[hider=Guided Meditation][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UanV1ifs6tk[/youtube][/hider]

“Did you find them yet?” 

[I]”Kid, I'm a ghost not a metal detector. If you hadn't lost the damned things in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess, ‘Detective’.”[/i]

“I thought I’d left them on the desk this morning.”

[i]”Anyway, what happened to that trademark Nathan Bishop sixth sense you usually have going on when you’re working?”[/i]

“Oh come on, don’t start on th-”

Nate halted himself mid-sentence when he noticed the keys resting in one of the open drawers of his smudged metal desk. He blinked for a moment to make sure he wasn’t just seeing things again - he’d already checked there earlier - and there they were. Glancing over to Gabe, who seemed to have something on his face, he realised he’d been had.

“You moved them.”

[i]”Well, that depends Mr. PI,”[/i] A familiar shit-eating grin popped up, [i]”Am I under oath?”[/i]

“Ha-ha.” Nate folded his arms, grabbing the keys off the desk and popping open the filing cabinet adjacent to his desk. Another sheet of casework was still left in the printer beneath his desk, so he pulled it out and quickly stook it in a folder before locking up the cabinet once more.

[i]”What?”[/i] Gabe outstretched his arms, playing innocent. [i]”Must be a ghost that did it, I’m sure.”[/i] The way he said it laid it on thick.

Nate smirked, “Yeah, maybe I ought to go around knocking over a certain ghost’s gravestone in town - walk over a burial plot or two.”

The dead man shrugged. [i]”Ah, c’mon. I needed an excuse to pick something up - being dead can drive ya’ a little stir-crazy sometimes.”[/i]

“Yeah, I’m starting to feel that second-hand..” Nate shot back, before chuckling and pulling up a seat. Inside the same drawer where his partner had stuck the keys was a bottle of tequila that he’d yet to touch. Deciding now was as good a time as ever, he cracked it open and grabbed two glasses from the same drawer. Pouring just one glass, he pushed the empty one towards Gabe with a smug look on his own face. “Thirsty?”

[I]”Hah, fuck you too.”[/i] The late detective saw the funny side in that one. [i]”Last time I tried that was a waste of good scotch.”[/i]

Nate shrugged, before wrapping his fingers around the glass. “In that case, don’t mind if I do.” He offered a toast to the spirit and would’ve downed it were it not for a shadow passing by the shaded windows and twisting the door handle. “Yeah?” He called out to the mystery visitor, setting down his glass.

“Nate?” A familiar face addressed him as she stepped inside. A girl, no older than eleven, with a messenger bag hanging off her shoulder. Her name was Sarah Knights; a local kid. Or, well - that’s what she seemed like.

“Sarah,” He arched an eyebrow as she stepped inside, cross-legged with her hands closed together as if she was entering new school for the first time. Damn, even after knowing her for almost a year, she still almost had him fooled whenever she walked through that door. “What brings you here today?”

“Got something for you.”

Reaching into her messenger bag, she withdrew a small digital camera and set it on the desk. When Nate leaned forward, he found a couple of photos pertaining to another case he was working on. “Nice work.”  He pushed a small wad of dollar bills her way.

“Aw, don’t I get a higher allowance?” Sarah pouted.

[i]”Kid makes a good case. What is this, nineteen eight-nine?”[/i]

“Hah. Yeah, fine - here.” Nate pushed a couple of more dollar bills this way. “Not like you’ll spend it all on candy or anything.”

“Nope. I kinda grew outta that about a decade back.” She grinned a toothy grin, a sharp smile glistening.

If there was anyone who fit the combined definitions of honeytrap and jailbait, it was Sarah. She was a vampire who'd been turned before she progressed through puberty, an unfortunate and troubling predicament that she had learned to turn to her advantage by targeting the seedier denizens of the city, luring in would-be child molesters and other predators. 

Nate had come to conveniently ignore that fact; he held no love for the kind of quarry Sarah fed on and regarded it as a lesser evil. Besides, she wasn’t that bad of a kid, even worked as an informant for him from time to time - stopped by the office and slept in the back on occasion. Well, what could Nate say? Both he and Gabriel held a soft spot for kids.
“So, got any other info for me?” Nate finally asked. Truth be told, he was hoping for a lead on the Somabra Slayer - Gabe shared the same sentiment.

“Nope, sorry. Buuut....” She leaned forward after glancing over her shoulder. “I found something that might help. Someone I know with the Nyctari; they’re looking for someone who’s good at keeping tabs on other people, if that makes sense.”

Nate furrowed his brow. “Nyctari? What? No. [i]Hell[/i] no. I might not be a cop anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have standards.”

“Look, I knew you wouldn’t like the sound of it, but.. trust me, it’s not [i]that[/i] kind of work. It’s keeping an eye on other stuff, like the Rats and the Bloodblooms. Not hurting people, I know you’re not like that.” Sarah explained.

Nate was about to speak up, when someone else cut him off. [i]”Hate to be the devil’s advocate, but this might be our best shot.”[/i] Gabe finally spoke up. 

[i]”Forget about the pay, forget about the suckers - no offense, kid - think about the opportunities this might provide. You don’t think I never had to get my hands dirty, in all my years of work? Over twenty-five years I’ve been on the force, there’s been times I’ve had to deal with people I’d sooner put in a cell in order to get results. We could track down some leads on the Slayer with this info, even gain an insight into how those Nyctari bastards operate as well, for future reference.”[/i]

Finally, he relented. “Alright, fine. I’ll consider it. Sarah, give me the run-down on this.”