“No!” Foxx snapped, the word echoed by Harlow.
Tony rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s about how I thought you two would react. We’ll deal with it later. For now...is there a way for Harlow to appear human, Foxx?”
Harlow snorted. “You are talking as if either of those are an option. How exactly am I supposed to pretend to be human, when I’m pretty sure I couldn’t even pretend to be a vampire if I wanted to…” the dhampir trailed off with a frown. Foxx’s brow rose when the man looked over at him. “You did mention earlier that I was coming off ‘vampire enough’, what does that mean?”
“Well…to answer Tony’s question…it actually is possible for you to appear human, but it won’t be easy. And as for your question, Harlow… Well, as a dhampir, you can mask what you are by mimicking, or possibly by projecting, the bodily functions of other species. I’m guessing that vampire is your default without you trying, and that it’s a mixture of mimicking and some form of mind trick.”
Harlow frowned. “I see…”
“Can you teach him to be…human?” Tony asked.
“I can…attempt it,” Foxx said slowly.
He wasn’t positive how easily he could teach him something…that Foxx could only manage himself with minor mind control, that didn’t even work on everyone. He was pretty sure that whatever Harlow’s body was doing, it was a mixture of mind and actual physical changes.
“Well, you attempt it, and I’ll claim your team is down for the count for the next two weeks, due to Harlow needing to rest after yet another near death experience.”
Two weeks… “And after those two weeks?” Foxx asked tentatively.
“You’ll have to take up cases again and pretend.”
“That’s ahorribleidea!” Foxx hissed.
“Why?” Tony and Harlow, irritatingly, asked at the same time.
“You two are bloody hunters. I shouldn’t need to explain why!” he huffed in exasperation.
When the two just stared, Foxx yanked his hand out of Harlow’s. “Hello!? New paranormal!?” He waved at Harlow. “Body changing in major ways! Changes that will likely go on for months?!
“For fuck’s sake, you two aren’t new at this! You should realize that you, Harlow, would likely kill any human you attempted to fight against, and not on purpose. And even if you succeed in pretending to be human, there is no way you would be able to gain enough control in just two weeks for the mask to stay in place for any sort of predictable or extended period of time.”
Tony let out a puff of air. “Okay… Well, he’d only have to pretend around people who knew him before… It would be best to avoid actually going into the Guild at all until things are settled. As for hunts…definitely no human ones.” The man winced. “Ah, fuck, we are going to have to tell Charity.”
Foxx blinked. “Why?”
Harlow sighed. “Ahh…you’re right… We definitely will…”
“Again, why?! Why do we have to tell Charity?”
“Because, while I can tell her to not place you on human cases… She will completely disregard what I tell her, unless I can give her a valid reason.”
“Aren’t you her boss?!” Foxx snapped.
“I am…but she is not one to…listen. Which honestly describes the whole lot of you fuckers,” Tony growled. “I’m surrounded but a bunch of pains in the ass.”
“Well, make her listen.”
“No one can make Charity do anything. Do you think I haveMy Boy Lollipopas her ringtone on my phone by choice?” Harlow chuckled. “Fuck, no. No matter how much I threatened, she refused to change it back. Foxx, Charity will listen without explanation up to a point. But the second a case comes up, and we are the only people left that she can put on it, human or not, she will assign our asses to it.”
“But—”
The dhampir cut him off. “What’s one more person knowing?”
One more person knowing was…one too many! But…it was Charity… He liked Charity. She was bright and fun, a sunshine-type person. He liked sunshine-type people. But he…he loved Harlow…
Charity was… a good person though. Foxx couldn’t imagine her leaking the information.
He sighed and relented. “Fine!”
