innocent...She tossed the files aside in favor of getting ready for that night, especially since she was already running a bit behind. She wanted to get there early to see Patrick before he went on stage. She looked through her closet and decided to settle on an outfit that was leagues more casual than she was used to wearing in the office. She went light with her makeup since she would be in a dark bar anyways and no one would really be paying her much mind anyways. After getting sufficiently ready she headed down to the street, opting to take a cab since it would be quicker than worrying over her car in the bar district. When she got to the bar, a two story establishment with a bar upstairs and a basement with a stairwell that lead down to a music venue. She paid the cab for putting up with her choice of stops and headed down the narrow stairs to see if she could find the others. The place was sufficiently packed, enough so that Evelyn actually had to maneuver her way to the bar to see if she could get ahold of someone she knew and a decent drink. To her luck she caught sight of Anthony, his wife Tiffany standing with her hand in his as the two talked over drinks. Evelyn didn't mind butting in, such that she surprised Tiffany when she suddenly spoke out to them. "Hey guys. Glad to see you here." Anthony was the first to greet her, giving her an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. "Good to see you got away from work, Detective. How did you talk with the Hyun guy go--?" "Oh hush. No work on our night out." Tiffany interrupted, swatting his arm which drew a smile from Evelyn in relief. She didn't really want others to know just how lost she was in the case... "Not bad. Now move so I can get something. I need a drink." She said, though she was searching the crowd for her brother. She hadn't seen him so far, so she assumed she arrived a bit too late for her window to talk with him early. ((her brother's band name is Jenkins and the other people...))
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Post by elvenimp on May 1, 2016 15:23:58 GMT -5
James knew it was his time when Ms. Turner said her goodbyes to Jin. He watched her go out of the corner of his eye and made note of which way she turned out of the door. He closed his book and stood without hurry, pushing his chair in before making his way out the door. He met Jin's eyes briefly, the Korean professor not hiding his excitement. It was the complete opposite of James' cool annoyance. Still, he had agreed to tail this woman and so he would. He just hoped the Jin would remember to meet up with him later and he wouldn't have to blow up the man's phone to remind him.
Ms. Turned, somewhat to James' surprise, chose to walk home. It definitely made his task simpler. He followed behind a good ways, keeping track of her hair ahead of him. His hands were pocketed and his head ducked a bit low so as to seem like he was in a bit of a hurry and in no mood for social interaction from others on the street. He eventually found himself in front of a bookshop that Ms. Turner had entered. He debated whether or not to even follow her inside but an impatient patron behind him made up his mind for him, nearly pushing him in out of sheer force to get in the door.
James gave the irritating individual a glance of annoyance, trying to burn a hole into the back of their skull, but he quickly put his mind back on the task at hand and followed Ms. Turner from aisle to aisle, making sure he entered right before she switched to somewhere else. Only once did he stand in the same aisle with her for more than a few minutes when she seemed to have found what she was looking for. It was hard for James to continue his observation of the blonde woman when she was in his favorite section. There were quite a few books here that he wouldn't mind perusing himself. He busied himself with one or two while he waited for her to check out and he put them in the back of his mind for later. He could come back some other time.
From the bookshop, Ms. Turner made her way to her apartment. He walked passed her as she entered the building, finding a quaint little sub shop across the street. He settled himself there with a bite to eat and made note of where Jin's research had said her apartment was located in the building. He really felt like a complete stalker at the moment, especially since he wasn't getting paid to tail her.
After he was done eating, James pulled out his phone and called Jin. It seemed that his friend was still interested in this little endeavor when he picked up instantly, breathless excitement coloring his tone. Within the next half hour, Jin arrived in jeans and his favorite leather jacket, his hair mussed but in a manner one could consider attractive. He joined James at the window table and discussed among themselves what had transpired on James' mini adventure.
Time went by and daylight began to fade. The boys were beginning to think that they should call it a night when low and behold Ms. Turner was spotted leaving her apartment. She was dressed in a manner unlike earlier, much more low key and dare Jin think a tad bit cute. They were up and out of the sub shop rather quickly and in just enough time to see her step into a cab, James able to write down the license number. The nifty thing about technology these days was that it wasn't hard for Jin to track the cab based on its allocated GPS system.
They followed the cab in Jin's own car and a bit to their surprise, they found their destination to be a rather intimate music venue. It was a bit crowded but they made their way downstairs. It wouldn't be necessarily easy to keep track of their mark down here but hell, Jin was already getting distracted by pretty women and he made a beeline for the bar, James struggling to follow. He never found large crowds to be his expertise at navigating. Still, he knew Jin would be heading straight for the bar for a drink and then James frowned at a thought. He might have to end up finding his own way home too if Jin pulled his usual stunt of giving some poor girl a “ride home”.
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Post by kimcora on May 2, 2016 9:25:43 GMT -5
Evelyn took her beer from the bar tender, figuring she wouldn't drink heavy since she still had work to do from home in the morning. As Anthony and Tiffany talked about things going on, she continued to look for Patrick or Katie, her heels giving her a bit more leverage over some of the crowd but not all of it. In her searching, she thought she saw a familiar face, but it was a brief moment of one. Was that Dr. Hyun? She frowned a bit, feeling Anthony beside her tap her arm. "What's up?" She didn't look away from the direction she saw him heading, her eyes trained on the path that would eventually bring him somewhere nearby. Why would he be in this place? It could have been coincidence, but young professionals didn't usually pick dive bar spots for a simple hang out, right? "I think--I think I see the guy I just interviewed earlier." Anthony made a face, a bit lost for a second before his face brightened some in understanding. "Oh, well didn't you say he was a college professor? Maybe he's the type that likes to party with students? This is pretty close to campus and doesn't card well enough." Evelyn offered him a look before she shook her head. Something didn't sit right, even if he may have been right... "Yeah..hey I'm going to go see if I can find Pat. I'll see you once the show starts." She pulled away from the bar, trying to look casual in her walk but it was hard when it was obvious she was looking for someone. However, her interest had shifted from Patrick to whatever was going on with Jin. At least here she could get a better feel for what he was like outside of that office, maybe in some way validating some of the profile the psychs in her department gave her on the scientist she was looking for. She was in the process of going left around some bimbo and her catch for the night, someone caught her arm in a solid grip. She about turned and knocked the hand off, but paused when she was met with a familiar face. It was scruffier than she last remembered, but it was definitely her older brother, Patrick. "Pat!" She gave him a tight hug, getting a chuckle out of him as he hugged her back. "Hey Eve. Glad you could make it out. I heard your super official now." He said in a slightly teasing manner that got him a quick sarcastic smile. "Yeah, I'm a fed now. Dad got at least one of us to convert." He smiled at that before looking over her shoulder with a bit of a hopeful look. "Where's Katie?" Evelyn bit her lip, knowing the news wasn't good but she had to share it with him. "Well she got tied up back at her house with the kids. She couldn't get ahold of their approved baby sitter." Patrick gave her a look that said he knew the real reason she couldn't come, knowing it was Daniel. She saw he was disappointed, enough so that Evelyn gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Hey I'm sure I can invite just all of us over to my place for dinner tomorrow? How long are you in town for?" He quickly tucked away his disappointment and gave his sister a brighter smile. "Actually I'll be local for a while. I'm recording a new album!" She gave a cheer of excitement, giving him another quick hug before pulling away. She missed her brother, especially in times when things got stressful. Pat was always the voice of reason and level headedness in their family. When he left, things got tense and nothing was fun any more. Family time felt more like a business meeting till Katie had her kids. They heard the sound a mic being adjusted not far off and Patrick gave a small huff. "Looks like that's my cue to get back. I'll see you afterwards hopefully?" She nodded and let him go, wishing him luck as best she could over the noise. She gave a half smile, feeling elated to hear he was staying around for a while. However standing still on a moving bar floor was not a very good idea, since it caused her to run into by a group of people moving over to the stage area, which knocked her into someone else. Thankfully her beer didn't go everywhere, but she still felt bad about smacking into the other person. The crowd was packing in, causing them to be bit pressed for space and a little too close to each other for her usual comfort with a stranger. "Sorry, it's kinda tight in here. I didn't get any of my drink on you right?" She asked since she was checking him over and herself in the minuscule space they had between them before she looked at their face to see if they were pissed. ((Can be either Jin, James, or someone random, I just thought it would be an interesting way to get the ball rolling if you didn't have anything else planned))
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Post by elvenimp on May 13, 2016 17:20:27 GMT -5
James had sufficiently lost Jin in the crowd. He had also managed to loose his mark which just was not his style. He could feel his frustration building and a tight lipped frown formed on his face. Internally grumbling at his luck, he pushed through the growing crowd. Eventually, he did make it to the bar but still there was no sign of Jin. He did catch a glimps of Ms. Turner but it was only of the back of her head as she moved away from the bar. His frown just gave way to a sigh as he flagged down the bar tender and ordered a drink. It wasn't anything heavy but he did enjoy a bit of alcohol one in a while. He tended to avoid drinking heavily however because alcohol in a big enough quantity just ended with him passed out and then waking up a week later with no memory of what his body had been doing. His dink came quick enough and he paid cash before making his way towards the edge of the room, a little closer tot the stage. He had overheard a few conversations involving talk of a band that was rather good who was to be playing tonight. James figured that if he stuck towards the outskirts than maybe when the show started, he would be able to catch sight of either Ms. Turner or the troublesome Jin. ~~~ Jin noticed after having bought himself a drink at the bar that he had lost James. He did feel a bit bad about that but his attentions moved to the ebb and flow of the crowd. He heard talk of a band and the more immature side of him wanted to stay and enjoy and get drunk with a pretty think pressed against his body as the beat of the music rocked through them, however, he knew he was here for a reason and so sobered his desires and paid more attention to his surroundings. Jin kept his eye out for a blonde girl and though there were plenty to look at, he knew which on he was looking for. Still, he tried for sometime, finding himself unsuccessful. His beer felt cool on his lips as he took a swig, instead deciding to look for James. Maybe, his partner in crime had been having better luck. Time continue to pass and as the it got closer to when the band was to take stage, Jin felt a growing annoyance in his chest. The crowd grew thicker and he found himself shoved into a tight spot, another body colliding with his. Luckily, his beer was over half empty and he managed not to spill any of it but he did turn with an annoyed expression towards whoever was pressing into him still, though in the back of his mind he knew it was doubtful they were doing it on purpose. When he caught sight of the girl, her apology coming forth from his lips, Jin had to pause in awe at the transformation Ms. Turner had taken. She was much less an office woman and more like a pretty piece of artwork he would have no problem picking up and taking home to hang on his wall. He had to shake the thought out of his mind though and his frown turned into a gentle smile. “Oh no, you didn't. I'm fi—Ms. Turner?” He let himself accept her apology before pausing and saying her name. His body became less ridged as he turned to face her, though the crowd just pushed both of them closer together and Jin had to fight the urge at the fact that he was just a little bit turned on by the situation. “I wasn't expecting to run into you here, tonight.” He spoke, his tone much less formal than when they had met earlier. If it wasn't so loud, he would have probably made a fool of himself by trying to sound suave. Still, he felt he had successfully made it come across that he hadn't been here looking for her.
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