Trinket stood nearby as Booker sat beside the old man on the settee, carefully examining the two small holes in his neck. There were trickles of blood dripping down to his shoulder, staining his already filthy coat. He winced as Booker lightly prodded at the swollen skin around the punctures.

"So you say it was a vampire that did this to you?" Booker asked, turning the old man's neck towards the light of the crackling fire.

"Yes, sir. Was minding my own business when all of a sudden this crazed creature came running at me. First I was too surprised to do much, but when she grabbed hold of my neck and sunk her monstrous teeth into me, well, I done near lost it. Screamed and yelled and beat her off of me 'til she finally ran away and disappeared into the night. Most horrifying thing's ever happened to me."

Booker sat back and furrowed his brow. "'She'? It was a woman?"

"Well, she looked like a woman. I don't know that godless creatures like vampires are the same as us humans."

"What exactly did she look like?"

"Couldn't tell you for sure. It's all such a blur now. But I recollect she was young. Some might think her pretty. Not me, though. To me, she was a monster of untold horror. Real beast, she was. Attacking an innocent man who was just making his way home."

Considering both the late hour and the man's unbuckled belt, Trinket highly doubted he had been innocently walking home or minding his own business.

A raised eyebrow was Booker's only response to the man's dramatic retelling of his tale. "I see. Well, there doesn't seem to be much damage. I can clean the wound and bandage it up to stave off infection."

He reached for his medical bag, which was sitting on the table from when Trinket had removed the bullet from his upper arm earlier. But the old man caught his wrist, stopping him. His eyes darted about the room nervously before settling back on Booker.

"Doc, I ain't worried about no infection. I'm more worried about what's to become of me."

"You mean will you die?" Booker asked.

The old man's grip tightened and his eyes went wide as he nearly whispered, "No. Will I become one of the undead?"

Booker's eye twitched, and Trinket's shoulders tensed as she readied herself for a rude, sarcastic retort to pass his lips. "Based on my humble medical opinion, I don't think you have anything to fear, my good sir," he said as he patted the man's shoulder and gave a tight smile.

Though still slightly shaken, the old man nodded slowly and released Booker's arm.

After cleaning the wounds out with some alcohol and applying a bandage to his neck, Booker saw the old man off with a polite smile and wave. Once the door was closed, he heaved a sigh and threw his hands up in the air.

"Sometimes I wonder if there's something in the water here," he said as he headed back into the parlour and collapsed onto the settee.

"What do you mean?" Trinket asked, sitting beside him and helping him put away his tools.

"Vampires? Really? How could anyone believe that's even a possibility?"

"You don't think he was attacked?"

"Oh, no. He was clearly attacked. It just wasn't by some supernatural creature."

"So vampires are ridiculous, but wolves with metal teeth and corpses with animal parts sewn onto them are perfectly acceptable?"

Booker paused, a hand hovering over the forceps still stained with his blood. He glanced her way, and the corner of his mouth tugged into a lopsided grin. "Point taken. However, the difference between this 'vampire' and Benedict's creations is—"

"Science."

This time, his smile could not be stayed as he sat back on the settee. "Precisely. Science," he said softly.

Their eyes met, and the intensity in his gaze made it impossible to hold for long. Swallowing, Trinket turned her attention to his stitched-up arm, still exposed due to his torn shirt. "I'm assuming you believe this 'vampire' is another one of his experiments, then?" she asked.

She could feel his gaze on her. "It's the most logical conclusion," he said.

"Yes, well, not everything in the world is explained by logic, Mr. Larkin."

There was a pause. "Oh, I'm becoming all too aware of that."

Daring to meet his eyes, she was taken aback by the tenderness she found in them. There seemed to be something he was not saying, and while it absolutely thrilled her, it terrified her all the same. She was reminded of all the harm she could do to him. Harm she had already done to others.

But that didn't stop her from gently running her fingers along the stitches in his arm. His muscles tensed, but he didn't pull away. She laid her hand against the wound, replaying that horrifying moment when the Mice's bullet had hit him earlier that night. The memory of nearly losing him was fresh in her mind, and even with the sudden distraction of the old man and his supposed vampire, she could not forget the panic that had raced through her veins at seeing Booker severely injured once again. Nor could she ignore her realization of how important he had become to her.

Daphne entered the parlour, and Trinket quickly pulled away from Booker, busying herself with the rest of his tools scattered over the table. Though she gave her a suspicious glance, Daphne mostly ignored Trinket's flustered behavior. Instead, she pointed to Booker's arm and held out a small bowl filled with a strange white mixture.

"Ah, Trinket, my dear, would you mind translating?" Booker asked as he stared up at the woman with the portable aquariums attached to her neck.

Glancing over at Daphne, Trinket replied, "I believe she wants to apply some salve to your wound."

Daphne nodded and then raised her eyebrows at Booker.

He seemed less than convinced. "What sort of medical training have you had?"

Rolling her eyes, she knelt before him and took hold of his arm, eliciting a surprised yelp.

"Lord, be gentle. I am injured after all," he said, watching as she slathered the salve onto his stitches.

"Booker, she's the one who helped keep you alive during your withdrawal," Trinket said as she finished cleaning his tools and snapped his bag shut. "She seems to know what she's doing."

"I wish I could be so confident," he said. "But I'll remind you that we know practically nothing about her past. She could be trying to poison me."

Daphne stopped her treatment and pinched Booker's cheek affectionately before retreating into the hallway.

Trinket laughed softly. "If she was going to poison you with salve, I highly doubt she would have applied it with her bare hands."

Wiping away the salve Daphne had left on his cheek, Booker grumbled, "You're awfully logical for someone who argues against logic."

"So clearly Benedict has already begun a new round to this game," Trinket said as she sat back on the settee, her flustered heart now at rest thanks to Daphne's interruption. "What's our next move?"

Leaning back, Booker propped his feet up on the low table situated before the settee and gave a thoughtful hum. "I suppose we should head out into the city to see if there are any rumors circulating about this vampire."

"You'd think your friend would have the decency to let us breathe a spell before sending us on another wild corpse chase."

"Oh, what fun would that be? But you're right. We should probably wait until morning."

"Thank the heavens you've become somewhat reasonable."

Another crooked smile twisted his lips. "The thanks goes to you, my dear." His expression softened as he added, "You should get some sleep. I've been running you ragged as of late."

She shrugged. "It comes with the job." She hesitated as she glanced up at him. "And I must admit, I rather enjoy our little adventures."

His eyes lit up, and his smile grew. "Ah, so I have begun to corrupt you. Poor dear, you never had a fighting chance for a normal life."

Rising to her feet, she grabbed the medical bag and headed towards the hallway. "That ship sailed long before I met you, Mr. Larkin."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

She stopped and turned to find him gazing at her thoughtfully. Her heart fluttered and her stomach tied itself in knots, sending her nerves into a frenzy. Averting her eyes, she asked, "Would you like me to make some tea?"

"No, that's fine. I think we could both do with a few hours of sleep. It's been a rather eventful night."

In more ways than one.

"But tomorrow morning, would you accompany me to the city center?" he continued.

"Vampire hunting?"

He grinned. "Something like that."

Raising her eyebrows, she nodded. "I'll be sure to bring the garlic."