Julianne suggested they move to the hotel restaurant to refresh and recover from the evening's events. Dev was all to happy to oblige, a sudden hunger making his stomach growl at the mention of food. She walked him through a very basic charm to clean his clothing and freshen up from the training and attack. She briefly primped at the vanity to touch up her make-up then kicked Dev out into the hallway to wait while she 'changed into something more appropriate' for dinner.

Dev rocked on his feet awkwardly while he waited. P.H. stood across the hall from him looking almost pensive.

"I feel I must apologize, Devlin Brígh. I'm not sure you were ready for the Threshold. You have been thrust into a whole new reality where your life is now in constant peril. You have handled yourself admirably compared to some of the hosts I've had over time. You should be proud." P.H. thought to Dev.

"Funny you mention it, I was just thinking this is too much. But, honestly, what can I do? I can either accept your power and have a chance at survival or reject it and most assuredly die." P.H. had the decency to look guilty.

"Its not often that I meet a human like you, you know. I see great things ahead."

The door to Julianne's room opened and P.H. faded away with a parting compliment. She emerged wearing a cardinal red evening gown with matching clutch. A peekaboo slit revealed a garter strap and Dev quickly averted his gaze. Adjusting his tie, he cleared his throat.

"That is a very, uh, flattering dress, Ms. Nestor." Dev swallowed hard. Julianne laughed at him.

"Oh, now we're back to Ms.? I show a little leg and you turn into a schoolboy." She fanned herself with the clutch. "Do I really get you that hot and bothered, Detective?" She enunciated all the syllables in detective deliberately. She laughed again and took Dev's arm. "Escort me to dinner so we can talk about murder you silly man." He could smell the flowery perfume that he associated with magic and now with her. She struggled to suppress her laughter all the way through the hall to the elevator to the host stand of the restaurant.

Dev nodded yes and held up two fingers when the host asked how many. Sweating under the collar Dev smiled through the awkward blush he could feel in his cheeks. The host led them to a table and Dev pushed Julianne's seat in and retreated across the table. Sitting across from her was easier than having her on his arm. He felt like a robot, trying not to move to fast or slow, to keep the proper amount of contact. Dev could feel a bead of sweat drip down his spine.

He didn't even notice that she had approved a wine for them until the waiter held it before him. He nodded 'when' and as the waiter left he took a big drink of the sweet red. Dev looked around at the restaurant. He had never been here before; it was well out of his price range as a detective. Julianne cleared her throat.

"Are you avoiding looking at me now?" There was still a hint of mirth in her voice. "I'll stop teasing and we can talk about work." She sipped at the wine. The waiter returned with menus. Dev's eyes widened at the cost. "We'll need a minute, thank you." She told the waiter. She noticed a red hue creeping up Dev's neck to his ears. "I have some suggestions if you've never been here before."

"How could you guess?" Dev asked. "I think I could have a glass of water with a slice of lemon and pay about as much as my lunch." He chuckled wryly.

"Don't worry about the cost, I have a line of credit here. And magic has monetary perks as well." She smirked and waved the waiter back. "I'll have the salmon carpaccio with the mushroom risotto. The gentleman will have the filet mignon, medium rare, with the creamed spinach." The waiter collected the menus and left. She leaned back in her seat with the wine glass in hand and draped an arm across her waist. "I know I said I would answer your questions, but I have a proposition. An answer for an answer. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other, thanks to recent events, and I want to get to know you better."

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Dev was still flustered. He finished his wine and glared at her. "No. You said you would answer when I showed I could protect myself. Well?" The waiter quickly returned and filled Dev's glass again.

"You know, you keep looking embarrassed to be with me and drinking like that, the staff are liable to think I'm a prostitute." Dev flushed bright red again. "The victim's name was Daniel Jefferson." The sudden shift in demeanor threw Dev off. He quickly recovered from flustered Devlin and turned back into Detective Brígh. He reached for the notepad that P.H. had made for him. He jotted down the name and looked back at her expectantly.

"Danny was a fellow practitioner. He had all the knowledge before he found a Numen; he had been obsessed with magic since he was a child. Perhaps his parents or grandparents, but someone in his family had a fragment of power that activated for him. But the piece he found wasn't especially potent, so he was relatively weak. He knew things that even I struggle with and that attracted the attention of some of the more powerful magicians. They used him for his knowledge and when they couldn't get any thing more from him, they convinced him to kill himself." Julianne's expression fouled and she drained her wine in one gulp.

She waved the waiter back over to fill her glass. Dev wrote down everything Julianne said. Unfortunately, none of it could be used as evidence. "The medical examiner said that there was no cause of death. If he committed suicide, how did he do it?"

"He could have sold his knowledge for years if he hadn't been so short sighted." She snapped. "They promised him more power so that he could do all the things he taught others. He was so smart, but so dumb. You kind of remind me of him." Julianne said venomously. Dev set the notepad down. He noticed tears welling in her eyes.

"And how did you know Danny?"

"He..." Her voice caught in her throat, then she steeled herself. "He was a friend once." The tears rolled down her cheeks. Their food arrived as Dev finished writing. The waiter removed the cloche and revealed a beautiful steak.

"Enjoy." The waiter said and retreated quickly from the tension. They ate in silence. Dev wanted to comment on the quality of the food. It was some of the best he had ever had. Though upset, Julianne's mood couldn't ruin her appetite.

"He contacted me about a week before he did it." She broke the silence.

Dev wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. "What did he want to talk about?"

"He asked me to help him with a ritual. He wanted to sacrifice himself and a few other weaker practitioners to the cult that used him. I tried to talk him out of it, but they had convinced him this was the way for him to get more power." She sniffed and ate a bite. Dev was amazed at how resolute she was.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Do you know who is in charge of this cult? Where they might be based or hold their gatherings?"

"I know what she looks like, they tried to recruit me when they got Danny. She has long black hair and brown eyes. She's a real looker, too. Remind me to conjure an image of her after we leave the restaurant. As far as a name, I never got it. Danny always referred to her as the Keeper." Julianne leaned forward and put an elbow on the table. "Its strange, with her following and power she should be Malformed. Maybe the profane sacrifices keep her from damaging her own soul." She said in a revelation. "Dev, if that's possible, we could have a big problem brewing."

"Devlin Brígh, is that you?" They were suddenly interrupted. Dev looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Jim Appleton approaching with his wife. He smiled and stood up to shake Jim's hand. "What the devil are you doing in a swanky place like this?" Jim noticed Julianne. "You mean you really did meet a woman?!" Dev had forgotten about his lie. Jim stepped forward and extended his hand to Julianne. "Hi! I'm Jim Appleton, this is my wife Beth. I work with Dev. He told us met someone but not that she was so beautiful!" Beth swatted Jim's arm playfully. "You really must tell us how you stole our best detective for a whole week!" Dev chuckled awkwardly and made a mental note to explain and apologize to Julianne later. He noticed that she looked pale and nervous. She couldn't stop staring at Beth.

Dev looked as well and it clicked. Black hair, brown eyes, attractive. He jerked his head back to Julianne who nodded.

Beth reached her hand out to Julianne, "Nice to meet you, sweetie! Any friend of Dev is a friend of ours. Don't mind Jim, he's incorrigible. What did you say your name was?"