In Need Of A Genius!

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Pushing herself up from her bed with a small oomph, for she had been laying on her stomach reading a book, a small frown formed over her face. It was rather odd the way that her brain sometimes grasped onto it, and this very book said angels could not have children. But how could that be true! Were she and Epiphany not proof of this? It wasn’t that she was planning on a baby right at this very moment, but the thought was stuck in her head. She always loved children, though she knew she had to find herself someone before that would ever happen, but she felt she needed to know.

She tried to dispel her thoughts, for she picked up another book, this one about the fae. Taking the book over to the window bench, she plopped down with out ceremony. Moving her legs up to curl around her left side. Her back rested against the arm of the of the bench. Flipping the pages, she would begin to read a small section, but her mind wouldn’t even let her absorb any of the book for her thoughts went on to think on what had disturbed her in the last book. A small grumble, she did not like when her mind wouldn’t go where she wished, but it did have a mind of it’s own.

Now she did not throw the book, but she set it down next to her on the bench, and shoot the book a grumbly look, before standing up. Okay reading was not going to help, usually that quieted her mind when the questions came, but this time it wasn’t. And then, she wondered, she had met a genius. Perhaps he could help her! Surely she could ask him, and he would know the answer, or have better luck at finding this out, then she would, right? A part of her was scared to ask Epiphany the question, not that she thought that her sister would think anything of it, just something about the question, seemed kind of loaded.

Where did she put that card at? She knew that the man had given her a business card just in case, when they had met. Now all she had to do was find the card, and she would be in business right? Yes! Making her way into the bedroom, she glanced around, until she noticed a card, much the size of a business card on the night stand. Had she left it there? One way to find out, bare feet padded across the carpet and landed next to the night stand. It was the card! She took that as a sign that this was the person to ask. Picking the card up she made her way to her dresser where she put on a pair of white socks, and slipped her feet into her shoes, careful with the card, for she had moved it to hold it carefully between her lips.

Once the shoes were in place, she grabbed the card from her lips. Now that she had the address in her hand, she would slip from her room, but not before grabbing the very book that had her thinking. Don’t worry if any in the hallway happened to spot her the girl was fully dressed, and just in case Killian saw her she made sure to have on a pair of blue jeans, not to tight of a fit but not saggy either. She was wearing a kelly green t-shirt that had a sparkly shamrock upon it, for she knew that tomorrow was St. Patricks Day, and she was being prepared a day early. A lighter, almost mint green sweater with large buttons down the left side, completed her clothing. Her long locks were parted down the middle, into two braids, with green ribbons twisted along the dark with some blonde highlighted locks.

Outside she took a deep breath, the smell of the outdoors was always refreshing to her. Then she lifted the card up, finger pressing against the bird lightly. “Please take me to Archer’s Lab.” She thought it was worth a chance, that it really would….and that thought was interrupted because the card was no longer staying flat in her hand. Instead that card was turning into a paper bird. Letting go of the card as it was transforming and when she wasn’t afraid it would fall and hurt itself, and careful for herself to not get a paper cut.

That might actually be a sight to see, the small paper bird had taken flight, and Gwendolyn began skipping behind it, afraid if she walked she might loose it, but the skipping was quicker. And more fun! She followed the bird for a while through a trail until they emerged out where there was a bunch of brick homes / businesses. She continued to skip until the birdie had stopped at one house, and that house she went up the steps. Book was pressed under her right arm, as she paused on the steps, a part of her wondering if this was the smartest thing to do. But really, going to a genius couldn’t be a bad thing, right? She had started to lift her hand to tap her knuckles against the door but then she saw the doorbell button. And instead she would press it, and wait.

[Archer Caughey]

Gwendolyn wasn't the only one preparing for St. Patty's a day early. Archer was doing much the same in his loyal Irish way. Lucky for her he hadn't started hitting the bottle yet. At least not any harder than he did on most days. He was finishing up a couple experiments though. Had to make sure all work could become all play at the stroke of midnight. He'd tried chemistry when he was drunk before. His lab ended up with one less wall than it'd had before.

But that was years ago, when he first came here. The lab had all its walls intact today. His jacket was tossed over a stool, and he had rolled up the sleeves of his white button down. Vest was still on, and buttoned. No tie, he never wore a tie unless he had to. Whatever he was doing in the lab, it smelled rank. He could smell it, but not as much as other people could. He'd come back from the Land of the Dead a few years ago, and things like that were a hazard of the trade. Sometimes things stayed dead. Like his sense of taste. And half his sense of smell.

There was an Archer-style intercom in the lab that he could've hit to answer the buzz. A self-constructed mechanism he'd installed would've let him see who was exactly at his door. He didn't use either one. The stink bomb he was brewing needed to simmer for a couple minutes, he could leave it there. Unfortunately the stink came with him, it'd seeped into his clothes.

Archer was at the door a minute later, and when he opened it he looked surprised. "Gwen, hey there." He flashed her his fool's grin. Reaching out he plucked his flapping card from the air and smoothed it out between his two palms. Since the card was enchanted to help people find him it was his touch that ended said enchantment. A few rubs between his palms and he held the stilled card back out to her between two fingers. "Glad to see you found a reason to put the ole card to use. I was just finishing some stuff up in here, want to come in?"

He stepped back from the door so she could do just that. Come on into the stench, Gwen, come right on in.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Now, she would stayed on the porch for a while, she was the sort of girl that had patience. It seemed she needed to have it, from being a child all the way up. Feet would be rocked upon, but only because she could not stand still, not when she had so many things on her mind. Especially the one that was pressing against her forefront of her mind, that had lead her to coming here to find Archer.

When he opened the door, her nose wrinkled up, she tried to fight it, but her sense’s were not dulled at all. She would offer Archer a smile, and do her best to calm her nose, by opening her mouth, to see if it was any better to be a mouth breather then a nose breather. “Hello Archer.” She paused in her words, for it did seem not so bad and perhaps she could get used to such a smell? Most smells if you spent any amount of time near them, they did not seem so bad, except cow manure.

The hand of his changing the bird back to the card, had her clapping her hands. “It’s a card again!” As he was handing it back to her, that smile, the one that was normally present when she was around people was ever present. “Thank you, now I have it incase I need to find my way here again!” Slim fingers took the card from him carefully. “Will it break if I put it in my pocket?” She lifted her hands as she spoke, gesturing that she had not a bag or wallet to put the card in. And then “If your sure I won’t be a hassle.” Just because she wanted his help, meant she did not want to bother him, if he did not have the time. But then he did offer to let her come in, because he was finishing stuff. A soft breath escaped, “I would like that very much. I fear I think I need your help.” Cue damsel in distress.

When he stepped backwards she took the step in, though she moved to the side, best she could. She wasn’t the sort to go plowing ahead in a room she didn’t know. Instead she looked over to him, once she was inside, she wasn't very good at keeping things in yet.

[Archer Caughey]

"If the world ever tried to end, it'd just be cockroaches and my cards that'd be left." Archer grinned at Gwendolyn, shutting the door behind her. "So I'm sure it'll be fine in your pocket. Unless you keep a black hole in there?" He was just pulling her leg with the question. If she had a black hole in her pocket neither of them would be standing here. Neither would this lab and probably most or all of Rhy'din.

"Threre's no hassle. Just got some stuff percolating over the ole Bunsen burner. So long as you don't mind coming back into the lab with me you can tell me what's up while the brew finishes brewing?" The invitation meant that Archer was sure that nothing he had in the back was in danger of exploding. He wouldn't ask a lady to come back there with him if there was a chance her eyebrows would get singed off. It made him think of a different precaution, though.

"Oh - you'll have to wear nose plugs. Well I mean, it'd be for the best. I'm developing a defense capsule. Plug your nose, smash the capsule on the ground and anyone within maximum-strength whiffing distance will lose their lunch, giving you time to run away." It was obvious he was proud of the invention. It was the kind of thing Archer lived for, developing new ways to turn a situation to the underdog's advantage. Even if the advantage was as simple as time to flee. "Just hold your nose with your fingers while we go back there, and we'll get you a pair of plugs from my storage room. So long as you breathe through your mouth you'll be fine." Wasn't that comforting?

It didn't occur to Archer that hearing what he had back there would deter Gwendolyn from joining him in the lab. Who wouldn't want to talk over a hot pile of noxious sludge? He lead the way down the hall, adding over his shoulder, "You see, the mixture I concocted trips the involuntary gag reflex. Like a stench that sticks its finger down your throat. Neat, right?"

But enough about him. And his sludge. "So tell me about this help you need."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Now, when he said that, he would be rewarded with a slightly confused look, though that didn’t last very long. It just took her a moment to get that, and a small laugh would escape, not because he grinned, but because she did get that. “Oh no! Black hole free! Would a black hole really fit in my back pocket?” Even as she said the words, her hand that had reached out and took the card would slowly eases it into the back pocket in question. “I just didn’t want to break the birdie.”

If one wanted the help of another they could not choose to be so choosy could they? Well they might, but the manners wouldn’t allow such a thing, though she did not know the correct etiquette. She would do her best! Her head bobbed in agreement, “Oh that’s fine.” She could only hope that nothing that he was doing would cause her to burst into flames, or lose a finger or something worse.

Oh but that sounded interesting! Maybe if he got them done and all worked up she would be a customer of his or whomever he was inventing them for, and she wouldn’t have to worry about having her hero teach her how to fight, and defend herself. She could surely run if she had the chance. A part of her knew that fighting could cause pain to another being and well she wanted to know how, but she didn’t know if she would be able to follow through on that. And now she totally understood the smell coming from him. “I was wondering why you smelt…”It was as if she just realized what she had said, “Not that you smell bad, perhaps just the scent of what you were working with likes you…I mean the last time I met you you didn’t seem to…Oh heavens. I’m sorry, I‘ll just be quiet.” She just stopped talking now. Nothing like putting your foot in your mouth, and feeling bad.

And she had a question as she continued to follow him. “What if someone is missing the gag reflex?” She herself when she got sick couldn’t make herself throw up. Some people she knew she would become ill, and feel like they needed to get sick, they would just pop their finger down there, and away it would go. She had tried it before, and no matter, even though it did get uncomfortable she wasn’t able to. She was curious if the gag reflex could work differently if it was through ones nose, instead of trying to activate it with ones finger.

The book had been pressed up under her spare arm, spare as in the one that did not handle the business card, and she felt it there when he asked. She was waiting a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose until after she spoke. “Well, see, I was reading this book here, its about Angels. And it says that Angels can’t have babies. But see my mom was a Angel, but I’m only a half Angel. And I want to have babies, well not at this very moment, because first I have to find a guy. I have a hero and a crush but not a daddy for a baby. And all babies need a daddy…but oh yeah….I mean you’re a genius, so I thought you would be the best person to ask if I can have babies?” There was a bit of a yearning in her voice that she probably didn’t even hear, because she did love babies and children. No use beating around the bush, that wasn’t her style either. She was glad that he was walking in front of her though, because she was bright red, talking to a boy about that stuff. And she had glanced down, a moment, but not for long. It was then that she pinched the bridge of her nose with her business card hand.

[Archer Caughey]

Once he saw that she wasn't pinching the bridge of her nose yet he stopped walking. What was on the burner wasn't at full stink and the both of them weren't in maximum-stench smelling distance, but he didn't want to take any chances. Archer really didn't want Gwen to associate his help with making her vomit on his nice hardwood floors. So while she talked, he hung in his hallway and listened until she finally held her nose. He figured that as her way of saying 'the end' and motioned her to follow him.

"I smell? How bad? Think you could smell me coming around the corner before you could see me?" Archer wasn't at all offended by the fact she said he stank. He was actually interested. "That could be a profitable bonus. If the bad guys come after you after they're done losing your lunch, you can smell them coming and it give you a few extra seconds to hide…Hmmm." He hadn't thought of that. But he was now. It was a good advantage to have, a natural alert device. Now that he knew he could cash in on that extra, he would add a thing or two to his next test batch of this stuff to up the profit on that bonus.

The hallway they were walking down was short. It came with two options. Hang a right and there was the den, or hang a left down a longer hall. That's what they did. Archer ducked into the first doorway on the right, coming out with a pair of nose plugs. "There you are. Hold your breath while you put those in, this is gag country…" His lab was the next door on the right in fact. "And everyone has a gag reflex." Pause. "Okay, dangerous to say everyone. 99% of people do. It's just that some folks have gaggers that are harder to trip than others."

He'd hang in the doorway of his storeroom until she put the nose plugs on. Didn't want to risk any upchuck accidents in the lab. To her question he asked her a question back. "If angels can't have babies how'd you come to be here, Gwen?" He flashed her a grin. Sure, he'd do more than that to prove or disprove what she'd read but that seemed like a pretty good indication all by itself.

It was a good thing he was half-preoccupied by reeking sludge. If he'd just been hanging around when she knocked, he would've offered her a way to test her baby making skills that probably would've gotten him smacked.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Oh trust me, Gwen didn’t want to associate asking Archer for help with her retching on his hardwood floor, either. On top of the fact she would be very upset, and apologetic and just feel plain bad about it. Though she would of asked for items to clean it up!

Keeping her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, she thought about his question. When she spoke her voice had altered a bit due to the pinched nose, but not overly much. Thinking, before she answered him, “I dare say that I would be able to smell you from behind a corner. Perhaps a bit further away.” Her head tilted, her arm moving with her, keeping fingers on her nose. “I think so. If the smell stays upon them, like it is on you, no offense Archer.” Righting her head, and arm. She still didn’t want to offend him even though it seemed it wasn’t that easy to do. She was very glad for that, because if she offended him then what was she going to do?

When he ducked into the room, she stayed put, because he was back in a second. With the nose plugs. “I can do that!” So when he handed them to her, she had held her breathe, releasing her nose she took the nose plugs and put them on. Which caused a giggle, “They tickle!” Perhaps that wasn’t the normal response but it was her response! “Do you think that perhaps the smell’s would be a better way to trip such gaggers?” She might not of had such thoughts about these things before she came here, but now that they were talking about what he was working on she did have them, and it was rather hard for her to keep question’s in. Unless Archer asked her not to ask questions, he probably would get peppered with a few every time they were in the same place.

Her eyes got wide. “Exactly! But what if there was a loophole or something? What if it was a fluke? What if because I’m not just an angel, that I can’t?” These things had plagued her, so she voiced them outright. Nor would she bring up the fact that there was also Epiphany. It wasn’t her secret to share, and she didn’t know Archer well enough to give up those sort of things. She could talk about herself and not feel guilt, but about those she loved or cared about, was a completely different thing. “And…there was a rumor that my father was a elf, or a half elf…but the book just says angels.” Rumor because she never did know whom her father way, her mother hadn’t left that information with her foster mother. “My birth mother never told my foster mother whom my father was…she just hinted he had some elf in him.”

That's a lot of if's because he would of not had to have had his mind elsewhere, and she would of had to understand what he was saying! She wasn't the sort of girl that had guys saying things to her that caused her to even want to slap them.

[Archer Caughey]

"Oh I don't think, I know. Smells are, scientifically proven fact. Just the smells that trip it aren't ones people usually smell everyday." Which might've been obvious to her. Because if was run-of-the-mill daily smells that got people retching, well there'd be a throw-up bucket in every bar instead of a spittoon. "And none taken, Gwen. I'm actually really happy to hear that. S' opened a whole new door." Smelling your enemies coming. Brilliant. Genius, even.

Once she had her plugs on Archer waved her down the hall and two more doors down on the right - into his main lab. The stink in here was so foul it would make flowers wilt, but it wasn't foul enough. The mixture wasn't done boiling down and not all the reactions had completed. There were a couple of high stools in here - none of them with backs - and to one of them Archer gestured.

"Have a seat. I'm going to be poking and stirring around the work area over here, but we can start talking. First off, you shouldn't feel embarrassed or anything for wondering about your fertility, Gwen," it seems he'd noticed her blushing cheeks when she'd first broached the subject, "especially with me. I had the same worry until a few months ago. Coming back from being dead like I did, well some things don't work quite the same as they used to." Like his sense of smell. She might notice he didn't have any nose plugs.

After a beat Archer realized what he'd just insinuated, so he promptly added, "But the baby-maker works just fine it turns out. Full speed ahead. No worries there." Suddenly, he had the sensation of digging a really deep ditch. Yeah, it was time to turn to his work.

Looking at the brew he had a-bubblin', first thing Archer did was check the temperature. Second thing, he marked the level, to take a measurement of how much the sludge had boiled down. Third thing, he stuck a thin wooden stir stick in there and smeared the goop on the end on a clean glass slide, which he stuck under a microscope. A microscope he'd built with his own hands, traditional technology and ingenuity, just like he did with every single piece of machinery in this lab. He was an old-fashioned guy who thought most of modern technology was a bunch of blarney. Especially computers. Computers be damned.

While he did the above, he gave Gwen his two cents on her situation. "In my experience, Gwen, I've noticed that no matter the creed it's a lot of 'where there's a will there's a way'. So long as you have all the proper equipment, there's some clever way or another to wake it up if it's dormant. Hell, I've seen vampire women do it plenty. Their body's as good as dead, but they use magical energy to trick their girl-parts into thinking they're still human and a-okay to grow and pop out a baby. Do I agree with that? No. But obviously the world doesn't work the way I think it should." He turned away from his workstation enough to give Gwen a grin.

"So tell me, Gwen. Do you get your monthly?" Hey, it was a place to start.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Okay she should of known that he would know such things. It was part of whom or what he was right? Being a all around genius would have to be hard! So many facts and findings lurking in ones brain. "That is a very good thing that it isn't a every day smell or we would all be in trouble!" She really was glad, because that would be one heck of a epidemic, she was never very good with that. She almost always cried when she was sick in that fashion, and then she felt bad if there was a mess because one was to far from a bucket or toilet and it just made things worse. She smiled when he said no offense was taken, she was a bit worried that he would take some sort of offense to that. And if he took offense she would have to apologize and only have a hope that he would still help her figure things out!

Now when they entered she would of been glad for those nose plugs. And when he motioned for her to take a seat on one of those stools she did just that. Not wanting to be in the way, she thought it best to go where he directed her to go. She had noticed that he had no nose plugs in, but she didn't realize it would of been caused by his lack of smell, but if the smell was so horrible, maybe it had just deadened his smeller. She blinked, "So...then its a normal worry?" Now for her to say normal it meant she wasn't alone and that fact comforted her a small bit.

Then his next words, had her eyes widen a bit, a small shake of her head. "Oh I wouldn't of even assumed that your well, that it...uh...that well....yes." That was how she was handling the words he said. Because the dear was flustered and didn't know what else to say. She watched as he walked over, and did his work on the foul smelling sludge. She was rather observant even if others did not usually notice that part of her. When she was little she was always watching. Children were to be seen and not heard, especially when Az was entertaining, then children were not to exist! Not that she complained.

Now she blinked, "Vampire women can have babies?" She didn't realize there was magic tricks that could confuse a body such as that! "I don't have any magic." At least none that she knew of...but she was a novice, a baby at being such a thing. She should have to get together with her sister to learn more things. "But my parts aren't dead! So that would be a step in a good direction no?"

Then his other question, well that had her blushing but surely that was something that he would need to know, right? She gave a meek little nod of her head. "Uh huh." Yes it was a natural thing, but she was taught the old school of not discussing such things with a boy.

[Archer Caughey]

The vampires having children issue was a hot-button with Archer. Vampires in general were not a kind he was a big fan of. Which is why he and Caddy fought so much about the fact she wouldn't let him try to cure her. He felt his sister was better than that. That being vampirism. So he had to apply some effort to curb his answer to Gwen. "Can they? Yes. Should they? Well. Is it good for the kid they have? Ha. But people in these parts tend to think just because they can use magic that they have the right to use it for whatever and don't stop to think things through. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, but hey what do they care so long as they get what they want." Archer scoffed and shook his head. But he paused in his work to give a brief apologetic glance over his shoulder at Gwen. "But that's just my opinion on it. Take me with a grain of salt if you disagree."

He scrawled a few numbers and words in the ledger on the table and tossed the pencil down. Done with the sludge for now, he pulled over another stool closer to Gwen and took a seat on it. "Well thanks for not even assuming. Warm's a guy's heart." He flashed her a big grin. That was Archer for you. Pepper humor over everything and it makes it all better.

"Now. Back to you. If you're monthly's ticking like clockwork your parts aren't dead at all, you're right about that. So the question is if you're fertile, or if your body's just going through the motions. I'd be glad to take some blood from you, Gwen, and put it through a few tests to tell you what I see. But I've got to be honest with you, depending on what I find you might want to get a more…personal examination." He cleared his throat. He was trying to speak about this as politely as he could manage. Hers wasn't the kind of case he was used to handling. No pun intended.

After reaching up and rubbing his palm over his chin and scratching the back of his neck, two of Archer's all time favorite fidgets, he'd give it a second go. "A physical exam, I mean. From a doctor." He was quick to add that. "In which case I'd refer you to my sister Arcadia, she's the medical guru of the Caughey family."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Now, Gwendolyn was a fan of vampires, well one in particular. Though that was rather here nor there for the moment. A part of her wondered about using magic to produce an offspring, and it seemed that Archer filled in her mind on that. "Shouldn't a parent want to put the child first?" She thought being a parent would be a act of love. Of giving that child all the nurturing that they would need, pouring love into them, and hoping that they you did a good job. Perhaps that fueled her wanting to have a child, someone she could give all kinds of love to, and watch that little life grow and become its own person. A unsure smile formed, "Everyone should have their own opinions, otherwise it would be a pretty boring place!"

She laughed! Yes she did. But she didn't know what else to say to that. Perhaps if she was someone else there would be something to be said there. And then, "But I thought food was the way to warm a man's heart?" A curious look.

Gaze landed upon Archer. "Would you?" Asking him about the taking of her blood. Perhaps if she had a filter she wouldn't say her thoughts out loud. "I so hope I am fertile." Her head tilted, "That does mean if I am fertile that I can have babies right?" She had thought that's what it meant, and her mind did like to play tricks by combining things together!

Thankfully, Archer would answer the next question, by explaining it a bit more. "Oh! I haven't....do you think she would help? Depending on what you find and all?" She had heard that name before, in fact it dawned on her she had heard Archers as well. It wasn't until he said his sister Arcadia, that a light bulb turned on. "Oh! I have heard about you guys. Nothing bad." She was quick to put in there, "My adoptive mom, Azlin, said you guys were good people." That made her feel sooo much better about coming to Archer with this particular dilemma. She knew she had to be careful whom to trust, and a part of her mind had thought of that, but now for better or worse her trust was into Archer and his sister she had yet to meet. Or if she had it had been forever ago, which there was a chance, slim but still there.

But that brought a whole new worry, as she looked over at Archer. "Your not going to tell her about this are you? I don't want her to be upset that I came to someone else for help. I mean I love her and all, but what if she tried to fix things, to make me happy? I just want to know the facts." Yes, she did just want the facts and she didn't put it past Az to change those facts if she thought her little girl wanted something bad enough. Not because it was something she could do, but because she thought Gwen would be a great mom, a fun mom. And she wouldn't think that the baby would suffer having her as a parent.

[Archer Caughey]

"If there's one thing that's true about this place, it's not boring." Which was lucky for him, because he got a decent amount of business. Someone had to pay for all that scotch he drank!

Speaking of drink. "Good drink is the way to my heart." A big grin. "But for every guy there's a shorter route than down the esophagus." Intellectual innuendo. And he looked so proud of himself for it. He always was.

A slap of his hands on his thighs to motivate himself, and up he stood. "If you're fertile and things look okay when Caddy gives you a physical, babies are a go. Looking to have kids soon?" He had to ask. No, he didn't look hopeful. Okay, if he looked hopeful it's because Archer'd been wanting kids for years now and his train wreck of a dating record got him a family nowhere fast. He didn't mean to look hopeful, was just a habit. Of course, that was assuming she was single. Well, assuming that an a hundred other things.

Of course then she mentioned her mother. Did he hide the sheepish grimace? He sure tried. "Azlin, she's your mom huh? I remember her. Nice woman. Goddess, right?" Hopefully one that wasn't omnipresent and heard her tell Gwen there was a faster way to men's hearts… "Haven't seen her in ages, so you don't have to worry about me blowing the whistle on you. Even if I did see her, I keep things with my clients confidential."

He flashed her a reassuring smile and went over to some cabinets on the other side of the room. He got out the items he needed to take her blood, pulled them out of the plastic that kept them sterile. He put three small vials in a holder, and he'd leave that over here on the far counter. Putting on a pair of disposable rubber gloves over to Gwendolyn he went. He tied a strip of elastic around her arm, turning it so the inside of her elbow was facing him. Believe it or not, Archer drew blood often. Left hand went under her upper arm near the elbow to hold said arm in place, and right tapped the inner side of the elbow. "Turn your head and cough."

Yes. He was absolutely serious. He had a logical reason for asking her to do that!

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

She was laughing again, this man had a knack for getting those, did he not? "I dare say I have yet to find a boring place. I hope that I never do." Of course, if one was any good at entertaining one's self, they would not have that issue. She had never cried out for being bored.

Now, seeing she was a avid learner, as in she loved learning things, she had to ask. "Should I be taking notes?" If the same words had come from just about anyone else, they would of had a few more meanings with them, but with them coming from her, she was just genuinely curious if this was something she needed to keep track of. And then, "There is? Are you going to share this great secret with me?" Her eyes widened at the thought of learning some boy secret.

She gave a small nod of her head, about having to go see his sister, a wee bit timid she was on that account, but she would do what she had to do. "I haven't really thought about it. I always knew I wanted to have babies, but...it wasn't a pressing issue until I read that in the book that I couldn't!" Most did have some difficulty believing that she was a single girl. She had a nice personality, got along well with most, and wasn't to hard on the eyes either!

Another nod of her head, "She is! She really is the greatest mom." The girl had nothing against her mom, nothing at all, loved her really. And Archer could relax, Gwendolyn had thought about that, when she was a teenager, having a mom that could hear everything around you, your very thoughts, and they had a deal. The ONLY way Az heard or knew what was going on with Gwen, was if Gwen said a certain word, to invoke letting Az into her head. Az had trusted Gwen enough to go with her wishes. Oh, she was so happy she flung herself off the stool to wrap her arms around Archers neck. "Thank you! I know some people are rather daunted by her." And then as if she hadn't just leapt at him, she moved back to the chair and sat perfectly still.

When he came back with the correct instruments, which she would have to trust him on that one, she would give him a shaky smile. Who knew those things looked so scary. But she wasn't one to chicken out, when she wanted something, she went for it, full gusto! Her arm moved easily, and when he said to, she did just that, turning her head and coughing. Though she wouldn't look back until Archer said too, it was better that way, seeing she had not a lot of experience with blood.

[Archer Caughey]

Would he share the great secret with her. With Azlin's daughter. "Uhhhh….." Archer stared at her long enough that a person could count to at least eight-mississippi. "No, no...I think it's better I don't share that great secret with you." Last thing he needed was Gwendolyn going to Azlin and asking her greatest mother if what he said was true… That would cue greatest mom banging down his door to put his head on a spike.

Maybe that's why Archer flinched when Gwen hugged him. He had a mental picture of Azlin giving him the god-smack in his mind. "Daunted? Ha, that's funny. Heh." No, he didn't look sheepish. Not at all. Thank the gods Gwen sat back down before Archer had to figure out how to handle the situation.

Only he would think a hug was a 'situation'. It's probably why he took a little extra time at the counter with the blood-getting supplies. To get his heads on straight. A-yup.

But back to the action. As soon as Gwendolyn turned away and coughed, Archer stuck the needle in the appropriate spot and drew the blood. The cough, you see, provided distraction. When the body was doing one thing, it paid less attention to what was being done to it. Especially something as small as the pinch of a needle stick. It'd make things quick and painless for Gwen.

"All done." Said as soon as he withdrew the needle. Archer let go of her arm to reach behind his ear and pull out a small packet of gauze seemingly out of thin air. Only he would do sleight-of-hand tricks while he was taking a blood sample. Maybe the entertainment was his equivalent of giving the patient a lollypop?

At any rate, he ripped the packaging open, placing the gauze over where he'd drawn blood. "You should leave this gauze on for at least fifteen, twenty minutes. Okay?" With a light tug, he pulled off the rubber strip he'd tied around her arm to re-tie it around her elbow to keep the gauze in place. And he did it all one-handed. Archer was a dexterous guy that way. "I can get started on the tests in a little while, but I have to be honest - they're going to take some time."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

She pouted, lips pursed just so, a small frown of her forehead. "You aren't going to share with me? That's not very nice! Get a girls hopes all up!" She left out a small huff, but it did not last long, she wasn't one that kept not happy feelings for very long. Which would be rather evident because that look was gone, "I'll just have to ask Epiphany or Az." She had a feeling that even though Epiphany was younger, that she would know more, I mean Gwen had seen Damon. And she knew her mom knew probably all their was to know about men, there had been a parade of them.

Oh, did he think she wouldn't notice a flinch? She looked over to Archer, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I have a bad habit of hugging. You should of seen the first time I hugged Jade." A small grin, that didn't really say anything, about Jade, just that Gwen had hugged her.

Blink, her head turning back to face Archer, when she did her eyes had taken on a liliac color. "That was it? That barely hurt at tall, I figured taking my blood would hurt." She gave a small nod, "Like when I scraped my knee on the farm, cause I fell playing tag." That made sense to her, might not make sense to Archer but that was okay. And she did notice the gauze and she would of clapped, because she was much like a child in that way that those things amused her, but well her arm was otherwise in action. So she smiled instead! And he was probably glad he didn't give her a lolly pop, guys watching girls with them, well yeah.

Gaze continued to watch Archer, "Thank you. I will make sure to do that." She bit her lower lip a moment, "And then once you find out what you find out, you will, help me set up a time with your sister? If it's a good result you get?" She sounded a bit, worried about that, but that was because the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to have a baby. Just like if someone told you no, you couldn't do something, so you set your mind to doing it, to prove them wrong. Even the most easy going parts of her couldn't combat that stubborn I so can do this book, attitude. She didn't even think to ask of how they would be in touch.

[Archer Caughey]

She had a habit of hugging? Including other girls? "I should've seen it. Bet it was worth the $3.95 a minute." What! He was a guy, he had needs, he had fantasies! He also had a mouth that he sometimes wished didn't move as fast as his brain, so he could shut himself up before he said things like that aloud. At the rate he was going he needed to add, "Epiphany. You should definitely ask Epiphany." Because not-nice Archer still wasn't going to share and if Gwen went to Azlin repeating some of this stuff he was saying? Yikes.

After he finished with her arm, he looked her in the eyes. Lilac. Were her eyes always…? He didn't even have to finish the thought before his photographic memory provided him with the answer. No, they weren't always that color. He didn't ask about it, just filed the chain of events away. He'd drawn her blood and it made her eye color change. Interesting. He'd keep that bit of info in mind when he started her tests.

He headed back over to the far counter, splitting the blood he'd taken from her among three small vials which he capped. The leftover was put into a larger vial, which he scrawled a quick note on with a marker before putting it into the cooling unit underneath the counter. The needle and syringe where disposed of, and Archer was heading back over to his sludge to see how it was doing. Multi-tasking. He was expert at it.

"Sure, I can set you up with Caddy." Pause. "For a physical." Pause. "Medical appointment." See what happens, Gwen? Mention hugging a girl and Archer's mind goes down the dirty trail… "She's not the easiest person to track down so it might take me a day or two, but when I do I'll send her your way."

He stopped his work for a minute to look over at her. Leaning on the counter. "As for your tests, I'll start them after I finish with the sludge. But like I said, they'll take a while. Like the couple of hours kind of while. So I don't know if you want to hang here, or…?" Or what? He had a television with no channels, a DVD player and every single season of Doctor Who ever made that he'd gotten for research purposes. That was about it when it came to entertainment at the Caughey Lab and Bachelor Pad.

Well, that and scotch. The man had plenty of scotch.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Gwen was a very loving girl, when it came to hugs, they bubbled inside of her and had to have an outlet. It was one of those things she tried to tap down, because not everyone was the hugging sort, though sometimes she couldn’t control it. No matter how she tried. Blink blink, “Should of seen me hug Jade? $3.95 a minute? I don’t understand what you mean.” She didn’t she had one of those cute confused looks forming even around her speaking. A small nod, “I shall have to have that conversation with Epiphany.” The way he spoke out the name she had to smile, it happened often when she thought of her sister. “She’s a great little sister.” Yes, Gwen was going to go to her little sister to ask her about what Archer had said. She had not even realized she was giving out information about herself again, but hopefully she hadn’t judged Archer wrongly, he didn’t give her odd tingles. Not really.

Once her body relaxed again, and realized she wasn’t under some sort of attack, her eye color was slowly changing back to hazel. If only she knew her eyes changed colors she would of done a happy dance. But she didn’t so she didn’t break out in a dance in Archers lab. Probably better with all the scientific stuff around every where, didn’t need to leave his lab a mutant. ‘Oh that, no that’s just my third arm….and that..yes..well we don’t talk about that…’

She didn’t understand why he was being so descriptive. She had a feeling she had done something wrong again, but before she could think over things she smiled, to reply. “I understand that. And I do appreciate all your help Archer.” Though if he wasn’t careful he might get one of those nicknames she gave people, like how she had her hero and her crush, not that it was hard. Though she normally didn’t use their names when talking about them, they had titles no names, she knew whom she was speaking of that worked right? Once more the dwelling on what Archer might become didn’t stay to long. Her mind was always flitting to and fro.

A wrinkle of her nose, as her hand, the opposite then the arm he drew the blood from lifted to touch where the gauze was. She wasn’t about to remove it, instead she just touched the feeling of the gauze on her fingers. It felt a little different, textures she liked them, though she had learnt a while ago that you couldn’t just reach out and touch people. Or rather she had been told that people might think her rude, and so she could usually hide that, except when there were neat textures upon her. Should see the girl going shopping for materials and clothing.

She still had not moved from the stool, perched like a little bird there. “Oh! I thought you meant it would take days!!” A few hours was neither here nor there, and the girl was prepared as she had that book, though it had fallen to the floor when he took her blood, with her. “Um…what do you prefer?” She didn’t want to impose on him, he might change his mind of helping her out, and that was not a chance she wanted to take. “How is your sludge coming?” Not because she was in a hurry for him to get it done, but because she was genuinely curious. If he sent her on her way, she wondered if Epiphany would be able to answer a the question, she was going to pose to her, in that time period. The look on her face, if it had been anyone else’s face could be considered a evil plotting look, with Gwen it was just a thoughtful hmm.

[Archer Caughey]

Not answering things was a beautiful thing sometimes. Like not answering her about the Jade/3.95 a minute comment he'd just made. Maybe if he didn't answer her, she'd forget he'd ever blurted it and the chances that Az would chop his head off would go down 6.5 percent. A guy could hope. He'd even talk about Epiphany some to keep Gwen's mind off other topics. "Pip is pretty great. Budding chemist in her own right, girl knows how to handle a test tube. I was her handy man before Christmas, laid some bricks for her." It was a night Archer remembered fondly. He was a guy who liked to be needed.

Speaking of. "No problem, Gwen. What can I say, I'm a helper." Literally. It was the Legacy he was born into for Conaill, and nowadays he helped out people here and back home. Thanks to the mirror Arcadia installed on his wall he could do both. Archer flashed Gwen a grin before he turned back around to finish his measurements and notations.

"A few days. Ha! What kind of genius would I be if blood work took a few days?" Said with a scoff and a chuckle as he scrawled down some more notes in his log. Next he wiped a mucky drop of sludge on the slide to slip under the microscope for a fresh look. "It's…coming along…about the consistency of orange juice, needs to be more like curdled milk. Should be done in ten minutes or so. After it cools off, I need to run a few trails. But that I can do after the first round of your blood work."

Yeap. First round. How many rounds would there be? He couldn't know. Not until he saw what the first round told him. Could be just the one round, could be three, could be five, could be ten. It all depended. Which is why his words of advice to Gwen were this. "It's not what I prefer, it's what you prefer. After all, I'll be getting all up close and personal with your blood samples, Gwen, so I know I'll be entertained. The question is will you be. I know sitting around waiting for an answer you really want is about as great as watching paint peel, so it's totally up to you."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Oh but she wanted to know what he meant! No wonder she felt as if she was sheltered still, when she wasn’t under Azlin’s supervision. No body told her anything. Well Pip did! Pip told her things. And Jade would tell her things, she thought, if she knew the right questions to ask. Azlin wasn’t going to chop Archer’s head off! She had much more interesting ways of dealing with those that upset her. Oink, Oink. She frowned once more but quickly it was displaced. She gave a nod, “Pip is great!” Gwen might have been the older of the two, but she felt rather younger then her sister. “You lay brick too?” She looked at him a bit shocked. She didn’t know many genius’s that were the sort that also did manual labor.

She would, of course, have to find a way to repay him. Not because he asked for it, but because she liked doing nice things for people too. Let them know that she hadn’t forgotten them, or any of that other silly stuff. It was just finding the way to repay him, once this was all over and done with.

Blink, oh she hoped she had not offended him. “Oh! I am not meaning to insult your geniusness! For I am sure you’re the best genius ever!” She would give a nod of her head, even though he wouldn’t see it, because she did believe it and that was that, as far as she was concerned. She hoped he didn’t mind that he had an audience of one, sitting on that stool where she had been seated before. She was watching, unless he told her not too, she had that curiosity about her. Curious about all kinds of things. “The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets?” Good thing she was talking about sludge right? First round, that almost sounded daunting, and she might of thought it was to daunting, but he didn’t seem to upset about the prospect of having a few go a rounds with her blood.

She looked thoughtful, even as her right foot moved forward from the stool’s step, and rotated. Before she went to stand up from the stool, then she was back right down upon the same stool, for she had lost her balance. Her right hand lifted automatically to her head, as if she was holding it up. “I think….my head is…spinning in circles and not taking me with it.” That was her way of saying she was a bit light headed, even as a yawn was produced. “Perhaps I can just sit here….and not move.” That sounded like the best plan to her! She didn’t want to be a hassle, but she hadn’t known what the genius would need, and she was the sort that didn’t always think about eating, she could go for quite sometime without needing food…or wanting food more like.

[Archer Caughey]

"Of course I lay brick. What kind of genius would I be if I couldn't lay brick?" He flashed a grin at her. Repeating the 'what kind of genius would I be' to tease her more than anything. "Anyway, sure do. I also play the violin, can converse with animals, and do sleight-of-hand tricks. I'm a lot more than just a chemistry set, yes ma'am." Archer does not, however, like long walks on the beach. And candle-lit dinners only hold his interest if there's a bottle of scotch on the table.

He made a few short notations in his log about what he saw under the microscope and tossed his pencil down, turning around once more to face her and leaning against the counter in the process. "Have you ever put a pot of water on the stove and forgotten about it, and by the time you go in there to check on it the water's boiling but less than half the water's there that you put in there in the first place? It evaporated, right? Boiled off from being a liquid to a vapor."

It was a rhetorical question, which is why he kept going. "When I brew something I need to use soluble bases like water or isopropanol so that I can heat whatever mix I'm making to a temperature hot enough that the necessary reactions happen. In the process, the base I'm using has to boil off a lot like the pot of water forgotten on the stove. The thicker the mixture, the more my base has boiled off."

It sounded so simple. Partially because Archer was good at explaining things, and having Lumie as his latest apprentice had only made Archer's teaching talent stronger. The other part of the simplicity was that Archer, luckily for Gwen, left out some of the details. Still, wouldn't be a visit to the lab of the genius if you didn't get a science lesson!

The sludge could take care of itself. When Gwendolyn plunked back down on the stool, Archer went over to her. "Why don't you lay down, there's a guest bedroom across the hall. Plenty of not moving you can do on the bed, you could even catch a few zzzzs while I work. Getting blood drawn, well, makes a person a little light-headed." If Gwen let him, Archer was trying to urge her off the stool and across the hall. Allowing her to use him as support, of course. "Then I'll get you some orange juice."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

She had a rather puzzled look upon her features at that. "I just never met a genius, and what I have read about them, they do not do manual or physical labor. I don't know if it is because they do not have the bodies for it, or because they are afraid of getting a splinter or something along those lines." She did not mean to imply that Archer didn't have a body, but well she wasn't looking, and therefore her mind jumped to those thoughts, she just had to hope he would not call her out on that. The teasing she could handle it was if he took offense! But then she brightened right up, "You can converse with animals? I am so very jealous of you right now!" A nod of her head, even as fingers lowered to pick at a piece of lint upon her sweater. She was not one that would tell untruths, and she was one that needed to be more careful of the truths she told, so she had been told. But one knew exactly where they stood with her. Unlike with some people. "Oh! I never meant to imply that your just a chemistry set!" Oh dear!

As he spoke she listened, her eyes and her head would both show with the normal tell tale signs of one that was listened. The way he described it did make things sound so much more interesting and yet, not overly complicated. She had a feeling he had a lot of experience in explaining things to those that did now know about his geniusing work! If she would of had question's she would of asked, but the way he explained left little to no room for needing one.

When Archer came towards her, she looked up at him, curious. She gave a small nod of her head, "That does sound like a good idea." A small pause, "Are you sure you can leave your sludge? I don't want you to have to start over." She wrinkled her nose, though the plugs stayed put, which was probably a good thing. She did move easily at his urges. She would walk with him, with his held more like, to the room with the bed. She leaned a bit on him, and figured that was why he was helping and being a support, because right now she would of just fell flat on her face if he hadn't been there. "Does that help?" The orange juice, she was rather curious about that. Even before they got to the room, she would cast a half look up to him. "Thank you, Archer." Oh no. Hopefully this did not give her another case of hero worship. Poor poor Archer.

[Archer Caughey]

No manual or physical labor? The look on Archer's face was priceless. "What books have you been reading?" He didn't meant to scoff like that. Well, maybe he did.

He grimaced when she said she was jealous of his talking to animals talent. It wasn't something…well, put it this way. When the animals in the area found out that he could understand them perfectly, boy did they get long winded. The worst? Cows. Who knew they had so much to say about grass? Answer: Archer did.

"It's fine. Plus I'll be starting over anyway, at least two or three more times. Can't just brew it once and be happy with it, then I won't know if it could be better. Besides, I already want to add a few things to make sure the scent sticks on clothing." Can't forget about that discovery earlier, that the sludge could serve a second purpose.

The bedroom he walked her into was clean and plain. Bed, nightstands, lamps, closet. That's about it. It was a room that didn't get put to use often. He provided her support over to the foot of the bed, helping her ease down onto it if she needed it. "Yup. Help get your blood sugar back up. I'll see what else I have, maybe get something simple in your stomach." Considering he was a bachelor whose taste buds also happened to be dead, the results could be frightening. Archer's cabinets were usually filled with ten different varieties of canned pasta.

He patted her shoulder, "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, alright?" With that he went into the kitchen. It didn't take him long. Couple minutes and he was back with orange juice in one hand and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the other. Gold star for Archer, he actually remembered to put it on a plate. Which he offered out to her along with the with glass of juice. "Dinner's served."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Oh she saw that look. And it was priceless. But she still answered the question. "Books that they have at the Inn." The books she had borrowed from Jamison had nothing to do with Genuis's they were all about the Fae.

Well, it would take the patience of a saint to be able to handle a cow going on and on about grass. So maybe she had asked the right person about her wants.

Well that made sense, when you wanted to make something new, and you needed a few test batches. She could understand that. "That's why you keep such good notes? So you can keep track of things you change and what you don't change? And what would be better in the concoction." See she got it! She just needed a little bit of prompting!

She did use his help to get onto the foot of the bed. Normally she would of been looking around, curious about her surroundings, lucky for them both that at the moment, her natural curiosity was sleeping. She would edge herself away from the edge of the bed, and to the top part. So at least her back against the wall. Now that would be a frightening thing. Though she never had any canned pasta, that could of been interesting.

"Thank you." Was spoken, unfortunately it wasn't with her normal life in her voice, there was a tired quality to it. "I appreciate this." A small yawn was given as Archer left the room, and when he came back, she looked up at him with her eyes, now back to hazel. She would take the plate first, if he allowed, and set it down upon her lap. Then she would reach for the orange juice glass, very slowly and carefully lowering it to her mouth. Taking a deep drink, then lowering it. "Thank you Archer. I gosh I feel like I owe you so much." She didn't like owing people...she felt bad. Before he left she looked over to him, "You'll...let me know when you find anything out?" She looked as if she could fall asleep at any moment. Because he went through all the trouble she would take a bite of the sandwich. "Do you mind if I set the orange juice on the end table?" She didn't want to just set something on his end table without his okay. Nibbling on the peanut butter sandwich.

[Archer Caughey]

"That would be why I keep notes, yeap. In case one day I'm lucky enough to wake up and not have a photographic memory anymore." To Archer, there was nothing worse than being able to remember literally everything. It's one of a few reasons about why he drank so much. Drinking helped take the edge off of some of those things he wanted desperately to forget, but that he couldn't. Alcohol made the crystal clear, damnably detailed memories of the time he'd spent dead mercifully a bit more fuzzy. Things like photographic memories were lucky gifts until the day they became not-so-lucky anymore.

At least his bad luck would help Gwendolyn sleep. Archer used to have nightmares something fierce since he'd come back from the Land of the Dead. Or maybe they should be called 'reminders' or 'nightly visits from creatures who wished he was still dead'. It'd taken Arcadia almost a month of trial and error, but she'd finally managed to spellcast the right marriage of various protective enchantments that Archer could sleep without getting dream-tortured. Every once in a while he'd have a nightmare, but Arcadia couldn't protect him from his own subconcious.

Who knew a goofy upbeat guy like him had heavy stuff like that to deal with, right? Thank the drink. The true Irishman's way of dealing with his problems.

Of course he let her take the plate and glass, he wasn't about to be a human coaster. The fact she took them meant his hands were free to wave off her thanks with a proud scoff. "It's what I do. I'll let you know what I find as soon as I find it Gwen, that's a promise. And you can set the stuff wherever you want, sure thing. You should eat at least half of the sandwich and finish the juice before you nod off, it'll help make you feel more energized when you wake up later. Have a good nap, alright? Nothing to worry about." He didn't know why, but something told him she might need those last words to help her peacefully shut her eyes.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

"You have a photographic memory?" She thought that was neat, yet she was glad that she did not have one of those. Oh no, it would of been dangerous, because she would never be able to forget the things she wished too, and men should be rather happy that she didn't have one. Could you imagine that fight. On such a such date, at such a such time, it was a Friday and you said, and I said and you went, you were wearing this. Yes that power of Archers would just be plain dangerous in her hands. Not that she was a harping nag.

Yes! That wasn't something that sounded like a good time to have to deal with. The spooky dreams, the girl already had a fear of the dark, so if it was dark. So imagine if she had nightmares to boot. Everyone had something that scared the bejesus out of them right?

She would give a nod of her head at his words. She had opened her mouth and the word Thank started to form but she bit it down. Not wanting to thank him to death. She smiled as she took a drink of the orange juice, before setting the glass carefully upon the end table. She then picked up half of the sandwich she could do it. Do it as in eat half of the sandwich, she would chew and bite and chew. Until that half was gone, she even ate the crust! But ONLY because Archer made it and she didn't want to waste that. She set the plate down next to the cup on the night stand, one more drink....a blink. "Nothing to worry about." She parroted, and that did make her feel better.

A little smile before she snuggled down onto the bed, head hitting the pillow and lashes closing. It did not take long not long at all, he might not of even crossed the threshold of the door before she was out. Like a little light, her arms moved up to hug the pillow.

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