Conundrum

Part 5

When Danh walked into the shop the shabbily dressed clerk immediately looked up and greeted him, then told him he'd go grab a bottle of Vincent's favorite. As uncomfortable as he was being instantly recognizable in a beer shop, Danh did prefer it to trying to find the right label in the dim lighting and making a fool of himself playing the trombone game. The clerk returned, made some friendly small talk, and threatened to turn it into a full blown conversation after Danh paid. It wasn't that Danh didn't like talking, just not in a beer store with a surprisingly growing line behind him. Finally he managed to break away and headed back to the precinct. When he rounded the corner for the front entrance he could see two kids between him and the atrium doors. The closer he got he could make out coffee in their hands and college-aged faces. The boy wore a t-shirt with equations on it that clashed with his plaid jacket and the girl had mismatched an untucked concert t-shirt and a rather nice skirt. The ill-dressed boy turned around as Danh approached and walked straight up to him.

"Do you work there?" he asked, pointing at MDA headquarters.

"If you don't mind answering," the mismatched girl next to him quickly added. Danh warily studied them both before responding, "Yes," and with a practiced smile added, "Is there anything I could help the two of you with?"

"Our friend was taken in yesterday afternoon, but she's not magical." The boy straightened, managing a couple inches above Danh.

"Well, 'friend' is a loose term," piped in the girl. "She's my roommate."

"If it was yesterday then she probably hasn't been through processing yet, but I'll check for you." Danh shifted the beer he was carrying to the crook of his arm, pulled out a small notebook and a pen from his pocket, and offered it to the ill-dressed boy. "Put her name, yours, and the best way to reach you if she's determined non-magical."

After giving Danh a suspicious look over, the boy took the pen and notebook, meticulously wrote the information, then handed them back. "And if she's not determined non-magical?"

"Then you can sleep a little more soundly." Danh took them and put the pen away, his smile tightening. "But otherwise, I'll be in contact within five to seven business days. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, have a lovely morning."

And with that he walked past the pair, only glancing down at the pad once he was making his way back through the maze of drab hallways. At the top was written in clear, big letters "Spencer Ronan," then underneath "Jamie and Lydia Michaelson" with two emails and phone numbers at the bottom. As odd as the kid was, Danh had to appreciate the fact he could actually read his handwriting. He reached the office and shut the door behind him, then placed the notebook down on the table in front of Vincent.

"I've just had the strangest encounter," he told him as he sat. Vincent merely eyed the beer Danh was holding. "There were some kids asking about the case we just interrogated. One of them was the roommate."

Ignoring Vincent's pointed gaze, Danh pointed at the notebook. "What did you find out about them?"

Vincent glanced over the writing and then back to Danh and the beer. "Lydia Michaelson - the roommate - is 19, freshman, major is undeclared. Brother, Jamie Michaelson, 20, junior, declared majors are physics, engineering, biology, and chemistry."

"Bit of an overachiever then?" interrupted Danh, but Vincent continued. "Neither have ever been raised from a level 1 MDA watchlist or have ever shown up in a report."

"Hmm." Danh turned to study where the girl had sat before on the other side of the glass. It was difficult to really see with the glare of the light and he had to squint, so eventually he gave up and just sat there thinking. He must have just missed the transfer guard that picked her up. "Neither sibling is really past naive yet."

"No," responded Vincent, presumably still waiting for his beer.

"And the brother feels a bit like a self proclaimed hero."

"Sure," responded Vincent, presumably still waiting for his beer. Danh turned to him. "How are his grades? Is he good at his majors?"

"Yes." This time the response was curt.

Sighing, Danh held out the beer to Vincent and waited for Vincent to reach up before saying, "I need a favor."

Vincent's hand stopped short of grabbing the beer. "How much am I going to hate it?" he asked.

"Well, it has to do with the magic inhibiting and detecting problems." Danh ran his free hand through his fluffy hair. "Wasn't there a malfunction last night with the handcuffs?"

"Malfunction's putting it mildly." Vincent scoffed, hand still hovering. "By now I think it's safe to say the whole system's a placebo."

Danh raised an eyebrow. "I hope you're not spreading that sentiment around."

"Oh, nobody listens to me."

"Well, before they do, I want you to recruit Jamie Michaelson to come work on it."

As Vincent stared at him Danh could see him weighing his options. Finally Vincent sighed, grabbed the beer, and leaned back in his chair.

"What's keeping you from doing it?"

"I've got to get it approved first." Danh gave him a grin when Vincent groaned and popped the lid off his beer.

"Fine, I'll do it tonight." Turning back to face the glass, Vincent took a swig. "You forgot to get your coffee. Transfer guard's been really slow if you want to go before the next case arrives."

"Eh, Binh gave me this new health drink to try." Danh shrugged, noticing Vincent grimace.

"Well, you got the beer so you can have some if you need it."

Now it was Danh's turn to grimace, not being able to hold it back, to which Vinent smirked.

"Speaking of which, here's your change." Danh fished around in his pocket until he found it.

"It's fine, consider it a tip," responded Vincent, going back to his paperwork. Danh's lips tightened, but he offered a smile. "Alden Vincent being modest! I only got it because I couldn't help you with the paperwork."

Vincent didn't look up. "What am I going to do with it, there isn't enough to buy another one. Give it to Chien, he can get candy or something." Then Vincent paused and looked up at him, seeming genuinely concerned. "Unless An has the poor kid on the health drinks too?"

At that Danh laughed, gave Vincent a slap on the back, and got to work himself.