It's fairly late at night, in the middle of a large park, where a white haired woman looks at the sky with a good deal of interest, examining things through binoculars and bare eyes in turn and then jotting notes. She's singing very softly to herself in a clear voice, clearly enjoying the work.

Drawn by the singing, a mountainous fellow dressed in slacks and a beige button-down shirt wanders fairly close. Tucked beneath one of his arms is a tripod-mounted cylinder of some sort, while a briefcase occupies the other. The lengthy chocolate of his hair is neatly tied at his neck, and his pretty-boy features are marred only by a non-descript pair of glasses.

"Stargazing?" he calls to the singing woman, making certain to stand in plain sight. This is a big city after all, and all manner of grape-smugglers could threaten a lone woman in a park.

Her voice trails off, though his caution had served well and she's not startled as she looks over to him. "Yes, and being an astronomer on the side. Hello there." She smiles that close-eyed little expression that a few people actually use.

"Hello! An astronomer, eh...? Do you mind if borrow your services for a bit?" The man holds up the cylinder, which turns out to be a hopelessly advanced telescope. "My wife put me in the doghouse for the night, so I thought I might as well get some work done on this thing."

Minna laughs softly. "Oh, dear. Well, not at all! What do you need?" She sets her notes and binoculars aside stands up carefully since she'd been cross-legged, prosthetic glinting in the bright moonlight as though to explain why, still smiling and ready to help.

"Just to make sure it works properly. I'm not much of a stargazer, so I could not tell you if what I saw was what I should be seeing." The man notes the leg, but ignores it. He figures that she probably gets asked as much about it as she can handle during the day.  He sets up the telescope, adjusting the height for her. "Oh, by the way, my name is Kaies Metsaf."

"Minna Adair. A pleasure to meet you." Minna smiles, and pushes away some lightning-white hair that had been pretty much covering her left eye. Blasted breeze. Clear. But breezy. Unusual. "Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?"

"No, not especially. Whatever you were observing a moment ago would be fine." Kaies nods. "I only need to know if it does not work. Wait... Minna Adair? You work at the university, right? The young woman with albinism?" It's a pretty harmless observation, or at least, he's fairly sure it is.

"That's right. The astronomy professor is a research partner, and I teach adjunct myself." Minna smiles at him a moment before checking a couple of dials on the telescope, surprised at being recognized. "Do you have some affiliation with the university too, then?"

"I am the coordinator of the new Practical Robotics Engineering robotics program." Kaies watches her twist dials absently, deciding that his unpleasant difficulty with faces had done him well. Imagine if he had called such a unique-looking person by the wrong name! "That means I am also the one who gets a call when something techy breaks."

"Oh! I'm familiar with the program, just not your face. That's very exciting!" Minna smiles a bit at his career as she looks through the viewfinder, fine-tuning a couple of things. "There you go." She smiles, and steps away from the scope. He has a really brilliant view of the moon. "Not quite what I was looking at, but much prettier." She grins.

Kaies looks at the scope, then takes a knee to look into the eye-piece. In his mind, he thinks "That is quite a large rock", but he actually says, "That is certainly a sight." He looks away from the viewfinder. It really is beautiful, in its way. He can understand history's wonder at such a massive thing floating in the sky. "So everything functioned as it should have?"

"It seems to, yes. That's a good telescope. Were it visible right now, I could probably show you Saturn's rings."

"It belongs to your department, actually." Kaies rises, brushing off the knee of his slacks. "I replaced a few things on it, and believe me, I am thrilled that it functions. Yesterday the only rings it might see would belong to my wife's hand striking the back of my head."

Minna laughs softly. "I'm sorry to hear that. Marital tiffs do have their way of getting colorful." She's thrilled that she gets to play with the telescope, though!

"True. But then, if we did not fight, then we might forget why the good times are good." Kaies looks around, fancying that he heard a siren in the distance, but he cannot be sure. "If you'd like, you can use this to finish your work. Seeing as how it belongs to your department anyway."

Minna smiles at him. "I really do appreciate it, but I'm mostly working with naked eye and binocular observations tonight. It helps in not missing the big picture, I think."

Kaies returns the smile, looking way down to do so. "Sure. If you don't mind terribly, might I share a workspace with you? If I check into my hotel after midnight, according to my TA, I'll only have to pay for the day."

"Of course not! The company is nice. I certainly don't mind solitude, but the lack of options on the matter is a drawback of night work. Besides..." she grins. "Can't have you paying more than necessary for dog house rental."

"Woof." Kaies sits without complaint upon the ground, snaps open his briefcase. He likes her sense of humor; most people are too busy pretending not to notice him towering over them to be intelligent about their digs. "This is good. We can handle the solitude problem." From within the briefcase he withdraws something that looks like a short, semi-chibi-fied barbie doll, whose nose he pats before pressing the one switch above her left ear. The little thing beeps - an unmistakable computer start-up test - before whirring to life. 

"Good morning Professor!" it greets Kaies, and then turns to Minna. "Good morning... Ma'am!"

Minna blinks, then laughs. "Good morning! What is this, Mr. Metsaf?"

Kaies pulls his glasses down a little bit on his nose. "This is my PC. I call her Lina. Say hello to Minna, Lina."

The robot turns, the ribbon on its doll dress whirling neatly as it gives a smart salue. "Hello, Minna!"

"I have been working on her for quite a while now. Off the record. She's the next big thing." Kaies pats the robot's head, and she reacts by closing her eyes and beaming.

Minna grins broadly, eyes shining. "Yes, I can see how she might be. This is amazing, Kaies!" She pokes the little creature's belly gently.

Lina blinks, tilts her head, and wonders for a second. Then, quite happily - apparently - opens her little mouth and eeps.

"She's one of a kind," Kaies grins, thankful to be talking about something he knows. "Expensive, but not so much as you might think. She's durable too."

Minna smiles, nose still wrinkled up a little in delight at the "creature's" reaction. "Well, I certainly wish you all the best in taking this creation where you will. If you've come this far, I'm sure you'll find a way." She gathers up her notebook as she speaks, glancing over the notes without a flashlight in the moonlight. She still can't shake an uneasy feeling, though. Kind of a "we're being watched" feeling.

"Not for a while," Kaies answers. "Lina, take a nap." The little robot salutes them both. 

"Good night, Minna! Good night Kaies!" And she turns off, just like that. Kaies grins.

"People like their comfort zones, you see. Lina has all the computing ability of any home PC, and she's completely upgradable, but more importantly, she has the ability to learn. A lot of computer companies could be put out of business if her design caught on." He gathers up the little bot, setting her in a hardened case inside his briefcase, and turning a complex lock on the thing. "Minna, you look distracted. Is something wrong?"

"Oh..." she looks back to him. "No, I don't think so. I'm just jittery for no real reason, I think." She smiles. "Actually, I'm pretty much finished up for the night here, at least with my work. Is there anything else you'd like an extra pair of hands to help?"

"Not unless you're interested in a coffee. I thought I might head over to the shop on the corner and shell out half a day's work for something bad for me." Kaies speaks without a trace of sarcasm, his hands busily folding up the telescope's tripod.

Minna smiles. She's pleased at the potential of a new friend. "Actually, that sounds lovely. Here's to overpriced legal drugs that stimulate all the right parts of the brain and taste buds."

"They have cookies, as well?" Kaies lifts the folded-up telescope beneath his sizable arm, smiling a bit, and waiting for her to gather her notes. "Coffee and cookies... should be issued to engineers. We need the facial ticks to see straight."

"Yes...I know more than I ever cared to about the various energy drinks in existance from some of my co-workers. Mandatory graveyards and all." She grins and finishes getting everything put together. "All right. Ready?"

"Quite." Kaies wriggles his briefcase to make sure it is clasped nice and tight, and turns to head down the lit path en route to said coffee shop.

The trip is fairly uneventful. Minna, although her movements are overall graceful, tends to trip every now and again. She always shakes it off, occasionally with a quip or sheepish smile but usually without noticing. She's enjoying the company as they approach the coffee shop.

Kaies pulls open the door of one of the more tolerable late-night coffee places in town. He'd noticed Minna tripping, and does plan to ask about it, but only once they're settled in with with some devil blood in their cups.

Minna has fairly simple tastes...she orders a latte, and pays without discussion. He's married, and this avoids awkwardness. She blows away steam as she waits for him to order, still smiling pleasantly.

Kaies orders a frozen coffee/cream routine, one of those coffees with a different name at every shop, and a box of glazed donuts. He's glad she had paid for herself... not that he wouldn't have, just that his wife would probably beat him with a meathook if she found out.

"So... table?" He glances back to a mostly empty sitting room.

"Sounds good to me. Do you mind a window? I love looking at the moon."

"That works for me." Kaies leads the way, stashing the telescope carefully in the cushioned seat next to him. "Will this seat do?"

"Absolutely." Minna's practically purring when she settles down to where she can see outside. She loves the moon, she does, and this is nice. Sitting down with a friend. She sets her pack aside, and just sips her coffee. "You seem like a nice fellow...Mister Metsaf? Dr.?"

"Kaies, please. Titles make me want to act like an academic." Kaies takes a bit of his frozen-chilled-thingy, sighing quietly. It's the only coffee he would ever drink. "And thank you. Though my wife wouldn't agree with you."

"Aww...spats arae normal, though, really. What happened, if I may ask?" She wouldn't normally ask, but he's brought it up repeatedly, so he may want to talk about it.

"You might say she caught me out late with another woman." Kaies taps the briefcase with Lina inside. "You might also say I was working on Lina here and forgot our anniversary." He chuckles.

"Oh, dear." Minna laughs softly. "Well, I'm sure that things will mend well enough in time. Have any 'I'm sorry' plans?" She smiles, and sips her coffee.

"It is a pretty serious offense," Kaies nods, "so I thought I would fly her to some nice resort and renew our wedding vows. Do women like that sort of thing?"

"Oh, goodness yes!" Minna's eyes sparkle at that suggestion. It's darling! "Have you decided where?"

"Not yet. I haven't had a tremendous amount of time to consider it just yet." Kaies takes another drink. "Any thoughts on the matter?"

"Mm...you know your wife better than I, certainly." Minna smiles, and sips her coffee again. "But it's really a lovely idea."

"I thought so. But my wallet doesn't agree." He pushes the box of doughnuts over some. "Doughnut?"

"I'm sure that you'll find a good solution, and a way to it. And thank you." Minna smiles, and reaches for a donut. Her hand freezes, though, eyes locked on the counter. There a blonde man is glaring at the scared-looking barista...who has the cash drawer open and is setting its contents in a pastry bag.

"It's just a doughnut, Minna." Kaies tilts his head over a little bit. "Minna?"

She's silent...just gestures to the register with her chin.

Obviously it is something bad, else Minna would have spoken. Turning his head a bit to glance out of the corner of his eye, Kaies spots the fellow. But how is he armed? If it is anything but a firearm, he would have no qualms about standing up and facing a robber. Guns complicate things.

The weapon isn't clear...it's under the long coat. Where it is apparent, but its nature is hard to tell. What is clear is that the robber is very nervous, full of some sort of nasty drug, and extremely jumpy and exciteable.

Slowly Kaies begins to rise from the seat. He looks at Minna, eyes warning. Dammit all, he knows better than this. As an afterthought, he reaches for Minna's hot coffee. Better this than no weapon at all.

Minna glances up to him, just with her eyes, swallows hard and removes her hands from the cup, and looks back to the robber.

Kaies takes a few steps towards him, acting as if he doesn't see him. "Hey, can I get another one of these..." he stops in mid-sentence, faking surprise, to get the man's attention. Maybe the Barista has a gun, who knows.

The robber whips over to him, wild-eyed, a gun bared. "Get away! Get back! I'll use this!"

"Hey...come, relax. I'm getting the money, okay? Just..."

"Shut up! Get the money!" The gun whips back to the cashier. Yeah. He's far gone on some sort of drug.

"Hey, while we're at it do you want my wallet, too?" Kaies holds up both hands. "Not much money in a coffee house register."

The thief blinks. "Yes, wallet. Give me your wallet! All of you, give me your wallets! Do it now!"

The barista doesn't have any weapons. Too dangerous.

"Alright, I'm getting you my wallet." Kaies moves his coffee-less hand to the back of his pants, to the pocket, and removes a mostly empty wallet. A few tens, ones, and his driver's license is pretty much it. He holds it fairly close to himself, but out enough to offer. "Here. Take it, just don't hurt anyone."

The druggie stares at him a moment, one eye wider than the other, and then his hand jerks out to grab the wallet.

Kaies holds onto the wallet just long enough that the druggie's attention should be on it, and makes his move. A flick of his wrist sends the hot liquid towards the robber's head while the hand holding the wallet releases and shoots for the firearm, just hoping he isn't about to get himself shot.

The man screams. It's hard to tell whether it's more pain or surprise or rage or terror. Probably some of all of them. The gun discharges half an instant before Kaies successfully grabs his wrist...Minna's cry is mostly drowned out by the robber's. The druggie, eyes bordering on insane, swings wildly with his free hand, but it lacks much force.

Kaies only hears Minna's cry in the back of his mind, but it does register. Furiously he rips at the weapon, ignoring the swinging of the other man; being a human tank has its advantages. His other hand makes no hesitation of going for the robber's throat.

The robber doesn't have a chance against Kaies...he couldn't have sober, but he has nothign but straight fury on his side. The hand meets his throat.

The only other customer in this half of the store, meanwhile, rushes to where Minna had fallen and lays clutching her arm.

Kaies doesn't waste a moment in smacking the bastard robber's head into the counter a few times, enough to put him out, and tearing the gun from his hands. He's seen enough action movies to know to eject the clip from the weapon, which he places upon the counter. "Cops," he growls to the barista, "quickly." He turns then to assure Minna that everything is okay, but stops before a word leaves his mouth.  "Minna!"

The ensuing few seconds blur into running and worrying for Kaies. Talk about the devil's luck for both of them. "Minna, you're awake, right?" He looks back to the barista. "Call an ambulance!"

"I'm fine," Minna manages to insist, clutching her arm. She smiles a pained, tight smile, trying to sit up, cringing, and then staying where she is. "...fine."

The barista rushes to the phone.

Kaies hands his head. "Forgive me, Minna, I barely know you and I have managed to get you shot. Can I do anything...?" He looks back to the robber. In hindsight, he should have killed the prick. "Just stay where you are and breath slowly. Can... someone get a towel or something...? We need to put pressure on the wound."

"Hey...you didn't pull the trigger. That was a brave thing to do, Kaies." Minna smiles wanly, but closes her eyes, brow creased. Hurts.

It's not long before an ambulence arrives. The wound's been staunched well enough that, considering that no truly major artery had been severed, Minna's still more or less lucid, though approaching shock. The police are there before the paramedics, and remain after they leave, asking questions. Eventually, Kaies is free to go, and told such.

The professor elects to stay and check about Minna, though, if he can. He has always had an inexplicable, and sometimes career-detrimental, sense of loyalty, and right now it is tugging at his head. "Besides," he informs one of the EMT's, "I owe her a doughnut. Though I should probably called Kintune..." and wanders off to find a phone.

The excitement doesn't dissipate, as more and more onlookers gather, but Minna herself is carted off before long to the hospital.

Kaies walks around the corner to a pay phone, and drops a few coins in.

"Pick up, pick up... darling, it's Kaies, I..." He looks at the phone, sighs, and inserts more quarters. Dials the number.

"Kintune, please, it's..."

Dial tone.

Kaies adds more coins.

"She clearly doesn't want to talk to you." A hooded stranger in oddly archaic clothes walks up and leans against the wall not far off. "I want to talk to you instead."

Kaies glances at this person, slowly hangs up the phone. "Listen, buddy, I've had enough trouble today. So I hope you do not mind if I am not feeling terribly receptive to what you have to say."

"Fair enough. Whatever I was going to say about that little albino friend of yours can go unheard."

Kaies turns his head. "I didn't say I wouldn't listen."

"First, what happened in there wasn't caused by you. You were the means, but it wasn't your fault."

Kaies lowers his eyes. "If I had not stood up, she would not have gotten shot."

"Of course she would have been. She's always put in harm's way, it's her lot in life. If you want to stay safe yourself, you should stay away from her. Completely."

Kaies steps out of the booth area, jaw hardening a bit. "Are you threatening me, asshole?"

"No. I'm informing you. Trouble has and will follow that girl. Be ready for it, or stay away. Decide how highly you value your own skin."

"Well, I am sorry to inform you, but after what happened in there I owe Minna a debt that must be repaid. Just who do you think you are, anyway?" By now, the big man is more than a little perturbed, and it is starting to show.

"Just remember this conversation. Be ready to choose between your own safety and walking away." And the man stands, and starts walking.

Kaies grumbles quietly. "Hey! I asked you a question! Who are you?"

"I'm the one who actually knows what's going on." But he doesn't stop walking.

"Which explains the cryptic talk." Kaies looks back at the phone, but shakes his head. Kintune isn't going to talk to him tonight, and besides, he left his case and the telescope at the coffee shop. Sighing inwardly he heads back that way... after he gets them he will call and find out where Minna was taken. Check on her. Then maybe pass out onto something comfy somewhere.

Minna's in surgery for an hour before she's released, under localized anethesia only, to a room. She's still a bit stunned, but slowly getting her wits about her. The police ask some questions, but eventually the nurse shoos them away so that she can rest.

After a bit of running around, Kaies manages to get everything stashed and locate Minna's hospital room. At the front desk...

"Hello? I am looking for miss Minna Adair. She was brought here a little while ago." Briefcase in one hand, box of doughnuts in the other, he certainly looks the part of a man who would be visiting late night at a hospital.

"Oh, yes, the shooting victim...are you family?" The receptionist calls up files as she works.

"No, I am a co-worker. And I was there when she was injured." Kaies tilts his head. "I have doughnuts, if this helps the matter."

The receptionist smiles, and nods. "That should be okay. She's in room 314, on the right." It's on the third floor.

"Thank you." He leaves the untouched pastries for the late-night crew, and trots over to the elevator.

In the amount of time that it would have required to go up the stairs twice, he finally arrives at the third floor, and tramps quietly to room 314, slipping inside.

"Minna? Are you awake?" The whispered phrase actually doesn't counteract itself.

really tired...from everything that's happened. Emotionally "Hi, Kaies." Minna smiles. Her voice is somewhat quiet. She's and physically drained. She does sit up a bit, though, pushing herself up with the good arm.

"Hello. How is... it?" He steps inside, taking a seat in the too-small chair provided. "Lay back, Minna, it is better for you."

Minna smiles sheepishly, and lays back again. "The doctors say that it's fine. No major nerves damaged, it will heal just fine. I just won't have use of it for a little while." That...she's still figuring out. It's the same side as her prosthetic, and her cane arm.

Still, it hits Kaies pretty hard. "Minna, I am sorry. This is entirely my fault... I will find a way to make it up to you, I promise that."

"Kaies, it was brave of you to stand up to that robber the way you did. It's not your fault the gun went off."

"It feels that way to me," Kaies answers with a shake of his head. "That logic dictates that it was not that crack fiend's fault either, Minna. It isn't in me to fail to atone where I have erred, you know."

"Oh, come on. That man had so many drugs in his system that there's no telling what he would have done; he was totally unpredictable. We were all very much in danger."

"But you are the one with the wound. I am an engineer, Minna, I do not deal with 'might have been'." He grins a bit. "I would much rather it had been me. But it was not. So I must be your willing flunky, at least until you heal."

Minna smiles at the offer. "That's very kind, Kaies. I'm not really sure yet how or where I'll be situated for the next few weeks, to be honest...this is my cane arm, so things may be a bit tricky for a spot."

Kaies lowers his head some. "Decorum prevented me from asking about your leg... but I am not above pushing a wheelchair if necessary." He looks at her, his expression dead serious. Of course, he will have to do quite a bit of explaining to Kintune, but...

Minna smiles. "It's okay. I don't mind. Car accident when I was three; it was amputated. I've had the prosthesis as long as I can remember, and it's really as good as a normal leg." The astronomer grins gently, trying to catch his downturned eyes. "Those engineers, you know. They're handy." The leg's on the table.

"You know... part of the research involved with Lina is being diverted to the occupational therapy program. Obviously she has no natural musculatur, but she can walk perfectly." He looks up, meeting her eyes, his own still shining with guilt. "That research, I hope, is going to make robotic prosthetics practical enough to use." The hooded man burns in his memory; obviously Minna has endured a string of near-misses where her life is concerned. Could he have been telling the truth?

"Oh, really? That sounds like it will get exciting soon enough." Minna smiles. "You're sweet to check on me. But won't your wife be worried when she hears about the shooting?"

Kaies's face colors a bit. "I called, after the EMT's showed up. She would not let me get a whole sentence out before hanging up." He smiles. "I am a bit more whipped than you might think."

Minna smiles sleepily. "Well. Good things are worth making some allowances for." She looks up when a nurse walks in. It's an RN just old enough to have quite a bit of experience under her belt.

The nurse smiles gently at the albino, nods to Kaies as well before looking at Minna. "We need to get some more pain medication in your IV, Miss Minna...I'm sure you would appreciate that."

Minna nods. "Yes. Could you...?"

The RN nods. "Absolutely." She takes a few moments to check the medicine's label against Minna's chart where the sometime professor can see her. "It's right, Miss Minna."

Minna smiles, sheepishly but not truly apologetically, and nods. "Thank you."

The nurse smiles, and sets to her task. "Minna has had bad experience in the past with medication mix-ups," she explains to Kaies. "Just thought I'd clarify that she's not simply paranoid." She grins at him.

"I would not blame her if she was. No disrespect, but hospitals give me chills." Kaies returns the expression. Medicine mix-ups too? This girl ought to travel with a bodyguard. With eyes in the back of his head. And a medical degree. The list will grow, he's sure, as he finds out more about her.

A couple of minutes later, the nurse has left, and Minna looks back to Kaies. "So what will you do now? Hotel time? It's getting awfully late."

"Any other day, I would be gone already. But right now, I cannot decide." Kaies sits back in the chair. "Are you feeling alright?" Tactfully dodging questions. Ah, the life of a professor.

"I think so." Minna nods, and manages a reassuring smile. She's on meds just as light as the doctors were willing to recommend, since she's fond of having her wits about her. Hence, it hurts. But really, the bullet had done just about as little damage as a bullet can, since it had been both low caliber and very glancing.

"Good." An awkward moment passes for Kaies, who suddenly realizes how little he knows about this woman who happened to take a bullet during a scrap in his presence. "If you would not consider it an intrusion, I might stay here and keep you company." And make sure the ceiling doesn't fall on you. "Or I can go on to the hotel. Whatever makes you most comfortable."

"Well, if you're comfortable staying in a hospital, I wouldn't mind the company. You can call a nurse with that button over there and she'd likely be happy to set you up a place to sleep."

"I am sure that the nurse has something better to do than that, Minna. This chair will be fine." Kaies nods, still looking over her, as if he doesn't believe she's still alive. Given her luck, it's quiet a miracle.

"Are you sure? A sore back is no one's friend."

"Quite. If I get uncomfortable, I will figure something else out." He grins. "For a wounded person, you are awfully considerate of other people."

Minna smiles, almost brightly. "I have nearly enough medication in my system to convince myself that this isn't a bullet hole, just a resurrgence of my past life as a wheel of swiss cheese."

"Really? I should get Lina to come out and dance then." The robo-geek pats his briefcase. "That would be a trip, for certain."

"No doubt." Minna's smile remains, though she's thoroughly melded to her pillow by now. It's clear that she's fading.

Kaies settles in, seeing this. "Pleasant dreams. I will trust you not to mug me in my sleep." He grins. "Goodnight!"

"No promises." Really, for a one-legged, small-framed creature to make this threat of someone of Kaies's bulk is deliciously ridiculous. "Goodnight..." and she drifts off.

Kaies lets his own eyes close, once the briefcase is safely hidden behind his chair. It has been a terribly long day... and those chilled coffee things really don't have any coffee in them. It doesn't take him long to drift off, too.

---

It's already getting late the next evening, the sun just barely beneath the horizon, when the hospital finally discharges Minna. She doesn't want to stay another night. That's just not fun. Or cheap. She looks up at the sky from behind some of those roll-up glasses one of the optometrists had contributed, and smiles faintly from a borrowed wheelchair. Her prosthetic's in her lap. "It's such a nice evening, it is...and thank you again for volunteering to take me to Dr. Sithe's. I really do appreciate it."

"Just get better, and that will be thanks enough. Besides, what sort of prick would I be if I left you to roll a wheelchair with one good arm?" Kaies, having stashed his briefcase in the nifty tray beneath the seat of the chair, looks about and starts walking with Minna in tow. She's really a small thing, so it is nothing for him at all. "I just need some directions."

"It's not too far. Do you know where the New York Bagle Shop is? On the other side of the park? It's not far from there."

"Sure. My TA Wally sings its praises about every fifth day." He nods, and wheels her that way, just smiling at anyone who happens to glance. A smile that says 'hi! a crass word will cost you brain cells!'

It's a fairly nice house that they finally come to. A nice area, for that matter. It's not huge, but not small. "Here we go." Minna smiles. "He won't be here just yet, but I have a key."

Kaies wheels her up the drive and to the door, nodding. "Good. I wasn't looking forward to breaking and entering today. Now, if you had asked me tomorrow..."

Minna grins at him, leaning up to unlock the door. "Here we go."

Kaies pushes the door open and wheels her inside. He's impressed at how nicely furnished the house is... damned doctors and their giant paychecks. "Very ritzy, Minna. Are you sure you can afford this guy?"

"If he's not nice, I'll stop letting him play with the observatory toys, and stop filling in for him when he goes on vacation." she laughs. "We've worked together for years."

"Ah. That kind of doctor." Kaies shakes his head. "For some reason, I thought you meant a... you know. Doctor."

"Oh, no. I don't know about you, but I've had enough doctors for today." Minna grins at him.

Kaies wheels her into an apparent sitting room, and takes a seat upon a chair nearby. Of course his back hurts, but he doesn't sweat it. "So... may I ask why we came here first?"

"It would be unduly complicated to take care of myself the next couple of weeks...possible, but barely so. I called Dan while you were still asleep this morning, and I'm going to stay with him for now. You probably know him...he's the one who barged in on the psychology club's volleyball game with a pink paintball gun."

Kaies smacks his forehead. "Right! I should know. I had to fix his gun." He looks down at the ground, feeling strangely concerned. "I hope you know that I will be about to visit."

Minna smiles. "I definitely appreciate that. Thank you for staying with me all this time."

"No trouble at all." Kaies looks around. "Do you suppose I could use the phone? I really need to talk to Kintune if I can. Greek women are dangerous when they are angry."

She smiles. "Absolutely. There's one on the table over there." she points.

"Thank you." He stands carefully, wincing a bit when his back pops like a roll of bubble wrap in the hands of a five-year old. To the phone he heads, quickly dialing his home number.

Ring... ring...

"C'mon, pick up..."

ring...

"Kintune, it's Kaies, I... ugh." Hangs up the phone, dials again.

Ring...

"Listen, this is getting..."

Kaies quite suddenly jerks the phone away from his ear. From where Minna's sitting, no doubt, a yelling female voice can be heard.

"Where have you been for a whole day! I called your hotel and they said you were never there. I called the university and they hadn't seen you either."

"Look..."

click.

Minna cringes. The benefit of the doubt says that Kintune is normally a perfectly nice, reasonable human being who Kaies had chosen to marry for a reason...but she certainly sounds like a shrew right now. "I'm sorry," the albino finally tries, quietly. "I didn't mean to cause a problem...time to head home and point out that you've been through hell and high water since yesterday evening?"

Kaies smiles and hangs up the phone. "If I know her, she will need at least another day to calm down. She really is sweet, but her grudges are harsh. I am guilty of spoiling her a bit... I generally bend on matters." He looks at the phone. "Think it's worth another shot?"

"Well...what do you have to lose? Maybe try blurting that you were at the hospital all night and then going from there?" It's quite the eye-opener, after all. Minna wheels herself the few feet over to a table and props her prosthetic up in a heavily-used candy dish, just to startle her compatriot later.

Kaies snickers. "You have a mean streak, don't you." He blinks his eyes, thinking. "I would ask you to speak to her, but she would probably assume I had been cheating on her. She is the jealous type." He picks up the phone. Dials.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. 

Kaies closes his eyes. Three rings later, he puts down the phone.

Minna sighs quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Perk up, Minna, I am not. I happened to spend the night in a very good capacity, so a bit of fallout is worth it." He looks down. "Mind if grab my briefcase? I want to give Lina another run today."

"Certainly not." Minna manages to smile, and nods. She finally remembers to pluck those annoying rolling "sunglasses" off of her face, and does. "Bah. I do not bemoan my albinism, but those things are annoying."

"I imagine. Excuse me." He kneels, reaches carefully around her leg and retrieves the briefcase, setting it lightly upon the table. "So when do you expect Dan home?"

Minna glances up at a clock. "About forty-five minutes or so, assuming moderate traffic. He's in Nibelheim today." She glances over to the cold fireplace, then around the room. It's getting gradually darker in the room as the twilight advances...except right around Minna. It's hard to be sure, but...there's almost a sort of faint almost-luminence about her.

Kaies has just been attributing this to her albinism. He pops open his case and unlocks Lina, noticing this again out of the corner of his eye. 

Beep.

"Good... evening, Kaies!" Lina perks up, salutes each of them smartly. "Good evening Minna!"

Minna smiles at the robot, and gives a loose little salute back. "Hello, Lina."

"Lina, Minna has had a rough day. Say something to cheer her up."

Lina stands straight up, puts her hands on her hips. "Lina, you..." a whirring sound, soft, like a zephyr. "... are a very pretty lady. And even though you..." another zephyr, "... have albinism, I know it can't hold you back!"

Minna's eyes sparkle a bit at this. "Why, thank you, Miss Lina. You're very cute yourself. Lina is so perceptive, Kaies! I can't begin to imagine how she recognizes things so well."

"Her primary purpose was to be a medical robot. So the people from the med school helped me dump about a terabyte of medical knowledge into her brain. She even knows how to circumcise." He grins. "She isn't perfect though. To determine a female, she looks for breasts first, body proportion second. She once called a fat man 'ma'am' and a skinny girl 'little boy'."

Lina's arms lift up and cross over her chest. Her idle position.

Minna smiles. "Well, everyone deserves a learning curve." She pats Lina amused.

Lina whirrs, then beams, and giggles. "Thank you Minna!"

Kaies grins. Their interaction is adorable... a wheelchair bound albino and a fourteen-inch robo-doll girl chatting pleasantly. 

"So how are you feeling Lina?"

Lina turns to Kaies and salutes again. "I am at 97% efficiency, Kaies. Redline at 55%, warning at 75%! Please consult my owner's manual if you have any questions."

Kaies tilts his head. "Lina, you are not a dumb machine."

"That is correct, Kaies!"

Minna smiles, eyes sparkling.

Dan blinks when he walks in, wearing his odd little Sherlock Holmes cap. "Well, hello Minna. Why is one of your friends so much bigger than the other?"

Minna grins. "Well, you've met Kaies...and I'll let him introduce Lina."

"Professor Sithe," Kaies raises, lowering his head. "Australopithicus, reporting in, sir." He grins. "This is Lina. Say hello, Lina."

"Good evening professor Sithe!" Lina salutes smartly. "That..." whirrs. "... is a fantastic hat!"

Dan grins. "Why, thank you, Lina! And how are you, Minna?" His eyes are quite a bit concerned at this bit. "Goodness, i can't believe you were shot....I'm sorry I wasn't available last night. I really did get here as quickly as I could."

Minna smiles. "Don't be...thank you for offering to babysit me for a week or so. I appreciate it. And...it doesn't hurt. And occasionally I see pink monkeys!"

Dan grins. "Good meds, huh?" He reaches into a candy bowl...jumps and looks that way, and picks up her leg. "Lovely. You should have included the shoe, Minna, I could have worn it tomorrow. I need more heels."

Lina looks very confused at that. "Checking initial examination data. Query: Professor Sithe. Initial judgment: Male. Incorrect analysis? Please input, Kaies."

Kaies just laughs. "Ask Minna."

Lina turns Minna. "Please input, Minna."

Minna grins. "You were right the first time, Lina."

Dan curtsies.

Lina nods. "Understood! Professor Sithe is now registered male. Was Minna wounded while I slept?"

"Minna's just getting in trouble, as she's so good at," Dan notes. "I think she's a closet masochist."

"Gunshot wound," Minna tells Lina, to appeal to the "medical computer" side of Lina.

Lina tilts her head. "You were shot in a closet, Minna? It seems an unlikely place to be shot."

Minna smiles. "The word 'closet,' when placed in front of a descriptive title for a person, is slang for 'secretly.' Dan meant that he thinks I'm secretly a masochist."

"Understood! So that is what Kintune meant when she referred to Kaies as a 'closet idiot'. He is secretly an idiot! Is this correct?"

Dan snickers, and Minna grins. "Exactly!"

"Understood!" Lina salutes her cute little salute.

"Anyway..." Kaies shrugs. "She's probably right. Dan, Minna, I really must get home and assuage my wife. Is everything going to be alright, now?"

"I think so. I'll start bothering Dan for things." Minna smiles, and nods. "Besides, I have some notes and the like to go over with him."

Dan groans. "See what you do o me, Kaies? No cartoons for me in the next few days, I think."

Minna smirks, and looks back to Kaies. "Thank you for everything. Really. And if Kintune doesn't happen to believe that you were caught in a shootout in a quiet coffee house with a one legged, sighted albino--though I couldn't imagine what's not plausible about the story--I'd be happy to talk to her at some point."

"We would really appreciate that, right Linna?"

The little robot nods. "Any situation involving misses Metsaf is a sleepy situation. Best to defuse it quickly."

"take a nap, Linna."

The robot shuts down and Kaies carefully packs her away, and takes up his briefcase. "If you need anything, call me. Dan, you should have my home number. If I am not there, call this number." He hands Dan a card. "Linna gets phone calls, too."

Dan smiles, and takes the card. "Right. Thank you for taking care of Minna, Kaies. I'll harass her from here."

"Good. Minna, no more crimefighting." He smiles at them both and heads for the door. He's faced a gun since yesterday. He wonders if his wife is scarier.

Probably.

It's a fairly quiet evening for Minna and Dan...as quiet as it can be when the subject of a gunshot wound is either the centerpiece of conversation or intentionally avoided at all times. It's definitely a shadow over things. Still, they've known one another for years, ever since she'd moved here, and really are good friends.

Minn sips a glass of juice. Alcohol's not an option with the heavy medication she's on. "Thank you again for all of this, Dan. I really, truly do appreciate it. You're the closest thing to family I've got around here. You're always there for me and, well...thanks."

Dan smiles a gentle but characteristically goofy smile. "It's my pleasure, Minna. Good friends are hard to come by...and besides, what's wrong with having the company of a beautiful young lady for as long as she needs it?"

Minna grins. "Oh really? Do I know her?"

"Maybe. I keep two in the closet, have you met the redhead?"

Minna laughs, though it's a sleepy sort of laugh. "You really do live in a dream world."

Dan bows, those his eyes stay on Minna. Despite the silly smile on his lips, his eyes are just evaluating...her breathing, her reactions. "Alternate reality is my friend, Miss Minna. See, I can actually use that Kama Sutra stuff without getting slapped in the face there. It's a happy land of marshmallow fairies and rainbows and the occasional swarm of beautiful geeky women."

Minna laughs again, though she's really getting tired. "Mm...not that your company isn't lovely, Dan, but I think I'm approaching 'done for the night.' I may head to bed shortly."

Dan smiles, nods, and stands up to help her over to the wheelchair from the loveseat. "Absolutely, Minna. The usual place okay?"

"Certainly. The furniture is your guest rooms is nicer than most...three star..." and, quite unceremoniously, the albino drifts off, sinking quickly into a deep, deep sleep.

The other professor had been just about to lift her from the little couch to the wheelchair. He pauses just a moment, and, humming quietly to himself, takes the dropped, drugged glass and sets it back on the coffee table. Then he picks Minna up anyway. "You're getting too close, I think, dear Minna, to remain here...let's take you for a trip, shall we?"

Some time later, Dan returns and takes a drink and a bite to eat, waiting for whatever comes next.

For Kaies's part, the next little bit just goes by. He returns home, explains why he's wearing yesterday's clothes and looks like he hasn't slept all night, and promptly gets kicked out again. This time he insists on being allowed a shower and a clean set of clothes; he owns the house. It's a fixer, sure, but his name is on the deed and his bank account is the one that is still recovering from the pain of paying off that mortgage. Kintune does not have to work or want for anything, even though she continues to paint and work the art gallery scene, and so Kaies figures that he can put his foot down at least once in his life.

Once he's out, he decides to check up on Minna and Dan. A quick stop to a store for some food - bribery for Dan - and a cab ride later, the now blue-shirted and black-pantsed Kaies trots up, briefcase in hand, and pecks on the door.

Dan lets out a slow sigh. Okay. Time to act the part again. He stands up slowly, but then rushes to the door, opening it in a hurry. "Minna? I...Kaies. Have you seen Minna?" His eyes are wide and worried.

Kaies blinks. "Of course not. Is something wrong?" He looks at Dan, evaluating him, trying to figure out... just how a girl with one good arm and one good leg managed to disappear. "Why didn't you call?"

"I fell asleep...woke up and she was gone. Her leg is too, though I don't know how she got it on with one arm. I mean, maybe she just took a walk and there's no need to worry but damnit I'm worried."

"Where was she last?" Kaies is paranoid now. He keeps thinking about that hooded fool from the day before. "Dan, let me set this stuff in the kitchen and I will help you look for her. She can't have gotten far."

Dan steps aside, and speaks quickly as he shows Kaies to the kitchen. "She was asleep...fell asleep downstairs, I wheeled her to one of the guest bedrooms down here and put her to bed. When I woke up this morning, she was gone."

"No note, or anything?" Kaies sets down the groceries and turns his eyes upon Dan. "No message? I have not known Minna long, but she doesn't strike me as the type to take off without a hint. Maybe you looked over it?"

Dan shakes his head. "No, nothing...that's why I'm worried. You're right, it's very out of character."

Kaies puts his briefcase down as well, freeing both his hands. 

"So you're telling me that a gimped woman left while you were asleep, without her wheelchair, with her cane arm shot." He faces the older man, his tone not accusing, but questioning. "Are you positive she just left?"

"No, but...I have an alarm system. And her leg is gone. What else can it be?"

"I met a man yesterday, a man in a hood. Never met him before in my life." Kaies's tone softens a bit as he tells the story, to put away any suspicion. "He said that choosing to stay near Minna was choosing not to save my own skin. Got me thinking, you know? About the course of a person's life. Wasting it on the self, that sort of thing. What do you think?"

Dan bites his lip. His face is inscrutable for just a few moments before going distinctly worried again. He waits semi-patiently through the explanation. Finally nods a little. "It's a strange incident...can't say it doesn't sound a lot like Minna's life, she's a walking targets for the fates' weekend skeet-shooting matches. But this may not be the time ot ponder the meaning of life...we've got an astronomer to find, huh?"

"Minna took a bullet yesterday, because of me. So as long as she is in danger my skin is not that important, until I have paid the debt." Kaies looks down. "You don't suppose she was abducted, then."

"I...don't know. There's a lot that doesn't make sense, but...that's jumping to a conclusion. I think we should try looking at any place she may have wanted to go...if she grabbed a taxi or similar--though I can't imagine why--she could be anywhere."

He shakes his head. "Get your things and let's go. We could check the university first. She was working when we met last night."

Dan nods. "You do that. I'll check the observatory. I'll give you my cell number in case you find her, or anything. Okay?" He jots down on a scrap of paper, and holds it out to Kaies.

"Sure." He takes the number, puts it in his pocket. "You have Lina's number." He's in no mood for pleasantries right now.

"Right. Bye now." Dan heads off towards the garage.

Kaies watches him go, scowling a bit. Something stinks. Rarely does he get such a bad feeling as he has right now... regardless, he heads for the door, en route to the street and a cab.

Dan, meanwhile, plays his part, and his car is soon humming off towards the observatory.

Minna, of course, isn't at the university. There is, however, someone in her office, flipping absently through her journal.

Guided by one of the more pleasant students running about, Kaies arrives there in short order. He knocks upon the door to Minna's office, waiting patiently with briefcase in hand.

"Come in." It's the same voice from last night.

He freezes. Opens the door and enters, closing, and locking, it behind him. Today is a good day for some answers.

"You again," kaies unnecessarily observes. "Since we both know that I value a friend's skin over mine, how about you fill me in on this situation and save me the interrogation?"

"He acted too quickly." The man, fairly young looking, flips another page.

Kaies leans against the door. "So Dan was in on it. He's a terrible liar, too."

"He likes Minna. He wants to keep her safe. But he's entirely too eager to do that and may have jumped the gun."

"So let's cut to the chase. Is she in danger? And if so, tell me how to get her out of danger. Like where she is, for example." Kaies stands away from the door. "Please."

The man finally looks up at him, after a few moments. "She'll be safe for awhile. But she won't stay that way. I can't send you directly there. Only outside a certain radius, where it can't be traced."

"Maybe a little bit of background would be useful here. I'm not a cop, or anything like that, so I should probably know what's going on."

The man pauses at this. Stops reading for a few seconds, and finally closes the book. "Some people...are human, but with the potential to be more. Mm...I don't mean being elf-blooded." He's quiet again for a few moments. "Kaies, do you believe in the divine?"

Kaies tries not to laugh. "Certified agnostic," he answers. "I am an engineer of robotics. Faith is a burden."

"So. What would you say if I told you that I'm immortal and Minna is a goddess?" His voice doesn't change in the least as he says this.

"So long as I can help Minna, you can believe whatever you want."

"Fine. But be ready. You're going to see things that your science can't explain. I can put you in a position to find Minna by your own wits, but I won't be able to help you once you're there." Actually, there's a chance he can...maybe. But Kaies shouldn't count on it.

Kaies considers this carefully. Should he really trust this wack-job?

"Whatever it takes," he nods.

The man closes his eyes. "Goodbye, then." And a line of light snakes rapidly over the floor around Kaies for about two seconds into a circular pattern, and then glows faintly, building.

For a moment he doesn't know what to do. Then he laughs, quietly. Then nervously.

"This has to be a dream," he nods, ever the academic; refusing to believe that which science doesn't explain. "I shouldn't have slept in that hospital room."

There isn't time for more words before Kaies disappears, bound for the Grey Realm.