Phoenix Talon waited until Dawn wasn't around, then called Candi.
    "Hello?" she answered.
    "Hi, Ms. Rich? This is Phoenix Talon. I got your message."
    "I was hoping you'd call me back," she chirped.
    "I hope everybody was okay after that problem a couple weeks ago...."
    "Oh, yeah, everything was fine."
    "I've got an invitation to this party. A real high-tech company, the Caduceus Project, is having an opening, there's gonna be food and a band, and local bigwigs and such, I was wondering if you wanted to go."
    "Oh, sure! I think that would be a lot of fun. You gonna come pick me up, or...?"
    "Well, if you don't mind hovercycles. It's a hell of an entrance, let me tell you. I'll see you then," he grinned.
    "Buh-bye."
    Then he went looking for his daughter. "Hon, we gotta go to this thing for the Caduceus Project...."
    "Oh, good, I'll be able to wear one of those dresses I just looked at."
    He wasn't thinking too well just then. "Yeah, that'd be great. Just so you know, I'm going with Ms. Rich, the lady who called, but there's no reason you can't come, too."
    There was a brief, frigid silence. It slowly occurred to him that he had possibly said the wrong thing.
    "Um, what's the date?" she asked quietly.
    "The eighteenth. I was thinkin', I can't really wear my costume. It ain't formal. Too orange, you know?"
    "What about your black costume? Black goes with everything."
    "I was thinking if you could fix me up kind of like a half tux, half costume...."
    Dawn sighed. "Dad, I love you dearly. Wear the black costume. Can you imagine wearing a costume with, say, ruffles and a cummerbund?"
    "I guess I wasn't thinking that much of a pansy tuxedo. They ain't all. Okay, if you think so."
    "Just trust me on this one," she said firmly. "Um, yeah, there might be something else going on that night. I gotta call and double-check the date on that."
    He felt unaccountably deflated. "Oh. Okay, if you're sure."
    "Yeah, I have a date with Rick, I just want to find out when. I gotta go," she said casually, and walked out of the room, leaving Phoenix Talon standing there with his jaw on the floor.
    I'm not gonna hurt him. He'll be dead too quick.
    He'd already had a couple of training sessions with them; if he'd known.... He stalked down to the basement to work out. Things got destroyed down there. Maybe I should have mentioned that she used to be a Daemonwhore....

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