The Genius and the Delivery Girl -{ A log }-

[♥Allissya♥]

She could not believe she had been talked into doing this. It wasn't bad enough she was doing this, but the fact she had to wear a uniform. This is what happened when you found a girl rather irresistible, they got you doing things that you did not want to do. She had gotten the directions to where she was suppose to go, package in hand. Her long locks were pulled back and into a half bun half pony tail. A few wisps might have escaped on the travels, her hair was capped with a black and dark purple hat. The front of the hat had the initials G.D.S. She had put her line down on the skirt that she was suppose to wear, she opted for the pants, black with the dark purple strip down both sides of the legs, black shoes. The top was black with a purple patch, the purple patch had black letters that said G.D.S. in black. If one looked close enough at the initials they would see they were punctuated with small hearts. She had a clipboard that she had rested against the package which was rested against her upper hip. Expressive bright green gaze looked around, as she moved along, her head was giving a shake. She thought about turning around, and marching to Gwen's room and telling her flat out she wasn't a delivery girl, but she couldn't do that. She had said she couldn't trust anyone else to do this for her, and she was not going to fail at the first thing her sister had asked of her. She just couldn't. When she reached the door, the door that she had been told to get to, her hand lifted. A small breath, as her hand lifted, and fingers would knock upon the door. She half hoped that no one opened the door, and she could say she tried but no one was there.

Two months. Two sonofadamned months he'd been sober. Well, not exactly. Archer could tell a person with second-by-second exactitude how long it'd been since he was cursed, what with the photographic memory and all, but at this point he was choosing to round it up like it made the time go faster. Even though he knew it didn't. Of course he knew it didn't. He was a bloody genius. Point was the man got crankier as the days went by. There was no stopping the head-splitting migraine he suffered from most of the time, which probably meant it was something other than just withdrawal. His experiments were getting sloppy, and sloppy made him angry. He still got things right as rain in the end, it was just that it took a few rounds of screwing up royal-style before he got his focus squared up enough to really do alchemic business. Right now Archer was on the couch. With ice on his head. Business was slow today and he wasn't feeling like drumming any up. He'd started the day dressed in his three-piece suit as usual, but by now the jacket was gone, the vest was unbuttoned and the sleeves of his white button down were rolled up. He was also barefoot. Like it was his socks and shoes fault that he had a rip-roaring headache. Barefoot was rare for Archer. When the knock came he groaned. And his windows were open. Bag of ice in hand he went to answer the door. A delivery? "I didn't order anything." Blurted out. His accent was sloppy lately. Creeping back into his voice because he didn't have the focus, energy or care to suppress it like normal. "I mean, hi. Can I help out?" There, recovered.

Now, it wasn't bad enough that she was doing a favor for her sister. Now it was obvious that the man was a crab. Maybe that was why she had been sent? It was hard for her to not let her eyes take a sweeping look at the man, and she was doing her best not to do such. People around these parts were strange, and she was still learning her way around them. Some people were super overly friendly others were like ogres that felt you invaded their swamp. She would thrust out the clipboard towards him, as she spoke. "Hello, I have a delivery for you." A pause, as she thought if she should answer his first comment when he opened the door. "It is not something that was ordered by you." She could give him that information, though she wasn't sure about giving him any other information at first. "I do need a signature on the clipboard that you have received one package." The form on the board was a basic list, except that his name was the ONLY name on there. The top said Delivery's. There was a column with names which was his, a box that said how many items, and next to that a open space for a signature. She would look for the pen, the pen was gone. It had been right there in the clipboard. She cast a glance up to the man, slightly under her lashes. "Do you happen to have a pen?" The package was still held against her form. She did not relish the thought of having to go all the way back but then again maybe she could find somewhere in town? She did not know about his normal state of dress..so she could not say anything about that. Nor would she know that he was not his normal cheerful self. She rocked on her feet just a bit, as she waited to see if he had a pen or if she was going to have to go on an adventure.

Details like that were the kind of thing that Archer noticed. He took one look at the clipboard and said before he even took it, "One delivery, huh? Hope you're on salary." Because if she was paid hourly, wow. Hardly a profit at all if all she had was him on the list. He heaved a sigh as he took the clipboard, running his free hand through his salt and peppered hair. Made him look a couple years older than he was, at first glance. Coming back from death'll do that to a guy. Especially a normal, run-of-the-mill human guy. "Sure, I got a pen." Archer retreated inside. Going into the sitting room that was right to the left of the front door. Where his bag of ice was waiting for him on the couch. He went to the armoire though. Pulling open the top drawer, he looked into it and did some rummaging until he came up with a pen. "Are you a courier? Or more postal than that?" He was asking because he needed a runner. To run for him, run to him. Archer hadn't ordered anything right now, but when he wasn't a painfully sober bastard he constantly had stuff getting delivered to him and being delivered from him.

When people noticed they were the only one on any set list, it was bound to raise questions. She gave a small nod of her head. "Just the one." A small pause, "Oh, I am not getting paid to do this. It's just a favor." It was, and because she knew what was in the box. One thing she had learnt was that people were never what first look might say. Or even first impressions. When he said he had a pen, she let out a small sigh of relief. That was not something she had wanted to go around looking for. While he was getting a pen, she was looking at the box. It wasn't overly large, but it was more then a shirt box, it was a square shape. With a piece of clear packing tape across the top. No writing was on the box it was a plain brown box. "I am actually a executive assistant." She had to laugh at that, soon she knew that she was going to be spending her days working in the new office, and that it was going to drive her insane if she let it. She thought to ask, "Are you looking for one?" She wasn't looking for a new job, but if she found something to do on the side, when it was a good time, well that wasn't bad. She would wait until he signed it, and she had it in her hands, before handing him the box though. At the door she glanced around, before looking back to the doorway. She did not even know if she was going to keep her job, but she had a feeling her boss would not let her go easily, they had a great working relationship.

"An executive assistant delivering a package as a favor?" Archer looked up from the clipboard and over to her. The look he gave her asked a lot of questions he didn't. He was a man of logic, science and practicality. What she said didn't add up, logically speaking. Especially because, "Do you always buy yourself a uniform when you do a favor?" Dead grey eyes looked back down at the clipboard, and he was about to sign it when his logic got the better of him. Again. "Wait. This is a favor you're doing but I have to sign this? Seriously? No offense to you but is this some kinda trap? While I'm pretty much crap when it comes to magic my sister isn't, so I'm smart enough to know that I should be careful what dotted line I'm signing on....who's this box from?" If this was foul play he suspected that she might not answer, but hell he had to try didn't he? Her question about if he needed a courier, that could wait until she answered his questions.

She gave a nod of her head, her hair bouncing in the back a few more tendrils breaking free. "Exactly." Now that look, she had seen looks like that before, and so it took a moment or three. "Oh! I did not buy the uniform it was provided for me. The person I am doing the favor for she said I had to 'look the part'." A soft laugh, because of the look on the girl's face when she said it. "It had to be official." She nodded a moment at his next series of questions. "Yes, it needs to be signed as proof, not only that I brought the package to you but that you received said package." A frown. "A trap? Oh heavens." That made her laugh, "The package is from a Gwendolyn Zoi. I do not see the girl setting a trap for anyone." A grin slipped over her features at the thought of Gwen, perhaps the grin had a hint of something in it, but she wasn't saying anything else. With her free hand she pointed the patch just above her left breast. "G.D.S." A pause, "Gwen's Delivery Service." She wanted to snort, "I told her the uniform was a bit much, but she insisted I dress the part." Now she did not know if her words would worry the man or if they would get him to sign the paper.

That made Archer stop tracks. He stared at the delivery girl. "So Gwendolyn asked an executive assistant to do her a favor and went through the trouble of getting a uniform for you and making this signature sheet and boxing whatever up rather than coming here and giving it to me herself?" Archer shook his head. He didn't look happy. If he seemed crabby when he answered the door....raise that up to the Nth power now. Except he wasn't pissed at her, or Gwendolyn even. It was pissed at himself. He knew how he and Gwen had parted ways the last time she was here wasn't the best of goodbyes but he didn't realize it was THAT bad. "Great." He muttered that under his breath. With a couple of fine Irish swears following after that. Least he was nice enough to cuss his ire out in another language, so he didn't offend her. Because Archer was a damn sailor when it came to swearing. At any rate it was enough to make him sign the paper. Signature was nearly illegible but that was his handwriting for you. "Here you go." Clipboard was offered back to her. So was the pen. "You can keep the pen."

She would give a nod of her head. Maybe it would help if she said something else. "She did. It is the first favor she has asked of me, and I couldn't turn her down." A shake of her head, she just couldn't. Now Al did know what was in the box, and she did know why Gwen had her do it. Or at least what Gwen had told her the reason for why she wanted her to do it. Now she might not know what he was saying, but she wasn't a idiot. And it sure as heck sounded like he was saying some not nice things, rather colorful in fact. At least he knew it was not some strange trap. Or hopefully he knew it wasn't a trap. She wanted to reach out and pat the man on his arm, but she did not do that either. "Thank you. And thanks for the pen." A pause, as she shuffled the items so she could produce the box. She would hold the box out to him, and because she took pity on him, she might of let a confidence slip. "I don't think it's because my si...Gwen did not want to see you. I believe it's because she did not return both items." Oh she knew the story and had her own ideas, but that was alright. She wasn't one that was to judge. Not in the least. And the man did let her keep the pen, not that she had any other deliverys...but still it was a thoughtful gesture, at least she thought it was.

"Sure thing." It looked like the box was his now. After he took it he lofted his brow at what she said. "Oh yeah? Thanks." Archer couldn't decide whether or not he believed her until he knew what was inside the box. Though because she mentioned the word 'return' he had a good idea. "She didn't have to return anything." He brought the box over to his couch, pulling off the packaging tape. "As for the courier, sure I need one. But not an executive assistant, you've got better things to do. Like you said, you're doing a favor. Maybe you can get some use out of the uniform for All Hallows. You know, be a delivery girl from hell or something." The genius was a resourceful man, just chock full of ideas.

It was a good trade right, he got his box, that he hadn't know he was getting and she got his pen. A small nod of her head, she really did not know what to say. She didn't have to return anything, well that in itself would of made Gwen a happy girl. When he went inside, he was still talking to she leaned in the door way. She wasn't going to just leave, while he was chatting, but she wasn't going to enter his house either. It wasn't because she couldn't enter his house, physically without a invite, it was because she had the manners she was raised with. "I do." Have better things to do, but, she was also the helpful sort. "But even executive assistants need a break. My boss would work me into the ground if I let him." Yes she said if, which meant she thought she had control over that. "But that doesn't mean I don't need a break occasionally...and if it happens to be doing a favor..." She gave a small shrug, "Besides it would help me learn my way around this place." A wrinkle of her nose, she was still debating the whole staying though she had a feeling she wasn't going anywhere. She let out a soft laugh. "Are you implying something with that?" The from hell part was what stuck with her and she had to ask, though he DID have a good idea. "Though I am sure the uniform would be useful for that...or other times of dress up." She wasn't so good with the censor button all the time.
Not that she was saying anything the dress up...it just was an idea that he had given her. If she had her way, well that wasn't ever going to happen so there was no point in thinking on it.

[♥Allissya♥]

First thing's first, he had to ask. He'd just opened the box, but he didn't look inside because of the last thing she said. "Uh, are YOU implying something with that? Because I thought that guys were usually the ones that had a package." He knew what Rhy'din was like. It was a box of chocolate where you SERIOUSLY didn't know what you were going to get. That off his chest he turned his focus back on the box to see what was in store. "I was implying something, yeah. That All Hollows costumes are supposed to be scary. To scare off the evil spirits that want to bang down everyone's door when the line between the worlds is thin. Hence 'evil' delivery girl." The man had a reason for everything. "Call me crazy, but running around town ferreting packages doesn't sound too much like a break to me. Breaks are supposed to be, you know, breaks...with resting your eyes and having some drinks and...I don't know, doing the things you'd consider restful." For him, it was some heavy drinking to top off his mildly heavy drinking that he did while he was working. Or that WAS how he rested, until the damn leprechaun messed it all up for him.

She gave a blink of her eyes. Now that was almost offensive, and it might of been, except she had been around the place long enough to learn some things. "I don't have a package, thanks. And I do believe that it is only guys that have them? Does one need a package to play dress up?" Because that sounded not fun at all! Now her words might show she wasn't from around here. "You mean that there are really evil spirits that come across?" That was news to her, and she wasn't so sure if she was going to want to be around come that day. She liked it better at home, where people dressed up in slutty little outfits, and then acted surprised that people checked them out. Like how rude, while secretly going ha betch I got three more looks then you. Rivalries. She gave a gentle shrug of her shoulders. "It's not so bad. And like I said it would help me learn the area better. But hey...its okay I can find other ways of doing that. Just thought I'd toss it out there." A small shrug, she wasn't offended by that, nor upset. It was a thought. She did like to be helpful. "I am sure I would still be resting my eyes. I don't drink...I can't handle it very well." Though she hadn't tried to drink after finding things out..but well that was okay. Leprechauns were dirty little buggars! Tricky and all!

Stare and silence. "Uhm. If you use that uniform for dress up what are you going to deliver?" Honestly Archer wasn't the type of guy who went down this conversational road with someone he just meant, but the thing was she'd brought it up and he was just being logical. Attention back down on the box, Archer pulled out the pair of sweats he'd given Gwendolyn on the night she knocked on his door playing Easter Bunny. He tossed them on the sofa next to his back of ice. The look on his face was pretty complicated. He remembered that night perfectly - because he remembered EVERYTHING perfectly - and he wasn't proud of how it went. He figured that's what was in the box though, one of this pieces of clothing he'd given her that night. Box in hand, he lifted it up. "Want the box back? The short answer is the world is made up of energy, and the energy's always changing because of a bunch of things. Like the seasons for example. How long the sun is up. How long it's down. All Hallows is an example of how the energy can affect things. Weakening the boundaries. Anything can come across. Good spirits, bad. The Faerie Riders." He tried to hide the shudder. The riders where why he didn't really leave his house on All Hallows. A frown. "Look, it's not personal. Me not asking you to be my personal run around girl. The stuff I order up for the lab isn't always stable. Chemically stable," he quickly clarified. "And neither am I. Kind of going through a rough patch, not the best company right now." Not until October, he bet.

She could play coy, or she could flat out say what she was going to deliver. It was true it could go either way, but she was not one that always hid things. She laughed, even as she answered. "I could always deliver myself." She had a nod, I mean if she was playing dress up, it wasn't just something she'd be doing for fun. Well it would be fun, but she liked to role play, with well whomever she was with at times. Couldn't help it. "You know..add some spice!" Logic could get a lot of interesting questions, and she wasn't shy, even if she had compartments for people and items, she had that other side, when she wasn't perfect assistant material. She looked to him and the box, a small shrug of her shoulders, but she waited until he was done talking, no cutting him off. "She didn't say she wanted the box back, but if you can't use it, I can dispose of it for you." And she watched as he spoke, a nod of her head, listening. She had heard of good and bad spirits but not "Faerie Riders?" She thought about that, a look was given to him, a questioning in its own way. "So it's for my safety that you don't use me?" Now she could of thought him a grump but then he had to say that. A small nod of her head. "I understand about rough patches." Not exactly how his was, but she understood rough patches, she had her own demons she was dealing with, and so that right there, made sense. Well not demons, but changes. She looked down at the box in he had gotten his sweats in, and then back to him. "So normally your not so charming." She had a straight face, she should of bit her tongue, she didn't know him. But that was not something she was known for.

Archer considered it. Like he considered math equations. And then he nodded, "You could, you could deliver yourself." To him it was an acceptable answer, she should feel proud she'd appeased a genius. He tossed the box on the floor next to the couch with a dismissive gesture. "Nah, you're playing delivery service, not trash disposer. I'll take care of it, I'm a big boy." He lofted a brow at what she said as he leaned against the back of his couch, as its back faced the door. "Safety? I don't know about safety, it's not like I'm going to break the neck of one of my beakers and come at you with it for not getting a package to me on time...more your sanity, I guess. Because normally I have horns that could gut a rhino and can breathe fire clear across your average town street, and I'd hate for you to not get to see that real me." He added that joke in a total deadpan, which was not Archer's usual jovial goofball humor. But he wasn't his normal jovial goofball self, so his sense of funny was kind of askew right now. He didn't offer up any more information on the Faerie Riders. It wasn't a subject he liked to talk about even when wrapped in the sweet safely of drunkenness, and he was stone cold sober now.

A grin spread across her features. "I am glad that you agree." She almost said she was glad for his permission, but she did not, the flippant remark was cut back. "And I do not seem to have that costume on me!" The trash disposer that was. Now he said he was a big boy, it was at that time that her bright leaf green eyes took him in, slowly, deliberately. "Yes, I can see that." He had said he was a big boy, she just thought she should take notice. Mental pictures, they were forming and she saw the man in front of her, coming at her with a broken beaker in both hands, and it caused the hand that was not holding the clip board to slip up, covering her mouth, as she tried to not let out the laughter. She then grinned at him. "When will that real you be back, I should have to come and visit. For I dare say that would be a sight. Something new for me to see." It took a lot to shake her after what she had learned since coming here. She still did not know if she was glad Winston summoned her or upset at the fact her life was now topsy turvey. Hey everyone had their days, or it maybe their months. Stone cold sober for most would not be as bad as it was for him odd feeling on that one. "So when is it that you grow your horns and breathe fire?"

The ironic thing was that Archer COULD grow horns and breathe fire, thanks to the Legacy that he and Caddy inherited. Each of them housed one half of a spirit so Ancient and powerful that if its halves were reunited, and even worse if someone managed to invoke and control it when it was whole...bad news. Which is why his bloodline had devoted themselves a long time ago to housing it in two chosen who were born with the constitution that was resilient enough to handle it. Problem was, Arcadia was a lot more resilient that way than he was. Sometimes the dragon spirit got the best of him. Those times were bad. Thankfully few and far between. He smirked. "October. A leprechaun cursed me on St. Patty's day. No matter how much I drink I'm sober 'til October. Isn't that just the greatest rhyme?" He scoffed. Depending on where she was from she probably could place his accent as Irish, she could do her own math on what it was like for an Irishman to go without drink.

It still would of been interesting to see. Call her odd. He wouldn't be the first one. She had a feeling she was about to get a whole lot odder before she got normal again. A blink, "October!" Now that sounded so far away, and she had heard the accent. It was a reason she hadn't just dropped the package and ran away. Accents got her every time, male or female didn't matter, she liked them. The accents not always whom they were attached too. His just happened to be one of her favorites. "Is their any way around a leprechauns curse?" She had not known that they were real until he said that. Did she have to take his word for the fact? No, but she did not think a man whom would love his drink, it sounded that way would lie about such a thing. And really why would he lie to her? He didn't have any reason to lie to her. No reason to be honest either. But benefit of the doubt had her thinking he was. "Gwen said your a genius, no potion you can make? Take the edge off?" Gwen had said a few bits and pieces about the man. Not to much.

"Yeah. October. Not exactly 'round the corner, is it?" He crammed his hands into his pockets. "Word of advice, since you're knew to town. That coffeshop that's a ways down the road, the one with the logo of the chick with the crown? Avoid it like the plague. Any place that hires a leprechaun is out of their god damned MIND." A pause. He almost didn't ask but he just couldn't shake the question. "Gwen said, huh? What else did Gwen say about me?" He was kind of wondering if 'crappy rude prick' was somewhere in her description of him. Not like Gwen would say words like that, he knew she's probably phrase it more like, 'a not-nice ucky face'. "A leprechaun curse is....complicated. I AM a genius, bona fide. But even a genius scientist uses trial and error to get things just right. You know how if you cut some worms in half they don't die, you actually end up with two worms? A leprechaun curse is kind of like that. If it catches you trying to break it and you don't break it just right, you get double the curse. And considering I'd be my own trial..."

Her nose wrinkled. "I am guessing this happened around good ole St Patrick's Day?" It was a stab because if one was going to believe in leprechauns what better day for them to show up then on that very day. "That is a dreadfully long time, did you rub the lil man or woman wrong?" She couldn't understand why else they would be cursed. She listened her head nodding. "Got it...that coffee shop needs to be crossed off of my, places to visit while your in town." Oh she might sound like she was making fun of him, but she was going to avoid that place like the plague just like he said. She gave a small nod of her head. "When she asked me to do this favor. She said that your a genius." She said it like she had not even questioned what Gwen said. She twisted her hand upon the clipboard. She looked down a moment, she took a small breath. "She also said you might be a tad cranky, but not to take it personally, because your a really nice man." She paused, "She had told me that it was your sweat pants in the box." She might of told her a bit more, but that was what Al was saying, because the other bit she wasn't giving out. Gwen didn't tell Al about the curse, or anything that could of given her any ideas. Nor had dear Gwen steeled Al for the accent. She would have to tell Gwen she needed to know those things. It must of been having living in the states. Head started to bob, as her hand quit twisting on the clipboard, the pen had not escaped. "Its the best for fishing." She had to pipe in, the cutting the worm in pieces, but well it was true. "It's safer to just not attempt to break it, because then you would have to go doubly long, and that could drive a man insane?" She lifted her free hand to itch at her temple. "And I take it you already looked up on the internet for other ways of breaking it." She did not know much about magics, so it was her way of asking about that. She didn't ask if he knew someone that could help, because she assumed he would.

He scoffed. "The internet? Ha. Pile o' rubbish. I don't use computers." He wouldn't have said, 'ever' or 'period' but there was one computer he used. His brother's. The equipment in the TARDIS was the only technology he would touch. Ironically that wasn't even modern technology, not for the Doctor's society anyway. As the Doctor told him, his ship was the Model T of TARDIS'. Archer could appreciate that. "As for the leprechaun...for being Irish I don't have the luck o' the Irish, if you know what I mean." He chalked up what happened to him that St. Patty's day on plain awful luck. For a logical man, Archer was surprisingly superstitious. "Let's just say when I decide to try to break it, I want to be a hundred percent certain it's going to be a successful break." He wasn't sure of that yet. He had some theories. Was working on a few things. But without conferring with Caddy....and he couldn't tell her. He knew she'd rake him over the coals and be one smug banshee.

[♥Allissya♥]

She blinked, long lashes just a moment. "No computers? Your one of those stick in the muds that only uses paper and pencils and your brain?" Not that their was anything wrong with it, except for the fact that the computer could help with things. She looked over to him, "Now that is sad...one would hope that such luck was yours to be had." She thought a moment, "Perhaps one day something will happen to change that." The luck thing you know, not everyone could always have bad luck, she just couldn't see that. She would nod a bit, "I can understand that." A pause, "I could try to research some if you want to see if you come up with the same things I do?" She had some spare time..and why not offer to help. Oh she fully expected him to snort and tell her not to waste her time, for that wasn't something she should do with her free hours. But she had to offer, it was funny she found herself volunteering herself for more and more since finding things out about herself. She was unsure if this was a welcome change or not. Only time would be able to tell.

"I'm a genius. I don't NEED anything but paper and pencils and my brain. Well. Besides all the stuff in my lab. And the secondary lab. And the stuff in my store room." This was turning into a long list of stuff he needed. But at least computers weren't anywhere involved. But she was offering...and what could it hurt? He could use whatever she found as a comparison resource to the stuff he was looking into. Make the chances of a mistake less. As Archer thought over her offer, he rubbed his palm over the stubble on his chin. Stroking the soul patch he had under his bottom lip. "Alright. Sure. Couldn't hurt, right? But I can't be held responsible if you have the Coalition of Angry Leprechauns banging down your door because you're poking into their secrets, just so we have that clear."

It was not her fault, really it wasn't that her lip quirked upwards, the more he listed the more it quirked until she was grinning. "I see...good thing you only need a thing or two." Straight voice, it was. Now his answer had surprised her, but she was glad for that, because their was a good chance she would of done it anyways. A nod of her head. "I don't see how it could hurt. I am only looking into things, not going to attempt to fix you myself." She almost shivered at that. She would need a lot, a lot more practice before she tried something like that. Nor would she want to run to her mom to ask for help because she just, made a huge boo boo. How embarrassing! She grinned. "If they are smart they will not bang upon my door. They might not like what they were to get." She smiled, "But I think I might like poking into their secrets." She nodded, "It's settled!" She was glad he took her up on her offer. Poor man.

God, her mom. If he knew who her mother was he'd be banging his head against the wall. Wondering if Azlin was secretly cursing him by sending over all her pretty daughters one by one. In that way ignorance was total bliss for the genius. "I could make do with a pencil, paper and my brain in a pinch as any respectable genius can." That was Archer's genius pride rearing its ugly head. At least it was pretty much true? The man didn't pontificate his own brilliance for nothing. When she said it couldn't hurt he laughed. More like a hoot. "HA! Ha. You obviously DON'T know very much about leprechauns, - " He was going to use her name just then. And then was where he realized he'd never asked it and she never offered it. " - woman who's name I don't know that I just hired to do research work for me." Smooth Archer, smooth. "Anyway. For your sake I hope they don't poke back." Or realize that she's poking around for him and come to his door wanting to give him another poke. He did not want to be sober until NEXT October because they found out he had a girl reading up on them, hell no.

It was a good thing he did not know! Because she wouldn't want him banging his head against the wall. At least the girl infront of him wouldn't. She would give a small nod of her head. "I wasn't underestimating your genius." She did not know him well enough to do that. Throw out words, that could be taken in more then one way, yes but not something so personal as the other. She gave a shake of her head, she had him at a disadvantage for she knew his name, it was right there on the delivery sheet. "Your correct, Archer, I do not know very much about them...but I soon will." A small grin, even as a hint of blush crept over her cheeks. "Name's Allyssia, but you can call me Al..." A small pause, "Or some other shortening of it." Yes, he was the first she thought to offer such, if anyone else called her anything but Al well, good luck getting her to answer. Something...had it so she would offer him such, probably the accent. Damn that accent. Got her every time. "If they do, I shall deal with it when it happens?" Oh heavens she would not wish them to poke on Archer, but if she just made random inquiries. She paused in her thoughts because those thoughts could get a girl in trouble. And if they did poke, they would be lucky if they got Al and not Azlin...at the Inn.~


"Well Lyssia, it seems we have ourselves a deal." Archer pushed off the back of the couch where he'd been leaning and came over to her, probably still hanging out in the doorway because Archer totally had a lapse in manners and forgot to ask her in. At least he showed some manners now. Offering out his hand for a shake. "If they do, let me know. I'll try to help, best I can anyway." He was proud and he had some ego on him, but even he would admit that he wasn't the best man to tackle a horde of angry wee folk. To help her let him know, his free hand smoothed down his chest. By the time his hand hit his stomach he extended it forward, and there was a card sitting between his fingers. One of Archer's sleight-of-hand tricks. No magic used. Course, in this realm of magic people didn't find the sleight-of-hand as impressive as they should for that reason. Why would people be impressed when they could do the same with a snap of fingers? "Here's my card. There's instructions for how to use it."

She would smile to Archer, she really had not expected him to walk over to the doorway that she had been leaning in. "A deal indeed." Indeed, she stood up straight then. When his hand came out for a shake, her own went easily to his, giving it a shake that was firm yet soft at the same time. "I shall keep that in mind." She thought any help was better then no help right? Now, it was probably good in this case that he did not know that Az was her mom. Because, Al, or Lyssia, as he was calling her, did give a little clap. It might of only been slight of hand but she was impressed none the less. If he happened to glance at her bright green gaze he would notice that. "Oh thank you." The same hand that had shook Archer's hand would reach to take the card. "Thank you! I shall take good care of this card." She meant that too. It wasn't going to get tossed aside or thrown in a random pile.

Handshake exchanged he slid his hands into his pockets. "After you use it, if you ever have to use it, all you have to do is smooth it between your palms afterwards. It's got the capability for multiple uses." She probably had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but it would make more sense come the day she put the card to use. "You can use that to call me when you find something," see he was totally nice there and didn't say 'if', "or you can always drop by here. You don't need an appointment or anything. I'm not some fancy executive like your boss, just a freelance genius." He gave her a smirky smile. Yeah, he was digging on her job. Probably because he had this suspicion that she didn't like it much. He was probably totally wrong, but Lyssia had offered two different kinds of services to him of the goodness of her heart and she didn't know Archer from Adam. That's what made him wonder if it was covert job hunting.

Now that sounded interesting. A business card that had more then one use, it just had to be smoothed between your palms. "I am sure it is a good thing that it has such a capability for multiple uses." That sounded strange but hey. She never heard anyone say that, and she wanted to ask, but she wasn't to sure with the policys here, and she didn't want to sound to naive. She had to laugh, "When I find out anything, I will probably just drop in....now that I know I can." She grinned, "Free lance Genius sounds good....." The man better be careful or she would put all her spare time into trying to find out things so she could run and tell him whatever it was she found out. Oh she loved her job, she really did, she just...sometimes...well she got distracted by Irish things. And she figured he had to of been a good guy, if Gwen would of sent her to return an item to him. That was enough of a recommendation for her to want to help him.

Archer didn't realize that he was probably opening a pandora's box with her. If he did...well, there's a chance he wouldn't mind. He already had Lumie in his lab all the time, and even paid the teenage kitsune for the work he helped Archer with, so the boy could feel like he had money of his own and was independent. Before that, back home, Archer had an apprentice who also happened to be his best friend. Who also happened to be the one to literally stab him in the back and kill him. But Archer wasn't going to let one bad apple spoil the whole damn bunch, as the saying goes. "Sounds good. I'll see you later, then." It wasn't that he was trying to kick the girl out, but....well she WAS a woman with a job, and he was a man with a rip roaring headache. He could only shed the cranky for so long before he'd be trying to bite head off for something totally not her fault.

Eh sometimes the pandora's boxes weren't all bad. Hopefully. See he was a nice guy! When he wasn't Mr. Grumpaloumpasaurus. Well that wasn't very nice was it! "Yes, it was a pleasure meeting you." And well she had a feeling that he had things to do, and she had things to do, but that did mean that she would see him again. And that worked well enough for her. At least. she thought it did, once her mind cleared it might not. A small grin, and then she was on her way, back to the Inn.

The End!

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