His cell phone was sitting on his dining room table. It was quiet in the apartment. Too quiet. It had been that way for a long while now.

The milk in the refrigerator was spoiled, the mail was piling on the counter tops, and a Cavalier King Charles spaniel was the only things in the living room that showed any sign of having been cared for in recent history.

Tarin Brooks reached out and slid the top part of the phone up to reveal the keyboard. He dialed her number again. He’d done it thousands of times. The same thing happened. Straight to voicemail.

Tarin’s arms folded on the table and he dropped his head onto his forearms.

Lee was gone.

All the traces of Lee were still here, but Lee was gone.

Vanished without a trace.

A whole month had passed. Four weeks. Many minutes, sixty times more seconds. So many phone calls, so many requests for help.

It was like she’d never existed. One of Tarin’s hands moved, running through his hair, which was as unkempt as the rest of the apartment.

Out that hand reached, hovering over the phone for a moment before picking it up and dialing a new number. Tarin needed someone to talk to…someone he wouldn’t expect to be able to find her. Someone who might just listen.

The idea was random, and Tarin didn’t even know if it would work out. It had been a long time since he’d seen Shin, since his birthday in March. It was too bad…they’d gotten so close in Romania…but maybe…

The phone rang. As soon as a voice answered on the other end, Tarin spoke. He didn’t know if it was voice mail or Shin actually picking up…so he left a message.

”Shin. Tarin Brooks. This is going to sound ridiculous…but something awful has happened and I could really use an ear. Here’s my address…”

The ‘end’ button was pressed as soon as the message was finished, and Tarin hoped the triangle-manipulator wouldn’t think he was too crazy to spend time with. That errand finished, he reached out to the teacup on the table, took a generous swig of scotch and dropped his head into his arms again. What else was there to do but wait?

The call had been cryptic, the mood of the speaker, unhappy. Shin didn't like the sound of the words 'something awful'. He'd taken down the address, filed it away, and grabbed his 'coat'. The tails flowed out dramatically behind him as he made his way to Tarin's apartment, dancing in the wind.

The elevator dinged. He stepped off. He went down the hallway, and to the door. Shin knocked twice. "Tarin? What's up, buddy?" There was worry in his voice.

Tarin and Shin hadn't spoken in a while. The last time they'd seen each other, it had been at Tarin's birthday party, where the man had been forced to announce that he and Lee were 'trying' at pregnancy. The 'something awful' had him worried. He hoped nothing awful had happened to any hypothetical babies. He didn't think he could take that news, even in an epic coat. Those sorts of things were hard to accept.

It didn’t seem like it had been long enough when the knock sounded at the door of the apartment. Had he fallen asleep? Tarin didn’t know. Sleep had been fleeting and infrequent for some time now. A voice came with the knock, apparently Shin had gotten the message.

Tarin looked at the door, wondering at the fact that it was actually locked. When had he started doing that again? He looked up at one of the assembled spirits. Apparently the ‘home turf’ rule had gone with Lee, there were several spread out around the apartment. It shrugged its shoulders like it knew what he was thinking. Tarin sneered, ”Huge help you are…” he muttered and pushed away from the table, socked feet making no noise on the hardwood floors as he walked through the entry way and turned the locks to free the door.

It opened, and the living, breathing person standing in the hallway lent credence to the claim that Tarin wasn‘t crazy. He stared at Shin for a moment, wondering what a stark contrast they painted. The triangle-manipulator was dressed snappily and looked concerned. Tarin was dressed in sweats and an OSU t-shirt he‘d had for fifteen years, ”Nice coat.” the Medium said, turning and walking back towards the table he’d just left and waving at Shin to follow.

”Thanks for coming. Have a seat” he said, dropping back down into his seat and taking another sip from the teacup as he waved a hand at the seat across from him. ”Scotch?”

>> ”Nice coat.”

"I think you mean super-special awesome," Shin replied dryly, not missing a beat. He followed Tarin into the apartment humorlessly, glancing around. The place was a mess. Tarin was a mess. Triangular pupils rose to focus on the medium, and hardened. Something had happened. Something was wrong here.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, though.

He sat.

Tarin offered him a drink.

"No thanks," Shin replied. He eyed Tarin solemnly. "What's up?"

... And where was Lee?

>>"I think you mean super-special awesome."

Tarin shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair with a non committal grunt. The coat was important, he'd try to remember to make a comment about it sometime down the line. Maybe. The spirits were milling around, like they always were, and suddenly Tarin wondered if this had been a good idea. Shin was uncomfortable, and he declined the offer of Scotch...teacup and all. That was sad.

The visitor asked what had happened, and Tarin took another drink.

Meanwhile, Axel had crawled from his bed by the living room wall and made his way to the newcomer, hoping for some of the attention he'd been lacking from his owner these past few weeks. Sure his bowl had been full and walks had been copious, but the playing and the loving just hadn't been there. He plopped next to Shin's feet and looked up with brown eyes that were almost too big for his head.

whimper whimper whine

A front leg rose, pawing at the air.

Tarin missed all of that, he was looking at the bottom of his tea cup, again. He set it on the table. Drunkeness hadn't helped much more than anything else.

"She's gone." he said, again with a helpless shrug of his shoulders. He snapped his fingers, "Just like that."

Tarin looked around at the apartment and shook his head, "Just gone...no note, no call, her phone goes straight to voicemail. All her clothes are in the closet, her purse is even where she always leaves it. Her wallet and keys are gone...but she did that sometimes when she went out."

Did... He was already starting to talk about her in past tense. Tarin eyed the scotch bottle again then sighed.

"You would think that someone who has access to all the lingering spirits in the New York Metropolitin area would be able to do something as simple as finding his pregnant wife." he said, finally turning to look at Shin.

"Apparently not."

He didn't know what else to say.

"So...how've you been?"

Shin looked up from scratching the dog's head to focus on Tarin. The heavy attitude he'd suspected from the phone call was there, and for good reason. Shin's stomach dropped.

Lee was gone, with no word, no sign of preparation for that absence... nothing. Lee, who'd survived death itself in Romania, who loved Tarin completely, who Shin had made Jello with, and kept company during Tarin's coma... was gone. The way she'd left was uncharacteristic. It screamed kidnapping. But could someone kidnap Lee? Why would they? Who? How...?

"How......?" He repeated the last thought, throwing it into the conversation. Not at the kidnapping possibilities, though. His mind had just caught... he'd just caught the word 'pregnant'. She'd been pregnant? Lee was... pregnant!?

That made this worse. Tarin was drinking, down in the dumps, and...

Asking how he was doing. Shin ignored the question. There were more important ones outstanding. For instance:

"Have you called the police and filed a missing person's report? How long has she been gone? Would someone have kidnapped her? Who? Why? Pregnant?" And... "Maybe I know someone who can help..." Could that detective with the super nose...?

His thought was interrupted by a knocking at the door. He hadn't even gotten to hear any of Tarin's answers. The rattatat tat had cut any answers off. He looked at Tarin expectantly. Would he answer, or would he answer? Which order would they do this in?

((OOC: Lenna enters after your response. Feel free to see her in the doorway with a bottle of wine in-hand.))

Tarin almost laughed when Shin asked how. He didn’t, though, he knew the sound would be filled with bitterness and frustration, and his friend didn’t deserve that for asking the same question Tarin had been absolutely killing himself with for the last four weeks. He looked over at Shin again, ”I wish I knew…” he said, taking his hand through his hair again, ”I wish I knew anything.”

A slew of questions followed, and Tarin would have answered them…he really would have. These days it just felt like it took a while to get his thoughts organized to form coherent words. The questions were hard, but legitimate. The sorts of things Tarin would have asked in the same situation.

Shin was surprised to hear Lee was pregnant. Actually thinking about it sent a pang of terror through Tarin that he hadn’t felt in a while and he almost instinctively reached for the bottle of Scotch that was on the table, preparing himself to tell everything he knew.

The knock on the door stopped him.

Tarin couldn’t help it, the hope that rose in him when anyone knocked on the door and didn’t call out like Shin had. What if it was her? Tarin knew she’d taken her keys with her…but what if she’d lost them? It would be like Lee to stand and wait patiently….

Up he got, striding purposefully even though the floor was just a little bit wobbly. It would be worth it if just…

His hand reached out and grabbed the door knob, pulling the door open and…

There was Lenna. Tarin's disappointment was probably obvious, if unintentional. She'd brought more booze.

At least she knew how to invite herself to a pity party.

”Come on in. I was starting to worry I’d run out of alcohol tonight.”

Lenna stood in the doorway, eying him. He didn't seem pleased to see her. Tarin seemed the exact antithesis of pleased, in fact. He looked like someone had kicked his puppy. For a second, she almost turned around. Maybe he didn't need the bottle of wine. Maybe she'd keep it all to herself, even though she had more than enough. He might not have needed her 'extra'. She'd just wanted to be a nice neighbor, and share it with Tarin and Lee. They were nice people, after all. She'd never really met a perfect couple before. Those things actually existed outside of movies? It was a stunning revelation.

The fact he invited her in changed her mind. Lenna shrugged it off, slipping into the apartment.

"Are you alright, Tarin? You look like you've seen a ghost..." He didn't. The man obviously didn't look spooked. She thought it was funny, though, and what amused Lenna got said, regardless of whether it made sense or not.

She set the wine bottle down on the coffee table, then paused. Her eyes rose to focus on the pink elephant in the room. In his big white coat, he certainly stood out. Lenna eyed him.

".... Hey..." She said slowly.

What's he doing here?

He didn't see her. He couldn't see her. The moment she walked in the door, he couldn't think hard about Tarin's problems. They vanished in a haze. She was an adaptoid. Adaptoids were bad.

Simple thoughts, Shin, simple.

He glowered at fuzzy air. "Why're you here?"

Hadn't she been with Tarin back in Romania? Hadn't she been back in Romania with Slate? Hadn't she been here in New York just now, talking to him?

Wait. She was. He was confusing himself. Why was she here now? "You make me blind, you know... I'm trying to be a good friend for Tarin. Don't work if you're here..."

Adapteds made him grumpy. Anti-social.

Roar, Shin, Roar.

Lenna didn’t seem to take things too personally, and Tarin tried to pretend like he didn’t care. Lenna made her way into the apartment and set her wine on the table. Tarin was glad it had decided to stay as well. The scotch bottle was getting lonely, being mostly empty all on its own. The wine bottle could join it soon and they could be happy in their empty bliss together.

His mind was wandering. Tarin looked back to his guests.

”I’m a terrible host.” he said, by way of apology. Hopefully the meaning made it across in the words themselves because he’d lost his train of thought as he sat down.

Lenna spoke. Tarin almost chuckled at the comment that he appeared to have seen a ghost. ”I can see like ten of them. Even with you here.” he said, still mildly confused as to how that whole thing worked.

Shin spoke.

He was not happy to see Lenna.

Lenna made him blind.

Romania came back to Tarin then, what had happened to Shin in that godforsaken cave. His eyes were involved in his powers. Lenna made him blind.

Tarin looked at Lenna, then he looked at Shin.

”I asked Shin over to help….” Tarin said, taking a deep breath and trying to sort out how this could possibly end well. He looked to Lenna apologetically

”Lenna, I know this is going to sound rude…but is there any way you can sit somewhere that’s far enough away that it won’t bother him? Maybe out of his sight too? I know it’s asking a lot…but if you’re patient….”

Tarin paused for a second and sighed.

”Shin asked some questions just before you got here that I think will explain a lot.”

The kid was as rude and blind as ever.

"Charming..." Here she was, bringing Tarin and Lee a gift, and she had to deal with a whiny Asian dragon... AND Tarin was grumpy. Why was he so grumpy?

Meh.

Terrible host, he was. Would not party with again. She writ him off in her mental notepad.

The terrible host tried to explain away his terribleness... or at least, the presence of Shin. Same thing, really. Lenna gave a one-shoulder shrug. He asked her to move, and her neck started hurting. Annoyance pangs, oh how she hated them. They made her a grouch.

Damn chip.

Maybe, she'd sit closer to Shin? Snuggle the Asian to blind, scaly death?

No. She respected Tarin just enough to oblige. She found a seat out of Shin's way.

"Talk," she stated simply. If he had explanations, he should have explained.

>> "Charming..."

"In case you can't tell, I'm glaring." Shin replied with a pout.

Wait, wasn't it him who couldn't see things?

He. Didn't. Care.

He was wearing an epic coat. He didn't have to make sense.

At least Tarin was, though. He asked Lenna to sit somewhere where she wouldn't bother him. He'd have stuck out a tongue at her if he knew where she'd ended up sitting. Instead, he tried to shrug off the situation as his sight came back to him. He focused on Tarin, and tried to be the bigger man. He couldn't get by on childish behavior. He was certain neither Kealey, nor Tarin would approve.

Shin took a deep breath, and shirked the annoyance.

>>"Talk," Lenna said for him.

Yeah. They had to get this over with. Maybe hearing what Tarin was going through would nice her up.

With great amounts of pouting, glaring, and general-all-around-grumpiness, everyone got themselves arranged in a way that was conducive to eliminating blindness and making everyone as happy as possible.

Apparently that wasn’t very happy. Oh well. At least they’d listen.

Tarin filled his glass and eyed the scotch bottle. There was only about one more glass left. There was other, lesser, alcohol still left in the apartment…and the wine Lenna had brought. Good enough.

He took a drink as Lenna told him to talk. He had no response, just shrugged his shoulders and did what she said.

”Lee’s been gone for a month.” he said to catch Lenna up. ”Didn’t take any clothes, her purse…anything. Just gone.” He took another drink. That was the hard part. Somehow saying it made it real.

”I filed a missing person’s report as soon as they would let me…but one missing person with no forced entry isn’t exactly at the top of their priority list.” That was the only question that Tarin could really answer…the rest….

”I don’t know who…I don’t know why…we haven’t even done anything in the States since Romania….we took a break from all of that…” he said a little blearily.

The last question…most difficult to answer, ”Yeah. She was pregnant.” there was that was again.

Now everyone could be really happy.

”I don’t know what else to do.” Hadn’t Shin made an offer, “So if you know anyone…or anything that can help…I’m open to suggestion.”

Footsteps moved across carpet. A hand pulled back, slap rang out. Lenna stood in front of Tarin, glowering. She reached out, and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "You sound like you've given up," She sneered. In the back of her mind, there was an electric pulse. Yeah, this was pissing her off. "Put away the drink. Stop feeling sorry about yourself. Deal with it. Don't say drinking and feeling sorry for yourself is the only way you can."

Was she usually this rough? No. But she was getting rougher. First, with Nathan and his ditching of responsibilities, and now with Tarin, a guy she respected? Yeah, the men in her life needed to shape up and stop feeling sorry for themselves. She'd have to help.

"H-hey!" Shin didn't see it. He heard it, though. She was being mean again. Hadn't they all agreed to stop that?! "Don't go hitting him when he's down! He has every right to--"

"Quiet," Lenna spun on Shin, never letting go of Tarin's collar. Her eyes were combative, threatening. He didn't need to see them to get the message. Her tone did the trick. "He needs this. Drinking like he is, he won't get a damned thing done. Tarin, consider my gift offer revoked."

Shin glared at nothing in particular. He muttered something uncouth in Japanese.

Lenna knew Japanese. She didn't really care.