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The Adventures of Davida Capricornia

(Title WIP)

By,

Absolom Nightwolf

"Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception."

Carl Sagan

"In truth, we exist and survive, not because of the ego,

but in spite of it."

David R. Hawkins

I

The members of the Elysium Casual and Sports Wear Company executive board filed into the company meeting room with a mixture of apprehension and resignation on their faces. It wasn't very often that the company president and founder called for these meetings, but rather that she usually called them when something went wrong. This usually meant that someone's proverbial head was going to role. Not that the president was overly critical or liked to micro manage overly much, but rather it meant that one of the executives had screwed up 'big time.' Not that names were usually thrown around, the president like to keep those for private meetings, but the company was small enough that everyone knew who was going to get it when she talked about the which department was having problems. Most of the board normally didn't have a problem though, so this meeting was a little unexpected. Everyone knew that the president had been locked in her office with Financial for the last week, with only her butler/bodyguard, Hiroshi Miyamoto, answering phone calls and fetching such things as food, drinks, and occasionally aspirin for his mistress. As far as anyone was aware of, the company was doing just fine, the stocks were on a rise, and there was talk about putting a branch office in New Amsterdam, so no one was sure what this meeting was about.

All thirteen of them filled over to their respective seats, nine males and four females, mostly from different races. Two of them, Mr. Gunther and Mr. Hendricks, were Were-foxes, both usually staying in their hybrid form. Six of the board members were members of the human race; Mr. Vancouver, Mr. Westbrooke, Ms. Henson, Mr. Malhorta, Mrs. Rossi, and Mr. Kader. Mr. Rees, the slightest person in the room other than the president, was a wood elf. Mr. Eriksen and Ms. Solberg were dwarfs, though Ms. Solberg was going through treatment for lycanthropy, having been infected by a rogue were-wolf nearly twenty years ago. She normally called out during the three days of the full moon, and tended to stay in her office when she came to work, where she worked very hard at her job. The medication she had to take was expensive, even with insurance. Ms. Aelius and Mr. Gaius were both high elves, Ms. Aelius sporting a head of sun golden hair while Mr. Gaius' short hair was the color of polished silver.

To the right of the meeting table as the executives entered was the desk of the Secretary, Mrs. Wilhelmina Jovian, a dark elf who had severed the president since the founding of the company. Her naturally white hair was drawn up in a bun at the back of her head, her glowing blue eyes looking over the executives as they filed into the room. The expression on her face was completely unreadable, but there was a tenseness in her shoulders that spoke volumes. To those who knew her well, that meant that there was something wrong with the president, who Wilhelmina, saw as little sister. Mina, as the president liked to call her, had been having a hard time finding a job, a place to live, and even food at times due to her race. Then came a little girl who needed help with a freshly started company, and gave her the chance of a lifetime. Three years ago, a young high elf named Vespasian Jovian asked her hand in marriage, and Mina now had a little girl waiting at home with her father. The president had been present through out the entire five years that the company had been in existence, and she and Mina had grown close. The dark elf was now fiercely protective of the young president.

At the head of the oval table, made of some dark brown wood polished to a mirror shine, sat the chair of the president. In it was Davida Savannah Capricornia, a young woman who had only just turned twenty-two in February. Being only five foot four, the slight athletic frame she was born with made her appear even smaller than she actually was. Her face was slender, but with squarish angles that almost gave her a cat like appearance, with her dark brown eyes shaped very much like those of a cats, though her pupils didn't quite become slitted. Her dark brown hair was cut in a bob fashion, with the hair parted over her left eye, and covered her slightly tapered ears, though the ears were nowhere near as tapered as a half-elf. At one hundred and twenty pounds in weight, only Mr. Rees was lighter than she was, despite being a few inches taller that she was. Davida, only her closest friends called her Savannah, was something of a child prodigy, and a wonder of nature all in the same breath. She was a hybrid race; her mother had been half selkie and half human; her father had been half human and half changeling. That meant that she was one third human, one third were-seal, and one third faerie. In David's case, the faerie side of her allowed her to change into the form of a cheetah. These natural abilities allowed her to pursue her favorite hobbies, oceanography and archeology.

When Davida was sixteen years old, she came across the idea of coming up with clothing that could be worn by a variety of shape shifters, including herself. Before this, any shape shifter who wanted to change forms had to either get completely naked, not a pleasant prospect in the middle of a fight or in public, or risk tearing their clothes apart, which usually amounted to the same thing in the case of were-wolves and were-bears. Gradually, she came up with a formula that would allow fabric to stretch in such a way that could conform to the new form of its wearer. The company shot off like a rocket, and Davida had brought in new people to help with the running and expansion of the business. Starting first in sports wear, the company had built its foundation on swimwear, which was still its number one seller, but had gradually expanded to specialized footwear and now casual dress. Davida, in the spirit of competition, had shared some of her patented fabric with other companies, and now there was a healthy market for the clothing. Though in truth, Elysium Casual still held the corner market, despite avoiding becoming a monopoly. That had been five years ago, and every member of the board owed their job to Davida, who had hand picked them not on who they knew, but on what they could do.

Davida was currently was wearing a dark green, double breasted blazer over a blue high collared leotard. The maroon, low rise slacks were held up by a simple black belt with a polished, oval steel buckle, showing off the upper part of her hips. Her small feet were covered with a pair of black slip on flats with no decorations on it. In fact, the only decoration Davida wore was a gold cross, on a gold chain necklace around her neck. It was the only reminder of her parents she had left, as they had died when she was three. Being a hybrid of several races, the few relatives she had on her fathers side wanted nothing to do with her, so she was put up for adoption. She had never known anyone on her mother's side of the family. Surprisingly, a young half elf couple, who had no child of their own, adopted her almost instantly. Henry and Frances Capricornia were well off, having ties to several banks and real estate agencies, and they raised Davida lovingly until she was fourteen years old. That was when tragedy struck her again.

Both of her adopted parents died in a car accident two blocks from their home. Davida had been at school and had raced to the hospital as soon as she had heard the news. Her mother died an hour after she had arrived at the hospital and her father had died in the car. The truck that had crashed into their car had stolen license plates, and the driver had disappeared just after the accident. While all of this was highly suspicious, there were not enough evidence for the police to pursue the case, so it was put into the cold case files. Unofficially, several of the neighborhood residence insisted that they investigate Davida, which the police did very discretely. They quickly realized that most of the informants had racial leanings toward the young lady though, and the matter was dropped. Davida was left in the care of Hiroshi, who had already served her parents for almost twenty years by then. The teenager had always seen the tall butler as a big brother rather than a servant, and the two of them had almost become as close as siblings.

Behind the chair in which Davida sat, and slightly to the left, stood Hiroshi Miyamoto. Even though he was of Nippon ancestry, he stood six foot two, with an triathlon physic and the stance of a trained warrior. He was also a member of the Siberian Were-wolves, one of the most feared Were-wolf tribes in the world. Though not nearly as populace as other Were-wolf tribes, the Europa tribe being the biggest, the Siberians were the largest in size and strength. Hiroshi also held black belts in five different martial arts, and had advance training in firearms. His hybrid form pushed his already extreme height to well over seven foot, and even the special fabric Davida had developed had a hard time staying on his massive frame. Hiroshi had naturally occurring gray-black hair, which he kept in a military cut, and ice blue eyes that never failed to unsettle most of those who did not know him well. He was seldom far from Davida, and usually when he was, his young mistress was usually in a very secure area. His expressionless face sported a very thin beard, his eyes unblinking as he eyed the members of the board.

On the table in front of Davida sat a large pile of paper bundles, one of which was in her left hand, while the right supported her forehead as she read over its contents, the right elbow resting on the table top. The worried expression on her face was not lost on anyone. Hiroshi gave a soft cough as the members stood next to their chairs. Davida looked up, and then motioned for them to be seated before looking back at the paper.

"Be seated ladies and gentlemen," she said in a soft soprano with slight Avalon accent.

There was a craft and scuffle as everyone sat down, then the hum of Mina's computer as she got ready to record the meeting. All of their meeting were recorded to allow for each member to go back for information they might have forgotten, if they happened to miss a meeting, or, as happened once before, a financial investigation came calling. This meant that there were no secrets during the executive meetings, but it did not cover the private meetings, which in truth, rarely happened.

Everyone waited for a few moments for Davida to speak, but nothing happened. Finally Mrs. Rossi spoke in her rich Roman accent.

"Madam, what seems to be the problem," she asked.

Davida looked up and everyone got a good look at the bags under her eyes. She sighed, placed the bundle of paper down on the table, and leaned back in the chair.

"Members of the board," she said. "Before me is a stack of financial records that show me skimming funds from the company and storing a private account in Helvetica. I've already been over all our records with Mr. Eriksen, and they show that I've been doing this for the last two years, despite the fact that last years audit didn't show so much as a half-penny disappearing from the accounts." Davida picked up the bundle of papers she had been reading. "This is a demand from the Elysium Board of Trade for the release of our financial records for the last two years. Now I've been over all of our records, and I'm showing the new records in every single one of them. So, how did this happen?"

Everyone stared at her for a long moment, then Mr. Gunther spoke up.

"Are you the only one being implicated," he asked in a slightly richer Avalon accent, his baritone voice easily caring across the room.

"Yes," Davida said. "This could have only been done from the inside, ladies and gentlemen. Someone is trying to discredit me. Someone wants me out of the way. If I release the records, I'm going to have the Feds come and arrest me. All of you know me. I would never do anything to compromise this company, nor the people who run it. What should I do?"

The look of fear and grief were now quite evident on Davida's face, and Kir Ekhard Gunther had to resist the temptation to get up and embrace her. They had grown up together, and his father had become a surrogate father when her parents had died. Despite him being four years her senior, Kir had spent a lot of his free time either playing or doing school work with Davida. They had attended the same schools, with the exception of college. He had gone to the prestigious University of Southern Elysium, while David had taken one course after another online. When she had started the company, he had jumped on board when she offered him the position of Research and Development Manager. He had always been good with his hands, and science was is favor subject, especially chemistry. Then last year, they had started to date, which is why he had to control himself now. Everyone would perceive their relationship as favoritism, even though their relationship was more or less public knowledge.

Kir was a mixture of different races himself, though in his case, two different Were-fox tribes. His father was a member of the Europa-Teuton Tribe, and a master wizard with four tails. Isiah Gunther was well known and liked throughout the magic community, both locally and abroad, however, he spent most of his time traveling on the Guild of Magicians business, especially since he got his fourth tail. Kir's mother was a member of the Europa-Rus Tribe, and despite only having three tails, was often busy with her own magical studies and teachings herself. Maya Gunther was an accomplished illusionist and taught fox illusions tricks to the next generation at the local university. Both of them had given Kir his flame red fur and hair, but he had inherited his mother's green eyes instead of the gold eyes of his father. Black fur capped both of his triangular ears and covered his hands and feet. The fur on his throat and the tip of his tail were both snow white. Currently he was dressed in a black business suit with a simple red neck tie and a light blue dress shirt.

"Ma'am," said Mr. Takoda Hendricks said in his brusk Elysium accent, his tenor voice cutting through the murmuring that surrounded the table. "I hate to say this, but you might want to just turn yourself in. The investigators are not unreasonable, and you have more than enough character witnesses from within the company to support you. They also might have better equipped to handle a more expansive investigation, and you could rule yourself out by being under their constant scrutiny."

Takoda was a pure bred Elysium Were-fox, his fur a mottled silver-black with his back and tail tip holding more black than silver. He was currently dressed in a navy blue dress coat with black slacks and a white dress shirt. Amber colored eyes stared over his long slender snout with a confidence that was born from years of experience dealing with negotiations. Takoda was in charge of Contracts, and therefore help with the Legal Department for the company, though Ms. Aelius was the over all head of Legal. As was normal, he wore his customary turquoise tribal necklace instead of a neck tie. The silver Were-fox had come into the company after having a miserable time with a stock market company. The company president had been a financial idiot, and while he had employed smart people like Takoda, he had bankrupted his company in a matter of years. The Were-fox had been working as a stork clerk in a clothing store when Davida had found him, and had made use of his negotiating skills by making head of Contracts.

"Is that the only way," Davida asked turning to Ms. Aelius. "Is there anything that can be done without giving up my freedom?"

"I'm sorry, Madam," Ms. Aelius said, her Roman accent not as noticeable as Mrs. Rossi. "Without looking at the data, I can't make a confident assessment. Plus, if what you say is true, it could take a while to pore through all the data to find out how this person, or persons, where able to alter the data so thoroughly. We would also need a tech expert or programer. All I know how to do is run the systems, not how to data code them. I'm afraid Mr. Hendricks is correct in his assessment; it would be better to turn yourself in. It is quite possible that they may only place you under house arrest instead of throwing you into jail. As far as I know, you're not a flight risk."

Davida groaned and looked at the top of the table. At the same time, there was the sound of hurried feet from the room from beyond and the sound of some of the secretaries demanding for someone to stop. The door to the conference room burst open and five men in suits walked in. Two were human and the other three were elves; one high elf and two wood elves. One of the humans reached into his coat and pulled out a slip of paper, then proceeded walk around the table. Just about the entire board moved to stand up, only Mr. Eriksen remained seated, while his left hand forced Ms. Solberg back into her chair. The high elf forced Kir back into his seat while one of the wood elves told everyone else to remain where they were. Hiroshi moved up next to his employer as the human came around the table, but otherwise made no move. The human stopped a pace or two from Davida, looked at Hiroshi briefly, and then back at the young woman.

"Davida Capricornia," he said in a brusk New Amsterdam accent. "I am Inspector Ulysses Farrow on the Elysium Financial Department. I have a warrant for your arrest for financial corruption and the evasion of justice. Please come with me."

"Evasion of justice?! What are you talking about?" There was a half panicked look in Davida's eyes.

"You recently bought a plane ticket to Nippon, which was to take off an hour from now. To make sure that you do not leave the country-"

"I never purchased a ticket, you jackass," Davida shouted, rising from her chair.

"According to your financial records, you did at 0800 this morning," the Inspector said, presenting the warrant.

Davida grabbed the warrant from out of his hands and quickly scanned the document. Discretely, Hiroshi looked over her shoulder while keeping an eye on the Inspector. After a moment, Davida looked up.

"This is bullshit! I never made that reservation!"

"Then you'll have no problem coming with us and proving it then." The Inspector made a move to grab Davida's arm, only to have Hiroshi's large hand close around his wrist. Farrow froze and looked up at the Were-wolf. "You know, I could arrest you for obstructing justice, sir."

"How about you read the Bodyguard's Guild Agreement," Hiroshi said in a surprisingly quiet voice. His Trade Language was impeccable, without the slightest hint of an accent. His face was completely calm, without the slightest hint of anger or rage, but his grip was like dwarven steel. His ice blue eyes looked out of narrowed eyes at the Inspector with a deliberate intensity in them. "I'm well within my rights to prevent you from taking her by force. Now if she agrees to go with you, the only thing I can do it tag along. However...if you intend the slightest bit of harm toward my employer, even those cold iron handcuffs that I can smell in your partner's pockets, I will be forced to retaliate with extreme prejudice. If you take my meaning."

The hand holding the Inspector's hand tightened a little, causing the human to wince. Farrow felt the bones grind a little before the Were-wolf slackened his grip, then finally released it. The Inspector slowly withdrew his hand and massaged the wrist with the other hand, eying the bodyguard the entire time.

"We can't afford to have her leave the country," he said. "She has to come with us."

"Then I will take her to your office," Hiroshi said. "One of your officers may ride with us, but she will not go with you. If you like, you can send for some Guild Enforcers to accompany us, so that you know I won't incapacitate you officer and run from the country with her."

The Inspector looked at Hiroshi for a long moment before he spoke. "That won't be necessary. Inspector Vespasian will go along with you, while the rest of us will follow in my car."

"That will be satisfactory." Hiroshi turned to Davida. "My lady?"

Davida looked Hiroshi, then at the Inspector, a look of fright in her eyes. Everyone could clearly see the circles under her eyes now. Reaching slowly under the table, she pulled up a small purse and placed the strap on her left shoulder. Staying close to Hiroshi, she followed him around the table. As they did so, the high elf holding Kir's shoulder let go and moved to meet them. Stepping in front of them, he gave a small bow, his right arm placed across his chest, the hand open. Hiroshi relaxed marginally.

"Lady Capricornia, my name is Alexander Vespasian, Inspector Second Class of the EFD. I will gladly escort you to your destination. Do not worry, you have nothing to fear from me," he said, his tenor voice smooth with the hint of a Londinium accent. He had clear blue eyes and long blonde hair. His long, dagger like ears poked out his hair close to the back of his head. He had the air of gentleman and an upper class upbringing, yet he seemed to be humble and friendly.

As he straightened, he gave a gentle motion toward the door. Davida gave his a quick glance and then stepped toward the door. As she did so, Kir stood up and approached her. The other Inspectors made a move to stop him, but Alexander waved them off with a quick gesture. Hiroshi did not fall to notice the look of contempt on Farrow's face. Apparently, Alexander was either greatly respected, or greatly feared. As Kir stepped forward, Davida practically jumped into his arms, burying her face in chest of the slightly taller Were-fox. Kir hugged her, and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Sh. It'll be alright," he said into her ear. "I'll make some calls and see if I can get this cleared up. Just be good and try to cooperate with them. OK?"

"OK," Davida said in a quiet voice.

They broke the embrace and Davida moved toward the door, followed by Hiroshi and the Inspectors. Everyone moved down the hall to the elevators, the entire office staring in disbelief as the Inspectors moved to surround Davida. Hiroshi took his place just behind his mistress while Alexander moved out in front. They stopped long enough to wait for the elevator, then they all got on, with David and Hiroshi positioned at the back. Alexander pushed the button for the underground parking lot, and the elevator moved down its shaft. Soft music, traditional Elysium flute, came through the speaker in the roof. No one spoke. When the elevator dinged, everyone stepped out, and resumed their previous place. A short walk from the elevator doors was the car that Hiroshi escorted his boss in, its black paint job making it almost invisible in the dim light of the parking garage.

Hiroshi stepped forward, unlocked the doors, and opened the back door for Davida. Alexander waited for her to take her seat, then moved over to the front passenger side seat. Hiroshi closed the door, then looked over at the other Inspectors, who where piling into a unremarkable four door sedan. He mentally scoffed. What a bunch of amateurs. Technically, Hiroshi did not have to take Davida to their office. They had not even read her her rights, which violated half the codes of ethics that Hiroshi knew about. It also rendered his cooperation null and void. But some things where better taking head on, so it would be better to get this out of the way. He glanced back at Alexander. The elf was sitting in the front seat, facing forward without speaking. This one was a cool one, Hiroshi mentally judged. That also meant that he knew what he was doing, and was probably extremely dangerous. With a mental sigh, he climbed into the car and started up the vehicle. As he pulled out of the parking slot, Alexander spoke to Davida without turning around.

"Lady Capricornia, I would advice you to say nothing until your lawyer is with you. I can't say what is going on, but this entire operation is being rushed, and my companions are acting unnaturally aggressive. Some of what they are doing is also falling outside of the law. Do not worry. I will not allow anything to happen to you, and will not let your bodyguard get too far from you. He will have to wait outside the room while we question you, but he won't be far if you need him."

There was a long pause. Then a quiet "Thank you" came from the back. Hiroshi glanced at the rear view mirror and saw his mistress' eyes. They were hard, emotions playing across them, until they settled down into a sadness that consumed her until they reached the building in which the EFD had their offices. Here, Alexander pointed out the entrance to the EFD's official parking garage, and Hiroshi drove up to the gate. Alexander showed his ID card to the guard on duty, and Hiroshi pulled into the garage. He found a parking slot on the second floor, and pulled into it. Alexander had them wait at the elevator doors while the other Inspectors moved to join them. Once the others were with them, everyone stepped onto the elevator and they took it to the third floor. Davida was escorted to a sparse room with a two tables and five chairs.

One of the tables was small and held a coffee maker and a few coffee cups. Beside the coffee maker was a small self-heating tea pot and a box of earl gray tea. The other table was larger and stood in the middle of the room, two chairs the each long side. The last chair was over in the far corner next to a mirror. Davida glanced at the mirror suspiciously for a long moment before taking the indicated chair. Opposite of her sat Alexander, and next to him sat Inspector Farrow. The other human and one of the wood elves forced Hiroshi out of the room while the other wood elf closed the door behind them. Farrow took out a pocket recorder, a small note pad and a pen from inside his coat. The recorder he placed on top of the table and turned it on. Opening the notepad, he jotted down something and then looked up at Davida.

"OK, Miss. Time for some answers. Now where-"

"Where's my lawyer," Davida interrupted in a quiet voice. She looked side long at the Inspector, with a look in her narrowed eyes that suddenly had the menace of a predator in them. The Inspector blanched, and Alexander looked completely surprised. "You also haven't read me my rights. Until those conditions are met, you're wasting both your time and mine."

Farrow looked long at the young woman, a few beads of sweat on his forehead. After a minute or two, he made an effort to scowl and turned to Alexander.

"Alex, why don't-"

"You go. I'm a better babysitter then you are."

Farrow openly scoffed, but stood up and moved to the door, opened it and went through the door, slamming it behind him. Alexander smiled at his back, then faced Davida. The predatory look had faded from her eyes and face, and she now stared down at the table top with air of a meek girl who had gotten in trouble for something that was not her fault. Alexander got her attention and then read her her rights.

"For the record, do you acknowledge the fact that I read you your rights?"

"Yes."

"Do you have anything to add, or do you want to wait for your councilor?"

"I'll wait."

"Very good. May I fix you a cup of coffee or some tea?"

"Tea please. Do you have any sugar?"

"No, sorry. Give me a moment."

Alexander moved to the door, and spoke with someone outside of it, then returned to his seat. A moment later there was a knock on the door and one of the wood elves walked in with a box of sugar packets. This he placed on the table and walked out.

"Thanks, Bruce," Alexander said as Bruce walked out. The other elf gave a wave without turning around, and softly closed the door behind him. Alexander poured some hot water in a cup, dropped a packet of tea into it and handed it to Davida. She took it gingerly, then messed with the tea packet. The elf handed her a stir stick from a box under the small table and then resumed his seat. He watched how she carefully coaxed out the tea from the bag, then pulled it out and handed it to Alexander, who threw it into the trash can located next to the box of stir sticks under the small table. She then pulled out a sugar packet, and stirred it into the tea. Taking a sip, she made a face and grabbed a second sugar packet. Alexander gave her a small smile.

"Sorry, the tea isn't very good. The department is almost entirely coffee drinkers and they buy the cheapest tea they can get a hold of."

"I usually only drink black tea as ice tea. I prefer green tea as hot tea."

"Don't like caffeinated drinks?"

"It's not that," Davida said as she took another sip, this time without pulling a face. "It's just that they don't do anything for me. Being part Changeling and selkie, I have a lot of energy naturally anyway. But things like caffeine and nicotine seem to have no hold on me. I tried to smoke when I was younger, but Mom and Dad didn't like it, and it got boring very quickly. They didn't force me to stop, but they did encourage it. As with caffeine, it didn't do anything for me. And I don't have any tolerance for alcohol. I had one beer the day my parents died and I ended up trashing half the house in an angry drunken stupor. Hiroshi was so made at me that he refused to speak to me for two whole days. Hahaha. That straightened me up pretty quick. Never get a Siberian Were-wolf angry, even if they are in control of their rage."

Alexander smiled. "Your fond of him, are you?"

Davida sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "He's like the big brother I never had. Never really criticizing me, but making advice that I could follow or not follow. If I made a mistake, he would quietly help me correct it with out so much as a 'I told you so.' He's the closest thing I have to a family now." Davida took another sip of her tea.

Just at that moment, the sound of arguing came from down the hall. There was a series of rapid footsteps just outside the door, which opened with a rush, and in stepped a half elf dressed in a suit and a long coat. He was around six foot with short reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes. His dusky skin looked unhealthy in the artificial light of the florescent lighting coming from the ceiling, but otherwise appeared hail and hearty. Behind him were a two other men, both looking like they were human, who were holding off some of the Inspectors. The half elf stepped forward as Alexander rose and pulled out a pocket shield from his pocket.

"My name is Agent William Henry Hide," he said in a brusk New Avalon accent. "I'm with the Elysium Bureau of Magical Investigation. I'm told you have one Davida Savannah Capricornia in custody?"

"Yes," Alexander said glancing at Davida.

"We're here to take over the investigation. Miss Capricornia in now under our protection."