Cana studied the blood samples that Jellal had given her carefully. There was definitely something strange and unusual about the blood. The samples contained a cell that wasn't like anything she had ever studied before. However she wasn't quick to agree with Jellal's vampire theory. She wanted to run some more tests and make some comparisons. 

"Natsu can I speak to you for a minute?" Cana asked him one day.

"Sure. What is it?"

"With you being the groundskeeper, you come upon some dead animals don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Could you bring the next few you find to me?"

"Why?"

"I wanna make some comparisons to a strange set of D.N.A that I've recently discovered."

"Okay then."

It didn't take long for Natsu to find one of two dead animals on the property. Once he brought the bodies to Cana she took swabs of their D.N.A and started to compare them to that of the blood samples Jellal had given her, hoping that they could lead to some logical answer but unfortunately no such luck was in her favor. However she did discover something very interesting. When the sample mixed with the blood of a healthy human along with a special cleansing chemical she had long ago concocted to cure lethal mutations, the cell was slowly eliminated and the blood became normal.

She quickly reported her progress to Jellal.

"I'm sorry, tell me again what you've come up with?" Jellal asked when she told him her hypothesis the first time. 

"If this creature does in fact exist then it might be curable." She explained.

"Vampirism isn't a disease Cana. Vampires are the living dead."

"That theory is very difficult to prove Jellal. I don't know what this creature is I'm positive it's not a vampire."

"Then what do you think it is?"

"I believe it's a human being who's contracted some sort of mutation that's probably driven him or her completely mad. If that's the case then perhaps we're not dealing with coldblooded killer but a physically and mentally ill person."

"You're talking like we're dealing with schizophrenic. Schizophrenic's aren't smart enough to cover their tracks this well."

"I never said we were dealing with a schizophrenic but I'm positive that we're dealing with a human because unlike you I rely on science and logic."

"I do too in most cases Cana but there are some things in this world that neither science or logic can it explain and this is one of those things."

"I worry about you sometimes Jellal. I think this study of yours is very unhealthy."

"Don't talk to me like I'm crazy because I am not. I am perfectly sane and I know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Do you really? Because I think you're starting to lose touch with reality. You're a brillant man Jellal but if you keep spouting this nonsense people are going to think that you've lost your mind."

"If you refuse to believe me or support me than I shall go. No point wasting my time coming to you for help."

"I want to help you Jellal but not in the way you're thinking."

"Then we have nothing more to discuss. Good day to you."

He grabbed his coat and left the room. In his upset haste to leave he accidentally bumped right into Erza who was heading upstairs with a file. They both fell down and the papers from the file were scattered every where.

"Oh! A thousand apologies Miss Scarlet." Jellal said instantly forgetting his insulted demeanor and moving to gather up the papers.  "Please allow me to pick these up."

"It's quite alright Professor Fernandes I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She said.

"Still this is your house and I should have been more attentive and considerate." 

"You seem to be in an awful hurry to leave Professor. Is everything alright with you and Cana?"

"Yes we just had a little disagreement that's all. Still that's no excuse for my foolishness. Forgive me please."

"Again it's nothing to get all worked up about." She assured him.

Once he had all the papers together he handed them to Erza who placed them back in the file.

"A lot of papers. Helping Cana?" He asked her.

"Oh no these are just progress reports on my nephew's grades. He's home schooled you know."

"I see. Are you his primary caregiver?"

"His. my stepsister's, my cousin's, pretty much to everyone in the house."

"Sounds like you never leave this place."

"When you get down to it I don't. I haven't gone out in God knows how long."

"In that case Miss Scarlet would you mind...Well I..." He started to get a little flustered. "I...This might be rather sudden of me to ask but would you mind allowing me to take you out to dinner sometime?"

"Oh." She said blushing a little. "I...Well I don't know.  I mean...I have a very busy schedule and I...I...Would you mind if I thought about it?"

"Of course. Just give me a call when you've made up your mind."

"I will. Thank you. Have a good night Professor Fernandes."

"Same to you Miss Scarlet."

Erza watched the man leave while trying to steady her breathing. She couldn't remember the last time she had been on date. She never had time for dating, she still probably didn't have any time now. No, no she couldn't accept. She was much too busy. She would call him tomorrow and tell him that she just didn't have time for that sort of thing.

"Who's he?" Gray asked interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh Gray! I told you to stop sneaking up on me like that." She said.

"Sorry that wasn't my intention but again I ask who's he?"

"Just an associate of Cana's. No one really important."

"If that's true then why is your heart pounding? I could hear it all the way from down the hall."

"You can hear that well?"

"One of the few perks of being a blood sucking abomination. So tell why does he have you so nervous? Did he threaten you in someway?"

"No. Not at all."

"Then what is it?" He took notice of her red cheeks and he could sense how flustered she was getting. Back where he came from or rather when he came from, when a woman was liek that it usually meant one thing.

"He's trying to pay court to you?"

"Pay court to me?"

"Yes. You know when a man gives a lot of attention to a woman in order to get their approval and affection which will eventually lead to marriage."

"Marriage?! Oh no! No! It's not anything like that! He just asked me on a date."

"What does that mean?"

"Well I guess it's like modern day courting but I don't think he intends to marry me. At least not now anyway."

"I'm not sure I entirely understand."

"Look basically right now he just wants to take me out to dinner."

"And do you not want to accept he invitation? Do you not like him?"

"Well I like him but he's...He's not really my type. I mean he is handsome and sophisticated and his eyes...They're so sensitive and he seems so adorable when he gets all nervous..." Her blushing increased when she realized that she had said too much.  "It doesn't matter if I want to, I can't go."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm too busy. I don't have the time."

"I can help you make time. What do you have to do?"

"So much. There's bills to pay, furniture to dust, dishes to clean, floors to scrub, I can't just cancel on that."

"Seems to me that your making excuses because you're nervous."

"Oh alright. You caught me. But I haven't had a date since I was fourteen."

"So? I haven't had any romantic encounter with a woman for almost two hundred years."

"But I wouldn't know what to say."

"Just talk about your interests."

"It's really not that simple."

"It was for me."

"Times have changed."

"I don't think times have changed that much in this subject."

"I don't have time to discuss this now. I have to look over Romeo's progress. Excuse me." Without another word she walked into the drawing room.