They are among us (PRS)

What do you suggest? Well, Regina actually didn’t know. Right now, she had no idea where it would be a good place for them to talk. They could obviously not go to the Wesen bar – Eli didn’t have the right requirements. They could definitely not go to camp for obvious reasons.
“Well, you’re the one who want information, maybe you should come up with a place” she said, leaning forward on her elbows on the table.
“And as I said, I won’t share any information unless there is something in it for me” she added, raising an eyebrow. Regina needed something to make sure that she wouldn’t get screwed over. Unfortunately, she was in a position when she needed Eli to figure out more about what had happened to Sean. On the other hand, Eli needed her as much. If they had to cooperate, which this conversation seemed to head towards, they had to in some way trust each other. Regina just didn’t know how that would be possible. Sure, he had helped her yesterday, but that was before he found out what she was. The only reason she hadn’t been killed the night before was because Eli hadn’t gotten the order to do so.

She leaned back again, looking carefully at him, noticing every move of the muscles in his face. He could simply be sitting there, lying to her to lure her with him. There could be an entire squad of Kehrseite outside the mall, waiting for them to come out so they could arrest her. Arrest her for being who she was. Arrest her for being different. And God knows what they did to the ones they arrested. There had been multiple stories of experimenting, killing and torture that went around camp. It could be as true as anything else, really. They didn’t know, just that those that were arrested never came back.

Eli chewed his noodles and leaned in to place the box back onto the table. He was slowly getting satisfied for now from the food, even though there was still food left to leave him with some leftovers for later. He noticed that she had not touched anything, not that it bothered him too much. He had seen her eating some bread when he came, and she was probably satisfied for the moment.
He placed the disposable wooden fork in his mouth as he grabbed one of the fortune cookies. He leaned back into his chair again, carefully throwing the fortune cookie between his hands as he looked into her green eyes.

So he had to come up with a place? It amused him to some level – here she was pressuring him with requirements, but he still had to come up with solutions.
He took a hold the fortune cookie with one hand and removed the fork with the other, placing it down on the table in front of him. He could come up with a number of places, but how could he be sure they were good enough for her standards?

“Well,” he began, looking down at the fortune cookie wrapper that he cautiously teared open. “I don’t know exactly what information you’re searching for, or what place you’re comfortable with” he began, picking out the dense cracker from its package before placing the plastic wrap on the table. “Do you want an open space or closed one? We could go to any bar in the neighbourhood and get a booth, to a lobby, or, I don’t know – I could even show you where I live?”

He gazed up at her as he cracked open the fortune cookie and took the small folded piece of paper inside, throwing a quick glance at whatever his fortune was. You make your own happiness, followed by a row of his lucky numbers. Well, that’s great, just what he needed. He put the piece of paper down on the table and broke a piece of the cracker with his hands, popping it into his mouth, before looking back at her.

Regina looked at Eli as he suggested some places for them to talk in. It had to be people around, but not too many.
“Yeah, I’m not going to your place, that’s for sure” she said, raising an eyebrow. Sure, it would give her an insight which would be at her advantage. But she still didn’t trust him, so that wasn’t an option now. For all she knew, his flat could be filled with military.
“The Whippet Inn is a good pub, shouldn’t be too many people here at this time of day” she said, looking at the big clock at the wall. Of course, the Wesen bar would be much better but that wasn’t an option. The Whippet Inn was also a good place, and usually a mix of Kehrseite and Wesen, at least it had been like that when Regina had lived in Maidstone. Now, she was quite sure most Wesen hung around at the Wesen bar. Why risk anything when you could be with people you knew were your peers. It reminded her that she had to go back to the Wesen bar and find out if Eric had heard something else later. An attack in the open air wouldn’t go by unnoticed, and Regina felt that it was her duty to raise awareness that there were Kehrseite, but in some way not Kehrseite at the same time, running around attacking them with taser guns.

Regina watched Eli open the cracker. He didn’t seem to be satisfied with his fortune, and she flexed her fingers.
“And I want for me and my sister to be safe” she continued, leaning back. She looked at him, her green eyes meeting his amber.
“Of course I’d like all of us Wesen to be safe, but I realize that it won’t work, so I’m saving my own arse, and my sister’s. If you would happen to stumble upon us, you or any of your military friends, neither me or my sister will be prosecuted or touched” Regina said scrutinizing his reaction.
“Unless, of course, we attack. I’m not unreasonable. But we’ll only attack if provoked, and if we are, you have broken your part of the deal” she said with a grin. She uncrossed her arms, letting her hands rest on her thighs.
“I also want money” she added, realizing something. She could use this opportunity to actually get something out of it, and be able to live on it. There was a slight possibility that this would be the start of something they would actually work on, and she was definitely not going to work for free.

He swallowed the piece of fortune cookie before taking another piece of it. Dry, quite hard, and tasted a bit like he would imagine sweetened cardboard would taste like. He couldn’t imagine anyone liking fortune cookies for their taste, but the fortune part was always a funny twist. Eli had somehow hoped his little piece of paper would have given him some more information about this whole ordeal. Don’t trust the Wesen woman, for example, or Taking the deal will lead you to answers. A small smile portrayed onto his lips – of course this generic fortune cookie brand wouldn’t know anything about him, but one could dream.

“The Whippet Inn works,” he replied, nodding slightly as he put the half-eaten cookie on the table. While she continued with her other requests, Eli carefully started closing the take-away boxes and piling them back into his plastic bag. So she wanted safety for herself and her sister. At this moment, that request was something that Eli could almost guarantee. Unless their orders would change, as of this morning, drawing first strike on a Wesen or mutant was a breach of contract, something he doubted that many of his colleagues would ever try. The aftermath of that could be brutal – depending on how severe the breach was, and aside from losing one’s job and military clearance, one could sit behind bars for quite some time. Breaking orders was something they were just not supposed to do, and was perhaps the one thing they were taught the most. No exceptions.

Her other request was money. Here he couldn’t be as sure what their protocol says, but he guessed desperate times call for desperate needs. The only thing he was certain of was that he did not have the authorization to confirm anything like that just yet.
“If it was up to me, we have a deal,” Eli said, giving her a slight nod and a smile. “But this is not anything I can guarantee you just like that.” He got the last things packed into the bag and threw the remaining two fortune cookies on top. Maybe they would guide him better than the first one. “However,” he continued, looking back at the green-eyed Wesen, “if you want a confirmation before we talk, it’s a phone call away.” He knew he was off duty, but he doubted anyone could establish a link between the two sides as safe and fast as this. Sergeant Conner would be his safest bet to get any sort of approval quickly. “But I need to know how much compensation you have in mind.”

Regina watched as Eli neatly put his food boxes together in the plastic bag. She had to think a bit before she answered. What was reasonable to get paid, really?
“I would suggest that you confirm it, if it’s that easy” she said, wishing that she was able to make a phone call, too. She wanted to tell someone what she was up to, in case it went badly. Unfortunately the camp’s protecting spells created a force field which destroyed any reception and phone signals. And Regina didn’t have Eric’s number.
“And about payment, I guess you could pay me whatever you’d paid a.... consultant” she said with a grin. In a way, she was a consultant. She was actually a bridge between the Kehrseite and her world. And the Kehrseite probably wanted information about her world than she wanted about theirs. She had been living with them all her life, they had only been living with them for a while. They had a lot to learn about the Wesen world. Regina was definitely open to live together, as long as they could do it in harmony.

“So I suggest you get on your phone and call your friends, and specify my requests” she said, leaning back in the chair. Her eyes went around the room. It was still filled with Kehrseite, but it seemed as if no one had picked up on their conversation. A frown slowly built up between her eyebrows, however. Her nose had picked up on a smell that she wasn’t a very big fan of.
“And I would suggest you do it soon so we can get out of here quickly. I smell Hundjäger” she said, her eyes meeting Eli’s again. Hundjäger were the kind of Wesen you couldn’t really trust. They were usually quite brutal, and often used to do assassination jobs. They were known to be part of the Wesen Council, which was still active regardless of the current situation. However, the Council had to change their approach and rules, and right now it was all a mess. The Council’s most important task had been to keep the Wesen society from Kehrseite eyes and create rules about it. That had all been thrown out the window the day the Keherseite had started to realise monsters lived among them.

Regina looked around quickly.
“They’re not to mess around with. And right now, I’m quite sure they wouldn’t care if they woged in the middle of the mall” she said, sighing. She did not want to face a couple of bloodthirsty Hundjäger right now.

Eli gave out a slight chuckle. Consultant… Well, that was kind of true, he guessed. If the military agreed, this could help a great deal with not just understanding Wesens, but getting closer to solving the murders that were taking place. Both would be a big stride forward in resolving conflicts and calming aggressive zones that existed.
“I’ll see what they say,” Eli said and reached for his phone. As he stood up, her comments regarding Hundjäger reached him.

Hundjäger? Eli knew about them from Wesen studies, but had not yet seen one himself in real life. What were they doing here? Or what did he know – perhaps they roamed the mall all the time, just not to his knowledge.
“You sure about that?”, he said, frowning slightly before locking up his phone screen. “I’ll make it quick,” he said, giving Regina a quick look before taking some strides away to an empty table. He typed down the number to his sergeant and pressed dial as he carefully sat down on the table. He let one foot rest on a chair as the dialling tone beeped in his ear.

It did not take long before there was an answer on the other side. “Conner,” a firm voice said. “Sergeant Conner, this is Private Adler, W336 reporting in,” Eli said, scraping on a small stain with his other hand of the dark pants he was wearing, perhaps from all the sloppy take-away eating. “State your business,” Conner replied in his usual way, no extra chitchat from him whatsoever.
“I have one of the Wesens from yesterday willing to cooperate,” Eli stated quietly, giving the area around him a long gaze. There were no one in his immediate surrounding, but you could never be too cautious. “She will give us information in return for amnesty for her and her sister, as well as some financial aid for her consulting,” he said, waiting a few seconds as Sergeant Conner did not reply immediately.

The seconds started to feel like hours. Perhaps he had gone over his line, taking matters into his own hands like this without formal approval, but Eli gave out a slight sigh of relief as he finally got a reply. “That will do, Private Adler,” Conner replied after his break. “We need a formal signature from both parties. She is not to be allowed near military equipment or buildings, and we have the right to terminate if the information she’s giving is faulty.” Eli wanted to throw up a fist in the air to celebrate, but gathered himself quite quickly. “Try to make sure you have someone else present when interacting. If she is leading you into some kind of trap, report immediately,” Conner concluded, and Eli affirmed.
He let his fingers tap rhythmically on the bent knee he had from having his foot on the chair as he remembered what Regina has just said. “There might be a group of Hundjäger in the Mall on Regent’s Street,” he said into the phone before Sergeant Conner took another one of his typical breaks. He would have otherwise repeated himself or asked if he could be heard, but after some time with Sergeant Conner it was quickly learned that it was just his way of communicating.
“Affirmed. We have a troop nearby if necessary, do not interfere alone. The paperwork for our consultant will be ready for pickup from the reception,” Conner stated. “Yes sir,” Eli exclaimed, and listened to the dial tone as their call was ended.

Regina raised an eyebrow.
“You ask me if I’m sure there are Hundjäger in here? I know you don’t have a very good sense of smell, but it still wouldn’t surprise me if you could smell them too” she said, shaking her head. Hundjäger always had a distinguished smell, and they never did anything to cover it up. Not that it was needed, it was just easy for other Wesen to spot them. All Wesen had some kind of scent, but some had more than others. However, the scent was still a bit faint, which usually meant that they weren’t in the same room, but in the same area. Regina doubted they were going to do anything, but it still depended on where they came from.

Regina gave Eli’s phone call her attention. She listened to the military term used, and she didn’t understand it. However, she heard that Eli was presenting her terms, and her good hearing picked up what the person on the other side said as well. Formal signature. Really? It wasn’t that Regina was sitting on very much information, she just wanted to make sure they didn’t use her. But maybe a contract would be good, as long as it was beneficial for both parts. She just had to make sure it was. Regina sure as hell wouldn’t sign any paper which put her in a vulnerable situation. She already was in such a position, considering the turbulent relationship between her kind and the Kehrseite. Plus that she was basically fraternizing with the enemy for money. But what could she do during these desperate times?

As Eli hung up, a smirk came over her.
“Well, I, too, want to have the opportunity to…. terminate if you’re doing something that’s…. faulty" she said, carfully using the word Eli’s boss had just used to let him know that she had heard the conversation.
“And forget that you’ll outnumber me. I’ll exchange information with you, and that’s it. If there are more than you, I’ll walk” she said, leaning back in the chair. She was definitely not going to be the minority of this conversation, that was for sure. Not that she really had to option, she wanted to know what kind of threat was lurking in the shadows, targeting all of them. This cooperation was really in both party’s interest. The difference was that Eli’s friends knew what he was up to and could be a backup. Regina’s friends had no idea what she was doing right now.

Regina straightened up, and got out of the chair. She pushed it in and picked up the napkin she had used for her food. She threw it in the bin, and turned to Eli.
“And how do you suggest that I’ll come with you and pick up the contracts if I’m not allowed near the military buildings?” she said, with a grin. Not that she wanted to set foot there, but it would be quite good to know where they were located. That was probably the reason she wasn’t allowed there.

Eli placed his phone in his pocket as he walked back to Regina. Her words made him burst out in a big grin.
“Why even bother trying to have a private conversation,” he chuckled at her, crooking his head a little bit. He should have known it, but luckily nothing else came up in their call that would have been a problem. No talk about military secrets, no plotting, and thankfully no talk about or mentioning anything about being a Grimm.

He grabbed the plastic bag of the table before he scooped up the used napkins and fork with his other hand. He felt comfortable enough to talk to her one-on-one as she sure had shown no signs of aggression so far, but on the other hand, she could most likely easily overpower him if he was without a weapon. That would however not be without some kind of aftermath from the military, so he guessed both of them had reasons not to act up. Or so he hoped.

“Works for me, as long as you keep to your human self,” he said before he threw the garbage into the bin. He then turned to face Regina. “You don’t use your weapons, and I don’t arm myself – I think that is just fair,” he said with a tiny smirk before he placed his hands in his jacket pockets. He let the plastic bag hang freely on his left wrist.
“I suggest I’ll pick them up and meet you at the Inn if that’s okay,” he continued, resting his gaze at her. He could not walk into their base or any surrounding military building with a Wesen without getting in some serious trouble. “It won’t take me too long, if that sounds good?”

Regina grinned.
“Well, there are some perks of being different” she said. She watched him clean up his stuff and listened to what he said.
“I won’t woge unless it’s necessary for me to do so” she said, looking at him.
“If you just keep to yourself, there won’t be a problem. Although I can’t say what’s going to happen around us. But as I said before, I don’t attack unless I’m provoked”. She looked at him up and down before nodding.
“Sure, keep your secret base a secret” she said with a grin, “I’ll meet you at the Inn. See you there” she said, before walking away from the food court.

This hadn’t really been what she had thought would happen today. But now she had an opportunity to find out what was going on. Hopefully, whatever Eli could tell her and if Eric had something else tonight, she could puzzle the pieces together. She looked back once at Eli before taking the escalator down. As she did, the Hundjäger scent grew stronger. Nothing seemed to have happened, though. Maybe they were just hungry. It didn’t really feel right that Eli had blabbed to his boss, who had sent some military force to the mall. Regina didn’t want to put fellow Wesen in danger. Even if they were Hundjäger. Not all Hundjäger were bad, after all.

Regina walked out of the mall, and the chilly air prickled her skin. Her black leather jacket wasn’t the best to keep herself warm, especially now when autumn was on its way. She was just about to walk to the Whippet Inn when she stopped in her tracks. She picked up a phone from her pocket. She had owned it before she fled Maidstone, but still kept it even though it wouldn’t work to contact someone in camp. She quickly texted Vega a brief on where she was, in case something would happen. If Vega walked out of camp, she would get the text. Although right now it was hard to know which state of mind the Blutbad was in.

Regina pocketed her phone and headed down the street. She flexed her fingers, and realized that she felt more anxious than before. She was about to sign a contract with the enemy. But they were also about to sign a contract with their enemy, so the feeling was probably mutual. The thoughts went through Regina’s head as she walked down the street. A few blocks away stood the building which had a sign. It said The Whippet Inn. It was a small pub with quite good food, actually. Regina pushed the doorknob down and opened the door.

She was lucky it was in the middle of the day. It was quite empty; only four other people were sitting around a table, finishing their lunch. She looked over at the bar, where two women were working. Regina knew one of them to be a Wesen, which made her feel a little better. The Wesen woman quickly nodded at her as she entered. Regina sat down in a booth, leaning back. She scraped with her nail on a burn mark on the table. Regina wasn’t keen on waiting. It bored her. She removed her leather jacket, it was quite warm. She was wearing a tank top, which made her skin quite visible. A thicker, white scar across the left clavicula could be glimpsed under the strap of the top. On her right underarm were two small round burn marks with a small space between them. On her left shoulder were three stripes, as if something with claws had scratched her deeply.

Regina turned her head as the Wesen woman walked up to her with a menu.
“I’m waiting for someone” she said with a smile as she accepted the menu. She flipped through it, and carefully read everything. What else could she do while waiting?

Eli shot her a smile and a wave before turning to another pair of escalators to get back to base. This had certainly been interesting day. If his greed for take-away had not been as high and he had just gone home, he would not have run into Regina. Again.
It did cross his mind if this was just some kind of scheme from her side. She had been appearing in all the same areas as him, and knowing that she had an extraordinary sense of smell, maybe she was just tracking him? Then again, it did feel like he had been the one surprising her every time they’ve met. Or maybe that’s what she wanted him to feel? Only time would tell if this would lead to a good cooperation, or perhaps the biggest mistake of his life.

He made his way back to where he had started his day before going to the mall. After crossing the last street, he placed down the plastic bag on the ground and spun around his backpack from his back to his front. There, from the inside pocket, he grabbed his key card and identification as usual before putting his backpack onto his back again and grabbed the bag of food. With a few strides he was by the door and beeped himself in, giving the security guard another wave again and was let in.

Elijah strode down the stairs to the basement floor and turned into one of the rest areas with a small kitchen. Unfortunately empty at the moment, but it was a good place to rest or hang out with others before, between or after shifts. While whistling an upbeat tune he grabbed one of the sharpies from the table. EAT ME he wrote crookedly on the bag of food before stuffing it into the fridge between other marked items. He didn’t have time to get home, but maybe he could make someone else happy.

With that taken care of he walked back up the stairs and cleared through some security doors before finally getting to the reception. The older lady looked up from her computer as Eli strolled down to the desk and leaned onto the counter.
“Private Adler, you should have something with my name,” he said. “Just a second,” she replied before rolling her office chair back a few strides, looking into different binders. With a short exclamation she rolled back, handing him a thin binder. “Sign please,” she said, placing a smaller note on top of it that he quickly scribbled down his signature on, just an assurance that he had indeed picked up it himself. All this paperwork, he thought with a headshake. They sure did like it in the military, but he guessed it was good to have some archived evidence in case needed.

“Here you go,” the lady said as she handed him a flip-phone in exchange for the note he had just signed. A burner phone? That was actually kind of cleaver, something he guessed Sergeant Conner had added to this little package. He thanked the lady with a smile before he placed the binder into his backpack and phone in his pocket before he threw the bag on his shoulders. This had not taken too much time at all, which was not a given when it came to the military. Bureaucracy and paperwork, that should be their motto.

It did not take long before he was on the street walking towards the pub. He had walked past the place a few times before, but had never stopped by. It would be nice to see someplace new – who knows, maybe when he and his buddies got kicked out of their local pub for good, they could emigrate here instead?
He opened up the door to the pub. It was small but quaint, and not too many people around, something that worked well for their purpose. He quickly scanned the place and spotted her in one of the booths. She had not bailed while he was gone, another good sign. Eli took off his backpack and slid off his jacket at the same time before taking a seat in front of her. “Sorry if I kept you waiting,” he said with a short smile before placing his belongings on the seat next to him.