Grisly Bar
Worn wooden floors stained with ages of spilled drinks (and worse), creak under the feet of patrons as they enter the dark, disordered room. Though dust has settled over a lot of the establishment, making it appear abandoned, the flow of customers would speak differently. Dirty glasses, some with sticky yellow patches in the bottom where beer or scotch has been allowed to dry, stand on one end of the bar.
Several of the windows have been bricked up to prevent vandalism, but create a great fire-hazard. There is a tarnished mirror on the wall behind the bar with a chipped and fading Art Nouveau nymph painted across the bottom.
Eli Donato is not a particularly hard man to find, for those in the know. As per usual, he can found in what is publicly known as his corner, sitting back and watching some football game pass by with dispassionate eyes from the small television screens hanging from the ceiling. Around him, pub life continues on as usual, easy and sprinkled with laughters and chatter.
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Some calls were made, via her father, and Leigh is prepared for this meeting. While she generally doesn't defer to the Lunar Pack now that she's in Dallas, she figured it would be most prudent in this case. Entering the Grisly Bar out of uniform, she glances around. Each person is scrutinized for a moment, but it's not until she inhales deeply that she can make her way to Donato's table.
"Mister Donato, I have something that I think we should talk about. My father, Jared Rossum, figured I should tell you what I know on the off chance you don't have a pack member on the force."
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Eli doesn't look to Leigh at first. He waits for the current play to be over before even bothering to swing his eyes over in her direction, his large hands gripped onto his mug tightly. But then, a wry smile curls his lips. "Ah, Miss Rossum. S'a pleasure seein' you again. Now, tell me what you know, eh? Sounds like some sort of mafia tie in, it does." One the drawl has been completed, he sighs. "Well, spit it out then."
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"Mafia tie in?" Leigh shakes her head. She's so far from Italian that it's not even funny. Without waiting to be invited to sit, she seats herself. More privacy this way. "Two things. One, your black wolf issue isn't over. That thing isn't dead no matter what the press wants to say. But a shifter or werewolf by the name of Franklin Demoin is." She flags down the waiter. "Give me a water please, and put whatever Mr. Donato is having on my bill."
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"Yeah? And you have this on good authority…?" Eli inquires, slowly raising a grizzled brow. "Where's your proof?" Really, he knows the fiasco isn't over. He just wants to hear her response to it. "I know Franklin. Saw him grow up as a kid…was a damn fuckin' shame, what happened to him."
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"Police officer, worked the case a little." Reaching to her side, she extracts a copy of the reports, a copy of the autopsy, and a copy of a few other files, and drops them on the table in front of him. "I know the wolf isn't gone, Mister Donato. No corpse. We've sent teams through the city, and out to Fort Worth. Nothing. She's got some distinct marks now. Someone gouged her eye. Franklin didn't have a gouged eye." She frowns. "No way he was the killer. You have another problem on your hands too. One that the vampires are apparently taking interest in." Leigh's frown deepens considerably, and she looks a bit upset.
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Eli pauses, before leaning forward to look over the information. His eyes are sharp and they practically inhale everything they see, searching as though his life depended on it. "Gouged her eye, eh? Who?" He demands, licking his lips before throwing down some more beer. "Hot damn. What's the problem, then? Out with it."
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"Eye-gouger, Mischa Alexandrov. Got pretty tore up doing it too." Leigh drags out a final file, and offers it to him. "Don't know all the information on this one. I'm not involved, per se. Had a personal friend inform me of it, and now I'm telling you. Desiree DeVilliers. Human, so far as I know. Dating a vampire from the sounds of it. She was attacked most grievously, by a bitten were." The frown gets even deeper. "No proof one way on the other on this one, just the crazed say so of a hospitalized woman, and said close friend." Though she's not at all certain if the Coleman's are really close friends or not. "The vampire boyfriend is extremely upset and may cause issues. Regardless, this close friend of mine, Mister Brett Coleman, would like to speak with you, I think."
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Eli sits back, before pursing his lips. "So, what? The vampire is upset his little pet was knocked around a couple of times?" You can practically feel all the hydrogen being sucked out of the air by how dry his tone is. "Thank you for informing me of this…problem. It would seem that Dallas has gotten considerably out of control at this point. I will have to seize it back. And in the process, revisit my friens down at the vampire mansion to make sure all is well between us." There is a pause here. "Is your friend human?"
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"I don't know. He's probably upset that his food got hospitalized by a rogue bitten were," Leigh remarks dryly. She's just here to deliver information, not tell the Alpha what he's to do. "Jared just wanted me to let you know that if necessary, I'm here to help. The Lunar Pack has no issues with the Muea Tseena, and if you need reinforcements, he'll send some down to police for you." A friendly sort of smile is offered to the gruff man. "He's a Shifter, from the smell of him. Could be beneficial for you to extend an honorary title to him, at your discretion of course."
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Eli nods his head then, reservations gone. "You may set up a meeting between the friend and I, then. I will see. Also…" His expression softens slightly, then. "Thank your father for me once you talk to him once again. For his support and companionship. He's a good man. And I appreciate your efforts too, Rossum. It's all being noted."
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Leigh nods. "Jared will be pleased to hear that from you." She's not doing it to be noted. She's doing it because there's a few were's loose in the city and it's easier to contact the Alpha than try to bring them down on her own. "I'll let Mister Coleman know. Is there a time that is better for you, Mister Donato? I can escort him wherever you desire, then take my leave so the two of you might talk. I don't want to overstep my bounds in your territory." She's not willing to leave her own pack, as she's the heir to it, but that doesn't mean she's going to disrespect another Pack's alpha.
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"Or you may stay. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to, provided that your friend doesn't find it uncomfortable. Whenever. I trust you know how to find me?" With this inquiry, he lifts his eyebrow slowly to inspect her. Eventually, however, his wrinkled face is pulled into something of a smirk before he takes another chug.
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"Shouldn't be a problem." Donato is either here, or a phone call away. Leigh nods at him once, and then sips from the water as it's delivered. "I'll leave it up to him then. I don't want to mire myself into your Pack's affairs, unless you ask it of me. I really don't want to cause issues within your ranks. If that's one thing Jared drilled into my head, it was that." Still, seeing how another Alpha handles things might be a wonderful idea.
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"Make it happen," Eli demands then, nodding his head in an authoritative sort of way. "You will not be causing issues. And if you were, I would make sure you knew it. But Jared's a wise man. Your respect and deference will get you far, Rossum."
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"Thank you, Mister Donato. I appreciate that." It covers pretty much everything that he's said. Leigh finishes her water, and then nods to the man. "I hope you find the cause of your issues soon. There is a detective on the force nosing around, and she's not one of us. I have no clue what she'll find out, but I'm guessing it's going to make things complicated. I'll try to throw her off the actual trail of things as much as possible, but I can't promise much since she outranks me."
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Eli pauses. "Good. Make sure, do what you can, to keep the ignorant ignorant. Do not let her approach our kind - remember. Secrecy is our greatest boon. Throw her off the case, if you can. Plant false evidence. Before the law of man comes the law of the two-natured." She knows what she's doing, apparently. And so, with an approving nod, she is summarily dismissed.
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The only thing Leigh can't really do is plant false evidence. Throwing the trail somewhere else she can do. Breaking the law is beneath her though. Still, out of respect, she nods. "I'll do what I can, Mister Donato. The secret must be kept. I'll try to send word to the other were's on the force to do the same thing." These may or may not be his men, but the one's she's aware of will surely be given the information. Summarily dismissed as she is, Officer Rossum saunters up to the bar with a two-fingered salute to her 'superior', and takes care of the bill, leaving enough for a few more drinks on the tab if Donato desires them.
