"Why, thank you." he replied.

"And excellent!" he then exclaimed.

"One moment." he told her, getting up from the chair. He made his way to the desk that was close by, and started to rifle through it. He found about 5 papers stapled together, and brought them to her, along with a pen.

"Read through these." he told her.

"In effect, it's a contract agreement that we'll both sign at the end." he went on.

"The majority is just an agreement for duration, number of photos, hours per session, that sort of thing." he continued. "However, page 4 is strictly about checking off what you're comfortable with, and what you won't do, in terms of poses or attire." he continued.

"Once that's filled out, I'll take a day or so to come up with session ideas, get the creative juices flowing, and then contact you for the first session." he finished, handing the papers to her.

"Well, of course." he said.

"Obviously parameters are meant to be put in place." he reasoned.

"But I think everyone deserves to find happiness. To BE happy." he told her.

He then sighed and leaned back in his chair, almost staring at the ceiling, but his eyes weren't focused on anything in particular.

"I realised that my photos can show others a new side of the world. One they'd never considered before." he said. "I think that maybe... just maybe... I can change lives with my art." he continued.

"Perhaps start something new. A world where mage and mythical can truly exist as 100% equals, in every way, with no need to hide anything." he finished.

THIS was the person that had so many allegations of abuse against him? What was the deal here?

Once she had signed, he looked it over and signed as well. Once he did so, he made his way to a photocopier and copied the documents. She then saw him file away the originals in a filing cabinet, and brought her the copies.

"For your records." he told her.

"Anyway, I think we're done here for now." he said.

"I need to get my creative juices flowing and get some ideas!" he declared.

"Do you need a ride back to your place?" he asked.

Val nodded in response.

"Very well, then." he said.

He then escorted her to the door, and opened it for her. Once she stepped outside, they looked at each other.

"I'll call you..." he mumbled, looking at a calendar that was hung up beside the door. "...Tuesday." he said. "And it'll likely be bright at early, around 9ish." he continued.

"Oh! And let me know if you'll need a ride or anything back here." he then said.

"I mean, you just said you can easily walk home from here, but the offer is on the table." he continued, before pausing and grabbing something out of his pocket. It was his wallet, and he took a business card out of it.

"It's my cell phone number on it." he said. "I'm not a legit business yet, so that number will need to suffice if you need to get ahold of me for anything." he continued.

"Please call me fairly soon, just so I actually have YOUR number, so I can contact you." he added with a small chuckle.

"We have an agent standing by." the voice replied.

"It's Agent King. He's in his car waiting for you in the parking lot across from the cafe." they went on.

"If you want to just make your way to him, go ahead, otherwise, he'll meet you in the cafe." they continued.

"...how did it go?" they then asked.

"Infiltration successful?" they asked further.

She could tell there was a little concern in their tone, but it was more of a 'did you spark his interest' question.

"Excellent." they replied.

"Rendezvous with Agent King, and he'll take you back to the Unit." they told her.

"We'll notify Agent Sharp about the success, and he'll want to speak with you." they finished.

"Noted." Izea responded to them.

"Out." was all the one on the other end said, before it went quiet.

"Hey there." Ty greeted her.

"Buckle up." he said after she shut the door. Once she was, he pulled out of the lot and headed towards the Unit.

"So, they told me it was successful." he commented.

"Yep." Izea responded.

"How was he?" he asked.

"He have anything... sketchy or off about him?" he asked further.

"Anything that's a red flag?"

"Hmmmm." Ty mumbled.

"I see, I see." he said.

"Well, just be sure to keep your wits about you, though I'm sure you already know that." he told her.

"We need to be ready for anything, really." he continued.

He then looked at her briefly, and paused a moment, before turning his attention back to the road.

Something seemed... off... about Izea. But not in a bad way. She seemed a bit... lighter than before. A smidgen more on the cheerful side, though he couldn't pinpoint how, or why, or anything like that.

They neared the Unit, and he sighed.

"Just keep your wits about you." he told her.

"That's all we can ask for." he said.

"See what this fella's deal is..." he mumbled further, trailing off a little at the end.

"It's weird how there's no red flags, though..." he then admitted.

"Makes me wonder what those reports are based off of..."

"Indeed." Ty responded, as they pulled into a parking space.

"All right, Sharp's expecting you." he told her.

"Head on up and see him. I need to return this rental car." he continued.

"We only needed it for today." he went on.

"See you later."